Tennis Elbow Treatment: RICE, Rest And Rust
When you have Tennis Elbow you always seem to hear how important it supposedly is to “rest it as much as possible while it heals.”
Unfortunately, the idea that healing will “simply happen” while you’re resting, hoping and waiting is a major misconception when it comes to tendon injuries!
Rest is the first part of the RICE protocol – R. I. C. E. for rest, ice, compression and elevation, the first three parts of which are still sometimes recommended for treating Tennis Elbow.
Despite the fact that the RICE protocol doesn’t actually apply to Tennis Elbow, because it’s usually not that kind of injury! (Most of the time.)
For the “I” part of the RICE protocol see this article:
Should You Ice Your Tennis Elbow? – (Article and video)
Tennis Elbow: Does Rest = Rust?
Because we’re dealing with a tendon injury and with tendons, healing doesn’t just happen automatically the way we think it should if we rest it and give it time.
If you follow the standard advice – If you just sit back and try to protect it by moving it as little as possible, there’s no guarantee any healing will happen in your tendon at all.
See also this article on the question of:
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Tennis Elbow? – (Article and video)
We’ve all experienced minor cuts and scrapes and seen them heal quickly and steadily by themselves, so it’s perfectly natural to assume it works the same way on the inside.
It does in many ways, but when it comes to tendons, healing can very easily stall and elude us.
With tendons the process often needs a lot of encouragement – It need to be helped along at every step, otherwise it has an unfortunate tendency to fail.
And too much rest and too little movement allows muscles and tendons to weaken.
Total, Complete Rest Is Rust!
Here is a quote is from Dr. Nirschl a thought leader in the understanding and treatment of tendon injuries – Especially Tennis Elbow:
“Absolute rest is rust. All tissues especially injured tendons require tension and motion to maintain health. …Total immobilization is obviously contra-indicated as it results in muscle atrophy, weakness, and decreased blood vessel supply.”
The Nirschl Orthopedic Center / Virgina Sportsmed. Inst.
www.nirschl.com/pdf/tennis-elbow-rehab.pdf
For the full, original article and over a dozen visit my Tennis Elbow Classroom:
Original Article About Rest Here
Treatment In The Marin County / S.F. Bay Area
If you happen to live in the S.F. Bay Area, especially in Marin County, please see my articles and videos about how I treat Tennis, Golfer’s (and Pickleball) Elbow, below:
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