By far the best method to cure tennis elbow is by being proactive to what causes the condition and then by immediately treating the first signs of injury with the R.I.C.E. method.

R.I.C.E. is basic first aid for any injury. It has been created to minimize damage to the area and speed the recovery process.

Rest from aggravating activity that causes you pain and prevents the swelling from going down. Change the type of activity that you do to a non-weight bearing activity such as swimming or cycling to maintain your fitness levels.

Apply ice to ease the pain and initially constrict the blood flow to the area to reduce further injury.

Compress the area by putting on a support bandage to reduce injury to the area.

Elevate the arm to prevent further injury

Before we even start to use a tennis elbow treatment it is worth looking at how we might be causing the injury to ourselves.

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is an injury that occurs through repetitive motions of the wrist and forearm. This is particularly common with tennis players (but not exclusively) especially if the player has bad technique when playing a back hand game.

Below are a few fundamental steps you can take to prevent injury:

a) have a professional tennis coach asses the way you play.
b) wear a protective arm brace - this can certainly help by cushioning the elbow, muscles and tendons from the shock of the tennis ball hitting the racquet.
c) always warm up and cool down after each game paying particular attention to stretching the wrist and the shoulders.

If you happen to become injured then what are the symptoms that you should look out for?

a) gradually worsening pain
b) an increase in the area of the pain from just the outside of the elbow to the forearm and back of the hand when either grasping or performing a twisting movement.
c) a weakness in the wrist when grasping objects or trying to unscrew a jar lid etc.

In addition to all the above if you are unfortunate enough to get tennis elbow then there are a variety of treatments available ranging from allopathic medication, surgery and pain relieving machines, such as T.E.N.S. machine, to physical therapy and other forms of natural healing self help treatments that really help to cure tennis elbow and that provide a simple workable solution that puts you in control of your tennis elbow treatment.

As a complementary health practitioner Karen has over 8 years experience in helping others cure tennis elbow by using natural holistic treatments based on a synergistic approach