TENNIS ELBOW TREATMENT

For tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), sports massage and deep tissue massage can be useful as part of a broader treatment plan. They primarily help by reducing muscle tension in the forearm, improving tissue mobility, decreasing pain, and making it easier to perform the strengthening exercises that are often the cornerstone of recovery.

Lateral Epicondylitis

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How Massage May Help

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Reduce Forearm Muscle Tension

The tendons affected in tennis elbow connect to muscles that extend the wrist and fingers. These muscles can become:

• Tight

• Overworked

• Painful

Massage can help relax these muscles and reduce the load placed on the irritated tendon.

 

Improve Tissue Mobility

Chronic tennis elbow may lead to:

• Thickened tendon tissue

• Tight forearm fascia

• Reduced soft tissue mobility

Massage may help improve movement between these tissues.

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Reduce Pain

Massage can:

• Decrease muscle guarding

• Improve circulation

• Stimulate pain-modulating pathways in the nervous system

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Improve Grip Comfort

By reducing tension in the forearm muscles, some people find gripping and lifting activities become less painful.

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Support Rehabilitation

Massage works best when combined with:

• Activity modification

• Progressive strengthening exercises

• Load management

• Technique correction (sports or work-related)

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Areas Commonly Treated

A therapist usually works on more than just the painful elbow.

Common treatment areas include:

• Wrist extensor muscles

• Wrist flexor muscles

• Brachioradialis

• Triceps

• Shoulder muscles

• Upper back muscles

Poor shoulder and upper-arm mechanics can contribute to excessive stress on the elbow.

 

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What Massage Cannot Do

Massage alone generally cannot:

• Instantly heal a damaged tendon

• Correct poor technique

• Replace strengthening exercises

• Prevent recurrence if the underlying overload continues

If the activities causing the tendon irritation are not modified, symptoms often return

 

What Usually Produces the Best Results

Current evidence suggests the best outcomes typically come from combining:

1. Activity modification

2. Progressive forearm strengthening (especially eccentric exercises)

3. Grip-strength training

4. Stretching when appropriate

5. Sports massage or deep tissue massage as a complementary treatment

6. Addressing contributing factors such as racquet technique, workstation setup, or lifting mechanics

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For tennis elbow, many therapists spend most of the session treating the forearm extensor muscles rather than pressing directly on the painful tendon itself. Reducing tension in those muscles often decreases the stress being transmitted to the tendon attachment on the outside of the elbow.