What is tennis elbow? How to treat it with Chinese medicine? What should we do in daily life?

What is tennis elbow? How to treat it with Chinese medicine? What should we do in daily life?

Chen ZhenchongDeputy Chief Physician

Dagang Town Community Health Service Center, Nansha District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is an aseptic disease of the junction of the forearm muscles and the lateral epicondylitis caused by trauma and chronic strain. Its essence is the degenerative changes of muscle tissue. The pain is caused by chronic tearing caused by repeated exertion of the forearm extensor muscles.

Patients will feel pain in the affected area when they grasp or lift objects with force. Tennis elbow is a typical example of overwork syndrome, which is common in tennis and badminton players, housewives, bricklayers, carpenters and other people who do long-term and repeated elbow movements.

In TCM theory, it belongs to the category of "tendon injury", "tendon arthritis" and "elbow strain". This disease is mostly caused by the invasion of wind, cold, dampness and heat or chronic strain, which damages the local meridians, resulting in poor circulation of local qi and blood, local blood stasis, and pain due to obstruction.

Therefore, the methods of TCM to prevent and treat tennis elbow mainly include nourishing blood, regulating blood circulation, and relieving pain. The following are some TCM methods of preventing and treating tennis elbow:

How to treat tennis elbow with traditional Chinese medicine?

1. Oral administration of Chinese medicine: According to individual conditions, choose Chinese medicine that has the effects of nourishing blood, regulating blood, unblocking meridians and relieving pain for oral administration, such as Siwu Decoction, Danggui Buxue Decoction, etc.

2. External use of Chinese medicine: You can use Chinese medicine that has the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, unblocking meridians and relieving pain to make ointments or medicinal wines and apply them to the affected area to relieve pain and stiffness. If the patient has obvious local qi stagnation and blood stasis and symptoms of cold, you can add moxibustion. If the local tissue adhesion is more serious, you can also use bloodletting.

3. Acupuncture: Acupuncture has the advantages of good efficacy, economic safety, and few side effects. You can choose specific acupoints for acupuncture treatment, such as Ashi point, Shousanli, etc.

4. Fire needle: It has the function of unblocking the Qi, leading out the evil, removing the old and bringing forth the new. The use of fire needle can achieve the effect of dredging the meridians, relieving pain, and repairing muscles. In addition, bloodletting, exercise acupuncture, needle knife and other methods can also be used for treatment, with significant curative effects.

5. Massage: Massage can relax muscles and tendons and loosen adhesions. Studies have shown that by pressing the Quchi, Shousanli, Chize, Hegu and other acupoints, and then using pressing and kneading methods to massage the forearm along the lateral condyle of the humerus, the pain symptoms caused by tennis elbow can be significantly reduced.

Self-care and health care for tennis elbow

1. Self-massage and moxibustion can loosen sticking and relieve spasms, promote blood circulation and relieve pain, and have a good effect on this disease.

For example: rub the Hegu point, pinch the Quchi point, press and rub the Shousanli point, push and rub the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, rub the painful part of the elbow with the palm, preferably until local heat is generated. Press the painful point, rub the Jianjing point, rub and pull the Jianyu point, and pinch the acupoints around the shoulder to relax the muscles, promote blood circulation, and relieve pain.

The above acupoints can also be moxibustioned with moxa sticks, and each acupoint should be moxibustioned until the local area becomes warm and flushed.

Treatment sites and methods: You can choose the Ashi point, Shousanli, Quchi, Chize, Elbow Liao, Hegu, Waiguan and other acupoints on the affected side for moxibustion treatment.

2. "Tennis elbow" patients need to exercise their muscles during the recovery period.

The exercises mainly focus on stretching the muscles. The methods include: stretching exercises with the back and palms together, forearm rotation exercises, elbow flexion and extension exercises, wrist dorsiflexion exercises, slow and repeated flexion and extension movements of the wrists, grip strength exercises, tension exercises, etc.

Precautions and dietary taboos in daily life

1. Notes:

1. Pay attention to rest, do not exert excessive force, avoid overusing the affected area, and give the affected area sufficient rest time.

2. Change your lifestyle: Avoid maintaining the same posture for a long time, such as sitting for a long time or using a computer for a long time. You should change your posture from time to time to relax your hands.

3. Pay attention to your hand posture at ordinary times, do not lift heavy objects, pay attention to your wrist posture, and reduce the burden on your arms.

4. Avoid getting your elbows cold and keep them warm.

2. Dietary taboos:

There are not many dietary taboos for patients with "tennis elbow". They can eat more foods that have the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and relieving pain, such as hawthorn and brown sugar. At the same time, avoid eating raw, cold and cool foods; however, they can pay proper attention to the following aspects, such as:

1. Eat some black beans, raw yam, etc.

2. Avoid raw and cold foods and cold vegetables and fruits.

3. To supplement the body's need for protein, you can eat fish and eggs in moderation, and your diet should be light.

4. Pay attention to calcium supplementation: Eat more green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits rich in calcium, such as soy products, carrots, and eat some lemons, citrus fruits, small fish, shrimp skin, etc.

3. What should patients with tennis elbow pay attention to in their daily life management?

After the symptoms are fully relieved, you can apply hot compresses to the outside of the joints every night for 15 to 20 minutes each time, and avoid eating spicy food. Try to avoid twisting towels, lifting heavy objects, etc. Wearing protective gear during daily activities can relax the muscles and eyelashes to a certain extent, which can prevent or relieve pain symptoms.

Hot or cold compress: In the early stage of pain, cold compress for 10-15 minutes every 2-3 hours can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain. In the later stage, hot compress can promote blood circulation and speed up recovery.

In short, in addition to receiving treatment under the guidance of a physician, tennis elbow patients should also pay attention to the protection of their joints in their daily work, life, and exercise, and try to exercise reasonably.

Patients can choose appropriate methods for conditioning and treatment according to their own conditions. If the symptoms are severe or last for a long time, it is recommended to seek medical attention in time and follow the doctor's advice for treatment.

Author: Chen Zhenchong, deputy chief physician

Unit: Dagang Town Community Health Service Center, Nansha District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province