Tennis Elbow: A Case Study

Tennis Elbow

Occupational Therapists around the world have as a common goal to help their clients with the performance of their everyday activities. According with the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process 3rd ed (AOTA, 2014), personal hygiene and grooming is part of the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) of each individual. The activity of applying deodorant would be consider very simple for a healthy person; without even thinking in the specifics movements involved on it. When a patient has a chronic or mild pain on the elbow joint, the completing of that activity could become very difficult to perform.

Lateral Epicondylitis also called Tennis elbow is a condition triggered by the frequent use of the elbow joint (Saladin,

2015). Tennis elbow is basically an inflammation of the extensor tendon that lies laterally and posteriorly on the elbow (Saladin, 2015). The role of the tendons is to connect muscles to bones. The muscle that will be affected in this diagnosis will be the extensor carpi radialis brevis at its origin; this particular muscle is responsible for the extension and stabilization of the wrist joint. In a patient with Tennis elbow the pain and the tenderness will be found in the elbow; even though, the tendons and muscles act on the wrist. Depending on the severity of the illness, the pain could move up to the arm or down to the forearm. Lateral epicondylitis is a common condition found within athletes, like tennis players or bowlers, but it can be also as a result of certain kind of activities that require a frequent use of these muscles and tendons. A carpenter who uses his screwdriver all day has a tendency to develop this condition.
To treat Lateral Epicondylitis the doctor recommends to start with an abstention of any movement that causes pain in the affected area along with the prescriptions of anti-inflammatories, and the application of cold pads in that particular the region. Next, the doctor usually sends the client to therapy. Occupational Therapy intervention in a patient with Tennis elbow’s symptoms probably starts with exercises to strengthen the muscles and tendons surrounding the elbow area in order to stabilize that joint.
Throughout the continuous treatment, an Occupational Therapist could also educate the client how to use an equivalent equipment that can perform the same functions of the damage area while theses still on treatment. They also show the client how to use the right techniques to perform certain jobs that require the continuous use of the injure joint after recovery. Within the OT treatment the therapist may also give the patient a pneumatic cuff or armband and a wrist splint to maintain the wrist in neutral position while sleep.
Tennis elbow patients usually will be able of recover completely after treatment and therapy; and only if the condition is too severe it will require surgery and therapy after this one. Working the Activities of everyday living (ADLs), the Instrumental Activities of daily living (IADLs), the Leisure, and the Social participation between others is the main purpose of a professional Occupational Therapist (OTPF 3rd ed, 2014). Their main goal is always getting the patient to a state, in the measure of the possible, where they are able to perform these activities by themselves (OTPF 3rd ed, 2014). Teaching the clients how to adapt and compensate for the affected area plays a huge role in the acquisition of that goal.