Tennis elbow brace

Do you ever see people wearing those black straps just below their elbow you might have wondered what it is? It usually isn’t a fashion item and in most cases would be a tennis elbow brace.

They might be wearing it to help with tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) injury. This may have been recommended by their health practitioner in order to help with their injury.

How does it help with pain?

The idea behind the brace is to help offload the pressure/tension being put on the tendons that connect to the outer portion of the elbow (common extensor origin). The majority of the forearm muscles cross the elbow joint and attach to the lateral epicondyle. So when overworking those muscles with job demands, lifting, painting, writing or even playing tennis all that load is being put through that area in a more localised distribution.

The benefit of the brace is that it essentially creates a new anchor point that helps distribute the force over a larger area and takes some of the stress off the lateral epicondyle. Doing this allows the tendons and muscles to have a better chance to recover and can help speed along with recovery. It also allows the person to perform the exercises required to rehab the injured area with less pain and reduce the risk of setbacks. Your physio therefore may recommend one to wear during the prescribed exercise programme.

How long do you have to wear a tennis elbow brace?

We never want to leave you reliant on those fashionable braces and as the recovery progresses you will feel more confident with slowly weaning out of the brace and back to doing the things you enjoy doing. Working with your physio will help you determine when that time will be so that you find the perfect balance of support and recovery while moving to a program that will help prevent future injury.

We always recommend getting the view of a health practitioner before purchasing any bracing to reduce the risk of purchasing the wrong brace and reduce the risk of causing other issues.

If you need a brace or have a tennis elbow, give us a call today. Book in with one of our physio to get that elbow back on track. Book here or call us on 07 5572 6222