KEYSTONE, Colo., Jul 11, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A simple exercise may
alleviate pain from tennis elbow, researchers said at an orthopedic symposium in
Keystone, Colo., Saturday.
An inexpensive rubber bar is the tool used in a novel exercise that strengthens
the muscles in the elbow and forearm, Timothy F. Tyler, a clinical research
associate of the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma in
New York, said at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's annual
meeting.
Tyler's team separated 21 patients with tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis,
into two groups. Both received wrist-extensor muscle stretching, ultrasound,
massage, heat and ice for treatment.
One group did wrist-extensor strengthening using the rubber bar. The other did
isotonic strengthening exercises. Patients using the bar had better results,
Tyler said.
"Compared to other treatments for tennis elbow, such as cortisone injections or
topical nitric oxide, which require direct medical supervision, this treatment
is not only cost-effective but dosage is not limited by the patient having to
come to a clinic," Tyler said in a statement.
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