Tennis Hits the Books
I have never personally experienced tennis elbow. I want to attribute that statement to good stroke mechanics and diligent strength training, but it probably has more to do with luck. Previously, when people in my orbit asked me about treatment options for tennis elbow, I really didn’t have much to offer. That all changed when a copy of Tennis Elbow Relief: Serving up solutions for lateral epicondylitis by Emma Green first hit my hands.
Green is a licensed Physical Therapist (PT) with over 25 years experience treating patients in the UK and the US. She specializes in treating tennis elbow specifically and her client list includes elite athletes and professional musicians. In fact, until reading Tennis Elbow Relief, I had no idea that tennis elbow is so prevalent in the music industry. When you think about the biomechanics, it makes sense.
Green’s approach to treating patients is holistic and what I would call “systems oriented thinking.” The body is a system and a problem exhibited in one place may actually be rooted elsewhere. Green’s approach starts with understanding why the injury occurred. One technique she uses for that is to pinpoint when the pain was first noticed and stepping back in time to determine what was happening in the body prior to the appearance of symptoms. That approach strongly resonates with me.
With treatment books of this genre, it is sometimes tempting to skim the front matter and introductory sections to proceed directly to the treatment. I strongly recommend that tennis elbow sufferers to carefully study the foundational aspects of the book because Green establishes a strong basis of the “Why” behind the treatment. That information enhances the understanding needed during all phases of the rehabilitation process outlined in the book.
One of the most useful sections in Tennis Elbow Relief examines some of the treatment myths that might actually be detrimental to a full recovery. For example, rest is frequently prescribed for tennis elbow. Indeed, a rest only approach will alleviate symptoms over time. Green details how loss of strength in the area while resting raises the likelihood of injury recurrence when activity resumes. Indeed I have witnessed that phenomenon.
Green offers extensive treatment information based off her own practice. Her observations are frequently backed up references to studies in high quality peer-reviewed medical journals. I always love it when an author cites their sources in case anyone wants to deep dive on that particular avenue of research.
Tennis Elbow Relief by Emma Green includes worksheets and calendars for tennis elbow patients to self-guide through the recovery phases. She also includes links to curated videos and additional resources on her website that can be used in the process. That is probably better than following the advice of the first rando that pops up in a YouTube query on the topic.
I finally have a comprehensive resource to point to when people approach me for advice on this injury. Tennis Elbow Relief: Serving up solutions for lateral epicondylitis is the go-to resource for starting the journey of recovery.
 | Tennis Elbow Relief: Serving up solutions for lateral epicondylitis |
