What is tennis elbow?
Athletes who play racquet sports struggle with injuries just like all other athletes, including knee, back and shoulder issues, but the most common injury is tennis elbow. Officially known as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow occurs when the outer portion of the elbow (lateral epicondyle) becomes painful and inflamed due to mechanical strain at the tendinous attachment. Repetitive motions of striking a ball, which use the extensor muscles and tendons of the forearm, put a strain on the joint, causing microtears in the tendon and chronic tightness in the muscles.
Finding relief for tennis elbow
This chronic tightness is caused by a build-up of collagen in the fascial tissue resulting from overuse. The area feels hard and contracted to the touch, even in a relaxed state. This suggests that the muscles are chronically contracted, thus they are shortening and causing damage to the tendon at the lateral elbow. Superficially gliding over the area with massage does very little for relief. Icing or rest also don’t help in the long run because they aren’t actually restoring the structure of the muscle or tendon.
While athletes suffering from tennis elbow often believe they have a problem in the elbow joint, they should keep in mind that the strain on the joint can often be alleviated by restoring pliability to the surrounding muscle tissue and fascia, thereby reducing inflammation in the tendon that is attached to the joint and causing pain.
The Delos Therapy approach
Delos Therapy has a special relationship with racquet sports and finding a solution for the pain. Delos Therapy wouldn’t be in existence had it not been for a very intense table tennis match over 20 years ago when co-founders Eric Owens and Mimi Bosika were just teenagers and the top junior players in the country. Throughout his career, Eric has lived, trained and competed all over the world as a professional athlete and has represented the United States at all the major international events. Over the years, he has also won several National and Pan American titles. As the daughter of a former Olympic coach, Mimi also has US Open table tennis titles under her belt.
Eric and Mimi know what it takes to achieve elite performance in a sport – in their case, a racquet sport. They are also very familiar with injuries and pain that often accompany intense training using a paddle or a racquet and often see tennis, racquetball and pickleball players of all levels in Delos Therapy clinics. Their unique approach to pain relief helps athletes perform their best by focusing on hard, tight muscles.
The goal is to break up the collagen bundles that cause the muscular tightness and dysfunction using an exclusive technique that stretches the fibers with multidimensional, systematic pressure. Once muscle pliability is restored, the mechanical strain on the elbow joint is removed, the tendon can heal and the arm is able to perform optimally without pain or dysfunction. Athletes suffering from tennis elbow, chronic pain, muscle stiffness, or other athletic injuries, should contact Delos Therapy for an initial session to experience the unique treatment.
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