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Doctors first
identified Tennis
Elbow (or lateral epicondylitis) more than 100 years ago. Today nearly half of all
tennis players will suffer from this
 disorder at some point. Interestingly
though, tennis players actually account for less
than 5 percent of all reported cases making the term for this condition something of a misnomer.
There are 2 additional
strain related conditions which are often mistaken for Tennis Elbow. These
being Golfer’s Elbow
& Bursitis. Before we delve into the details of what Tennis Elbow actually is and
options that are available for relieving & preventing the pain...let’s look at
the distinguishing characteristics of each of these 3 ailments.
Tennis Elbow
(lateral
epicondylitis)
Outside of Elbow
Cause & Symptoms
The onset of pain, on the outside (lateral) of the elbow, is usually gradual with
tenderness felt on or below the joint's bony prominence. Movements such as gripping,
lifting and carrying tend to be troublesome.
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Golfer’s Elbow
(medial
epicondylitis)
Inside of Elbow
Cause & SymptomsThe causes of
golfers elbow are
similar to tennis elbow but pain and tenderness are felt on the inside (medial) of the
elbow, on or around the joint's bony prominence.
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Bursitis
Back of Elbow
Cause & SymptomsOften due to excessive leaning on
the joint or a direct blow or fall onto the tip of the elbow.
A lump can often be seen and the elbow is painful at the back of the joint.
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Symptoms Of Tennis Elbow
- Recurring pain on the
outside of the upper forearm just below the bend of the elbow; occasionally, pain radiates
down the arm toward the wrist.
- Pain caused by lifting or
bending the arm or grasping even light objects such as a coffee cup.
- Difficulty extending the
forearm fully (because of inflamed muscles, tendons and ligaments).
- Pain that typically lasts
for 6 to 12 weeks; the discomfort can continue for as little as 3 weeks or as long as
several years.
The damage that tennis
elbow incurs consists of tiny tears in a part of the tendon and in muscle coverings.
After the initial injury heals, these areas often tear again, which leads to hemorrhaging
and the formation of rough, granulated tissue and calcium deposits within the surrounding
tissues. Collagen, a protein, leaks out from around the injured areas, causing
inflammation. The resulting pressure can cut off the blood flow and pinch the radial
nerve, one of the major nerves controlling muscles in the arm and hand.
Tendons, which attach
muscles to bones, do not receive the same amount of oxygen and blood that muscles do, so
they heal more slowly. In fact, some cases of tennis elbow can last for years, though the
inflammation usually subsides in 6 to 12 weeks.
Many medical textbooks
treat tennis elbow as a form of tendonitis, which is often the case, but if the muscles
and bones of the elbow joint are also involved, then the condition is called
epicondylitis. However, if you feel pain directly on the back of your elbow joint, rather
than down the outside of your arm, you may have bursitis, which is caused when lubricating
sacs in the joint become inflamed. If you see swelling, which is almost never a symptom of
tennis elbow, you may want to investigate other possible conditions, such as arthritis,
infection, gout or a tumor.
Relief Of Tennis
Elbow
The best way to relieve
tennis elbow is to stop doing anything that irritates your arm — a simple step for
the weekend tennis player, but not as easy for the manual laborer, office worker, or
professional athlete.
The most effective
conventional and alternative treatments for tennis elbow have the same basic premise: Rest
the arm until the pain disappears, then massage to relieve stress and tension in the
muscles, and exercise to strengthen the area and prevent re-injury. If you must go back to
whatever caused the problem in the first place, be sure to warm up your arm for at least 5
to 10 minutes with gentle stretching and movement before starting any activity. Take
frequent breaks.
Conventional medicine
offers an assortment of treatments for tennis elbow, from drug injections to surgery, but
the pain will never go away completely unless you stop stressing the joint. Re-injury is
inevitable without adequate rest.
For most mild to
moderate cases of tennis elbow, aspirin or ibuprofen will help address the inflammation
 and the pain while you are resting the injury, and then you can follow up with exercise
and massage to speed healing.
For stubborn cases of
tennis elbow your doctor may advise corticosteroid injections, which dramatically reduce
inflammation, but they cannot be used long-term because of potentially damaging side
effects. Another attractive option for many sufferers, especially those who
prefer to not ingest medication orally, is the application of an appropriate
and effective topical anti-inflammatory such as
Penetrex.
If rest,
anti-inflammatory medications, and a stretching routine fail to cure your tennis elbow,
you may have to consider surgery, though this form of treatment is rare (fewer than 3
percent of patients). One procedure is for the tendon to be cut loose from the epicondyle,
the rounded bump at the end of the bone, which eliminates stress on the tendon but renders
the muscle useless. Another surgical technique involves removing so-called granulated
tissue in the tendon and repairing tears.
Even after you feel you
have overcome a case of tennis elbow, be sure to continue babying your arm. Always warm up
your arm for 5 to 10 minutes before starting any activity involving your elbow. And if you
develop severe pain after use anyway, pack your arm in ice for 15 to 20 minutes and call
your doctor.
Prevention
To prevent tennis elbow:
- Lift objects with your
palm facing your body.
- Try strengthening
exercises with hand weights. With your elbow cocked and your palm down, repeatedly bend
your wrist. Stop if you feel any pain.
- Stretch relevant muscles
before beginning a possibly stressful activity by grasping the top part of your fingers
and gently but firmly pulling them back toward your body. Keep your arm fully extended and
your palm facing outward.
Caution!
To prevent a relapse:
- Discontinue or modify the
action that is causing the strain on your elbow joint. If you must continue, be sure to
warm up for 10 minutes or more before any activity involving your arm, and apply ice to it
afterward. Take more frequent breaks.
- Try strapping a band
around your forearm just below your elbow. If the support seems to help you lift objects
such as heavy books, then continue with it. Be aware that such bands can cut off
circulation and impede healing, so they are best used once tennis elbow has disappeared.
Call Your Doctor
If....
- The pain persists for
more than a few days; chronic inflammation of the tendons can lead to permanent
disability.
- The elbow joint begins to
swell; tennis elbow rarely causes swelling, so you may have another condition such as
arthritis, gout, infection or even a tumor.
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Recent Patient Profiles
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...Though I'm fairly young, I have been afflicted with tennis elbow for several
years, and had become accustomed to tolerating moderate pain almost
constantly throughout the summer months when my outdoor activities are at
their peak.
Then
I started a new job, requiring me to keyboard for almost an entire eight
hour workday. With the addition of long hours of data entry at a computer, I
was now feeling pain down into my wrist and hand as well even to the point
of being awakened from sleep whenever I moved. It hurt to turn the ignition
key in my car, it hurt to use hairspray, it hurt to do anything with my
right hand.
Preparing to visit my doctor for help, I did an Internet search for "tennis
elbow" and found my way to the Penetrex website. I was very skeptical, but
ordered Penetrex because of the no-risk guarantee. I applied the cream twice
per day, once in the morning immediately after showering and once in the
evening before bedtime.
To my
surprise and delight within one week I had considerable relief from the
pain. After one more week, I can honestly say my pain was hardly noticeable.
The only change in my activities was the addition of the Penetrex. Penetrex
is awesome, I recommend it highly!..."
Kimberly P.
Novi, Michigan
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...Thank you so very much for your speedy delivery of the Penetrex. My
daughter's elbow/arm has really improved since using the cream..."
Molly L.
North Berwick, Scotland
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...I was suffering from tennis elbow due to typing at work. I looked
thru the internet for some aids for the tennis elbow and found Penetrex. I
ordered and only used it a few times before I fell and broke the arm with
the tennis elbow. That is one way to cure it!
However, I also ordered a 2nd bottle for my dad who suffers in the hip with
arthritis. Or so we thought. He used the cream and it gave him great relief.
So much so he has reordered from you several times.
My
father found out in September he is dying from cancer...currently he is on
Hospice. He has several cancers including bone cancer. This is probably the
"arthritis" he has thought he had for years. I am writing you to let you
know your product is one of the few that helps relieve the pain.
He
uses it in the morning and nights and it has definitely helped. I was not
sure if anyone had ever told you that it helped relieve this pain, but I
thought you should know. Today I ordered another two jars for him. They are
not a cure, but thank you for a product that has over this time period given
him some pain relief...."
Ruthanne L.
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...I received my jar of Penetrex at the end of last week and have used it for a few days and I have to tell you that the tennis elbow problem I
have been suffering with for the last six weeks seems to have almost disappeared.
Up to last week I couldn't lift an iron without pain and
making beds or blow-drying my hair really aggravated the problem. Thank you very much.
I have since given some to my elderly friend to rub on her arthritic
knees, so will be interested to see the results..."
Corina M.
Singapore
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...A product I purchase which is not effective is expensive at ANY price.
One which relieves my discomfort by healing the problem with regards to my
tennis elbow is a bargain at under a thousand bucks. Penetrex falls into the
latter category…and at 20 bucks it is the bargain of the century.
I
didn’t send this e-mail because I want you to raise your price. I say it
because I wanted you to pass this letter along to the developer of Penetrex.
Tell him that until I discovered his product I spent about 2 thousand
dollars over the last 3 or 4 years on braces, splints, magnets, cortisone
shots and acupuncture and none of them achieved the success that his product
did in about 2 weeks..."
Paul K.
Woodbridge, Illinois
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...I
have been suffering with tennis elbow for 8 long
months. After 2 weeks of using your Penetrex I am
pain free. It seems so hard to believe. I read the
testimonials on your web site and I decided I had
nothing to lose, so I ordered a jar.
I have tried
everything else. I play tennis 6 days a week. I have been taking 2400 mgs of
ibuprofen a day in order to play. I ice my elbow at least 3-4 x a day. I've
had cortisone shots, oral steroids and even acupuncture.
I can't understand
how or why this cream works but in my case it does. I applied the cream
almost every 2 hours for the first week, and then gradually tapered off to
4x a day. I have been wrapping my arm with the cream and an ace bandage at
night, and I am waking up in the morning with no stiffness or pain
whatsoever.
I have been playing
tennis for a week now without pain, and 3 days now without my tennis elbow
band, my arm feels so free! I just ordered another 3 jars, there's no way I
will be without this cream. Thank you for such a wonderful product!..."
Robin L.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...Thanks for the tub of Penetrex - I call it my 'magic cream' because it
works like magic!! The tennis elbow has cleared and I'm now no longer in any
pain whatsoever. Amazing stuff - How does it work? I don't know. I'm able to
continue with my sporting activities without any problems - I'll be back for
another tub of 'magic cream' soon. PS - TELL THE DOCTOR HE BETTER NOT STOP
MAKING IT!!!..."
Adrienne P.
Parkside, Australia
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...Well, I'm now a member of the believers club. This stuff works. On a
scale of 1-10, 10 being extremely hurtful, my elbow was a 9.5 at the time of
the 1st application. After my 4th application the pain is almost gone, now
at about a 1 or a 2 on my subjective pain scale.
That is a lot of improvement in less than 24-hrs.
I've been putting up with this tennis elbow for over
a week before I found your Penetrex website. Sure
glad I took a chance on your product..."
Gary W.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Tennis
& Golfer's Elbow Patient
"...Just a note to say thank you. I was suffering from tennis elbow and
golfers elbow in both arms following years of bad posture and abuse using a
computer for work. The arrival of RSI was a shock despite the fact that I
had swapped mouse hands from left to right almost a year earlier because of
discomfort in my right forearm.
I started with constant pain and tingling in my
forearms and elbows in February this year. Then
followed various intensive treatments which
included, physio (little progress) osteopathy,
homeopathy, acupuncture and cranial massage. I was
getting a little better after 2 months but my arms
seemed weaker (as I had stopped all sports and
housework, driving etc. in order to rest my arms),
and I still had almost constant pain.
I had hit the brick wall and despaired of full
recovery. I decided to order your cream in early
June. After 2 weeks of use my arms began to feel
stronger and this teamed with ongoing treatment and
deep massage seemed to have turned the corner for
me.
It's now late July and although I still have the odd
twinge I am well on the mend and am about to resume
cycling and even a little computer work at the
office. I feel as though I have my old life back.
I still use the cream 1 to 2 times a day and
continue an exercise regimen which I hope will see
me back to full recovery in the next few months.
Penetrex made the difference at a crucial stage when
I needed to move from holding the RSI at bay to
recovery. Many thanks once again..."
Melissa H.
Cheshire, United Kingdom
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...I received it
yesterday and it IS relieving the pain! Tell that chemist that I was in so
much pain with my tennis elbow that I almost succumbed to "white man's
medicine" for relief. Thank God I didn't need to. His cream has probably
saved me from the knife.
I
have had this problem for 4 months of excruciating pain. Massage and
chiropractic have helped but not like Penetrex. I believe the tissue can now
relax to heal. I am of the opinion that very little good can come from most
creams, thank you for being the exception. I suspect I will need to reorder
soon. I am even telling my customers about it and I rarely endorse
anything..."
Carole M.
Heathsville, Virginia
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...I am writing to let
you know that I received a jar of your cream last week (very quickly in the
mail) and within 3 days was able to play tennis again. I couldn't pick up a
mug of coffee without discomfort and was willing to try anything for relief.
I
found your website while researching tennis elbow on the internet and felt
that I had nothing to lose. Thanks for making such a terrific product. I
have already told many fellow players that your cream helped me greatly..."
Constance F.
Lake Worth, Florida
Tennis Elbow Patient
"...I just want to let you know how wonderful your product is. I couldn't lift a coffee cup, a cortisone injection didn't work, nor did a trip to the physio and the pain was constant. At my wit's end I logged on to the net and in desperation ordered the cream.
Well, after two days of using it my elbow began to feel better. I was wearing a tennis brace on my forearm for normal activities as well. It's been a week and my elbow is getting better and better everyday. Just thought I'd send some feedback. Yours sincerely
..."
Liz W.
Auckland, New Zealand
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Over 125,000 Satisfied
Clients Have Made Penetrex™ The World's #1 Topical Anti-Inflammatory
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