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Tennis Elbow Physiotherapy
Harley Street, Central London
ALO Physio proudly provides expert tennis elbow rehabilitation and physiotherapy in Harley Street, London.
Tennis Elbow Treatment & Support Harley Street
Struggling with persistent pain on the outside of your elbow? Lateral epicondylitis known more commonly as Tennis Elbow, is a common overuse injury that makes daily tasks like lifting or typing a challenge.
At ALO Physiotherapy, we provide expert, evidence based care to relieve inflammation and restore function. Our tailored treatment plans combine manual therapy and targeted exercises with advanced technology like Shockwave and TECAR therapy.
We focus on treating the root cause to ensure long-term recovery and prevent re-injury, helping you return to your favorite activities pain-free.
Building a Bespoke Treatment Plan
Pain Relief & Inflammation Management
The immediate focus is to reduce acute pain and calm the inflamed tendon using advanced electrotherapy and traditional methods.
- Acupuncture: Targeted to provide rapid pain relief and improve local circulation.
- Manual Therapy: Gentle mobilisation of the elbow and surrounding tissues to reduce stiffness without overstressing the tendon.
- TECAR Therapy: Utilising deep tissue heat to stimulate blood flow and accelerate the initial healing process at a cellular level.
Tissue Repair & Regeneration
Once the acute pain is managed, the focus shifts to repairing the damaged tendon fibers and stimulating long term healing.
- Shockwave Therapy: Delivering acoustic pulses to the elbow to trigger the body’s natural healing response and break down calcification or scar tissue.
- Vibra 3.0, Vibration Therapy: Employing precise mechanical vibrations to encourage muscle healing and improve neuromuscular activation around the joint.
- Targeted Stretching: Introduction of tailored stretching exercises to restore flexibility and improve the range of motion.
Strengthening & Functional Recovery
The final stage ensures the elbow can handle the “load” of daily life or sports, preventing potential reinjury.
- Progressive Strengthening: A bespoke exercise program designed to build resilience in the forearm extensors and grip strength.
- Manual Therapy & Maintenance: Continued mobilisation to ensure the joint remains fluid as activity levels increase.
- Functional Integration: Tailoring movements to your specific physical demands; whether that’s desk work, manual labor, or racket sports, to ensure a full return to peak performance.
When to Undertake Treatment
Common Causes Of Tennis Elbow
- Repetitive Manual Labor: Frequent use of hand tools like screwdrivers, hammers, or plumbing wrenches that require forceful gripping and twisting.
- Office & Computer Work: Prolonged use of a mouse and keyboard, especially with poor ergonomic setups that keep the wrist in a constant state of extension.
- Fine Motor Tasks: Occupations requiring high precision and repetitive finger movements, such as tailoring, painting, or playing musical instruments.
- Racquet Sports: While tennis is the namesake, squash, badminton, and padel are common culprits, particularly when hitting backhand shots.
- Weightlifting & Gym Use: Overloading the forearm extensors during pulling movements like rows or deadlifts, or using thick-bar equipment that increases grip demand.
- New Activity Spikes: A sudden increase in the duration or intensity of an activity, such as a weekend of heavy gardening or DIY, without allowing the tendon time to adapt.
- Poor Equipment Fit: Using a tennis racquet with a grip size that is too small or strings that are too tight, which forces the muscles to work harder to stabilize the joint.
- Compensatory Movements: Weakness in the shoulder or rotator cuff muscles, forcing the smaller elbow muscles to take on more load than they are designed for.
- Postural Stress: Slumped seating positions that alter the alignment of the neck and nerves, which can sometimes predispose the elbow to lateral pain.
- Age Related Degeneration: Most commonly diagnosed in adults between the ages of 30 and 50, as tendons naturally become less elastic over time.
- Smoker’s Delay: Smoking can reduce blood flow to tendons, slowing down the body’s natural repair process and making the area more prone to chronic injury.
Treatment Options
- Manual therapy to mobilise the elbow and surrounding tissues
- Acupuncture for pain relief and healing
- Shockwave therapy to stimulate tissue repair
- TECAR therapy for deep tissue regeneration
- Vibra 3.0 vibration therapy to encourage muscle healing
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best exercises for tennis elbow?
The most effective exercises for tennis elbow focus on eccentric loading; i.e. strengthening the tendon while it is lengthening. This helps rebuild tendon tissue and increases load tolerance.
- Eccentric Wrist Extensions: Support your forearm on a table with your palm facing down. Lift a light weight using your “good” hand, then slowly lower it back down using only the affected arm.
- The “Tyler Twist”: Using a rubber resistance bar, twist the bar with both hands and slowly allow the injured side to untwist. This is often cited as the “gold standard” for recovery.
- Forearm Supination: Hold a hammer or a light weight by the bottom of the handle. Slowly rotate your wrist so your palm turns upward, then back to center.
Note: Consistency is key. Tendons heal slowly, so these exercises should be performed daily or as prescribed. If you experience sharp, increasing pain, stop the movement and consult a professional.
How long does it take to recover from tennis elbow with physiotherapy?
Most people experience significant pain relief and improved function within 6 to 12 weeks of starting a consistent physiotherapy program.
However, because tendons have a limited blood supply, a complete recovery, meaning a full return to high-intensity sports or heavy lifting, can take anywhere from 6 months to a year.
Can physiotherapy cure tennis elbow?
Yes. Physiotherapy is widely considered the gold-standard treatment for tennis elbow. It is highly successful in fully resolving symptoms and restoring function without the need for invasive injections or surgery. While “rest” only temporarily masks the pain, physiotherapy addresses the root cause by:
- Stimulating Healing: Using advanced technologies like Shockwave and TECAR to jumpstart repair in tendons that have poor natural blood supply.
- Correcting Biomechanics: Identifying if shoulder weakness or poor wrist posture is overloading your elbow.
- Building Resilience: Strengthening the tendon so it can handle the specific “load” of your job or sport, ensuring the pain doesn’t return the moment you get back to work.
Is surgery necessary for severe cases?
Surgery is rarely needed. Clinical evidence shows that over 90% of tennis elbow cases respond successfully to non-invasive conservative care. Surgery is typically only considered as a final option if symptoms remain debilitating after 6 to 12 months of consistent, high quality physiotherapy.
At ALO, we specialise in treating “stubborn” or severe cases that haven’t responded to basic rest or stretching by using a combination of:
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT): This is often used as a direct alternative to surgery for chronic tendon issues, as it mechanically stimulates healing in “stuck” or degenerative tissues.
- Deep Tissue TECAR Therapy: This promotes intense biostimulation and blood flow to areas that are traditionally hard to reach with manual therapy alone.
- By focusing on tendon remodeling rather than just pain masking, we can often help patients avoid the risks and lengthy recovery times associated with surgical intervention
What are the benefits of physiotherapy over other treatments?
While medication or injections may offer temporary relief, physiotherapy provides a sustainable solution by focusing on restoration rather than suppression.
- Targeting the Root Cause: Unlike paracetamol or ibuprofen which mask the pain, we identify why the tendon failed. Whether its due to poor ergonomics, shoulder instability, or improper technique, and fix it.
- Tendon Remodeling: Using Shockwave and TECAR therapy actually changes the structure of the tendon, encouraging the growth of healthy new collagen fibers rather than just dulling the nerve endings.
- Superior Long Term Results: Research consistently shows that patients who choose physiotherapy have a much lower recurrence rate than those pursuing alternative routes of treatment.
- Personalised “Load” Management: We don’t just tell you to rest. We teach you how to gradually load the muscle, which is essential for building the strength required to return to sports or heavy manual work.
Will treatment prevent future issues?
Our goal isn’t just to stop the pain, but to fix the underlying cause. By combining Stage 2 (Repair) with Stage 3 (Strengthening), we ensure your forearm is resilient enough to handle your daily demands. We also provide a maintenance program to help you prevent future flare ups.
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If you have any questions or queries, or you would like to book a Complimentary Consultation or an appointment please don't hesitate to contact us.
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