Red Light Therapy for Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow

You don’t have to be a tennis player or a keen golfer to experience these extremely painful conditions.  All manner of repetitive movements can cause a bout of Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow. Here are a few examples:

• Painting and decorating

• Computer mouse use

• Playing on a games console

• Chopping up vegetables

• Using a screwdriver or hand tool

• Gardening

• Plumbing

The elbow is one of the biggest joints in the human body, and is responsible for a large range of movements, and we are all prone to carrying out repetitive tasks causing overuse leading to pain.

Both Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow affect the epicondylitis, the inflammation of the tendons that connect to the elbow – and will respond to the same treatment. Both are caused by repetitive actions.

What’s the difference between Golfer’s Elbow and Tennis Elbow?

Golfer’s Elbow, called medial epicondylitis, is felt on the inside of the arm and elbow.

The pain is generally felt when making a fist or when twisting the forearm.  There may also be weakness around the elbow joint.

Tennis Elbow, called lateral epicondylitis, is felt on the outside of the forearm and elbow, and can spread into the wrist.  Tennis elbow is more common than Golfer’s Elbow and is due to the overuse of tendons in the forearm. The pain is generally outside of the elbow joint and there may be weakness when gripping.

These painful disorders can creep up on your gradually, and the pain experienced is due to the overuse of tendons and muscles surrounding the arm and wrist. 

An example how Tennis Elbow can start, is the case of an accountant who was in her 40’s and who was experiencing severe pain in her forearm, wrist, and elbow of her right hand.  It was so painful she couldn’t type or use her mouse.  This really slowed down her productivity and was not only painful but very frustrating.  Her GP diagnosed as tennis elbow, and yet she played no sports.  However, this was the time of year when she had many end of year accounts to complete for her clients, and she admitted that she had been working on the computer all day and also well into the night.  The overuse of her tendons and muscles as she continuously used her mouse caused the damage.  The problem crept up on her slowly and was extremely debilitating, and it even kept her awake at night so was disturbing her sleep.

Normal treatment offered for tennis elbow might include oral pain relief purchased over the counter from a pharmacy or prescribed from a GP; exercises; physiotherapy; and possible a hands-on therapy such as massage or Bowen Technique. 

Recovery Time

Recovery time can be very slow and it can be difficult to avoid the repetitive activity which cause the issue in the first place. 

The good news is that there are treatments available which don’t include taking pain medication and speed up the recovery time.  Research has shown that red light therapy, (also known as photobiomodulation), not only helps to relieve the pain but speeds up the healing time associated with this disorder, and even better, red light therapy can be used alongside all other treatments.

How Red Light Therapy Helps

The Photizo Pain relief unit is a handheld rechargeable unit created for home use and is perfect for popping in your bag or briefcase to take to with you wherever you go. 

This non-invasive and painless technique makes use of the healing properties of red and infrared light at specific wavelengths. This therapy allows blood flow to the area that is being treated to be increased. This increased blood flow, in turn, works to remove accumulated waste products from the area quickly, allowing the body’s natural healing process to restart and the injury to heal faster.   

Photizo Pain Relief will help to:

• Reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and increase anti-inflammatory cytokines

• Reduce inflammation by modulating inflammatory cells

• Improve drainage of the lymphatic vessels

• Reduce muscle spasm and stiffness

• Increase quality sleep.

It is important to seek treatment for Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow as soon as possible, (not ignore it until it becomes severe), and also avoid the repetitive movement whilst the injury has chance to heal.

Find out more about Photizo Red Light Therapy by clicking the button below.