Cold Compress As A Cure For Tennis Elbow- Is it effective?

At the onset of pain, you would initially want to find an easy and convenient cure for tennis elbow. It is just a normal thing to do so as to make the pain go away and for you to be able to go on normally with your usual activities. Tennis elbow is a common injury that can happen to anybody.

It is either an inflammation or degradation of the tendons in the outer part of the elbow that makes it very painful which often radiates down the forearm. It is also painful when try to flex or straighten your arms and when you try to do some simple tasks like gripping, lifting, grasping or twisting something.

A simple handshake and lifting a cup of coffee may also be difficult due to pain. These are the results of too much muscle strain, overexertion and repetitive movements. The application of cold or warm compress is a common cure for tennis elbow because it is easy to apply, fast and provides quick relief for pain.

It is imperative that you rest your injured elbow first to let the tendons heal. When there’s an inflammation due to repetitive movements, it is possible that the tendons are micro-tearing. The tendons have the ability to heal itself but the continuous repetition of movements that causes it to tear lessen the possibility of the tendons to heal quickly until such time that it will be too weak to heal.

This is why resting the injured elbow is very important to allow the tendons heal and avoid further damage. The pain may or may not disappear but it is highly recommended that you take a rest.

Applying cold on the inflamed area relieves the pain and will provide you ease. You can either use an ice pack or an ice wrapped in a towel in order for you to apply cold. This is applicable for both acute and chronic injuries. This kind of treatment is being utilized by most physical therapists also because it is suitable before or after an activity. In order to get the right treatment, understand the causes of and treatments for tennis elbow.

The understanding will help the people in instant relief and playing of the sports games is consistent. The conducting of the activities should be beneficial for the elbow of the person. 

When you apply cold on the injured part, make sure that it will last for not more than 20 minutes to avoid frost bites that will cause damage on your skin and worsen the injury. You can apply it for specifically 10-20 minutes at a time for at most four times a day. Make sure that you allow at least one hour between ice-downs.

You must remember, though, that cold compress is not a kind of treatment to permanently avoid experiencing tennis elbow again in the future. It is recommended that, even if the pain really disappears, you must make certain actions to avoid the injury from coming back.

You can do this modifying your lifestyle, taking frequents rests between activities, perform stretching exercise before doing any strenuous activity and make a habit of exercising regularly. Cold compress will still be very useful when swelling occurs after a demanding activity which includes exercise. Thus, application of cold on an injured area is a very useful cure for tennis elbow.