If you have pain along the outside of your elbow that radiates down your arm, you might have tennis elbow. This condition is common in tennis players, but you can also get it for other reasons. If you lift heavy objects, perform repetitive motions for work, or exercise without warming up, you can injure the tendons or muscles in your elbow and suffer from this pain. Tennis elbow often takes a long time to heal, especially if you can't completely rest your elbow because you need to continue the repetitive movements due to your occupation. An elbow splint that supports your elbow can help. Massage therapy is also useful. Here's how.

What Causes Pain When You Have Tennis Elbow

Your elbow becomes painful because of tears in the tendons that wrap around it. You might have tiny tears in the muscle tissues as well. The tears cause inflammation and soreness. Movement causes additional tears in the weak tissue that feed the pain. Your body works to heal the tears when your elbow is at rest, but once you resume the triggering activity, you create more tears and slow down the healing. If you have to work with a computer mouse all day, tighten plumbing pipes, or work with a screwdriver in your job, then you'll constantly be putting stress on the injured tissues and slow down the healing process.

How Deep Tissue Massage Speeds Healing

When a massage therapist applies deep tissue massage to your elbow, it stimulates blood flow in the area. Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues so they have the supplies they need to build healthy tissues more readily. Increasing blood circulation is critical to healing, especially if circulation is reduced due to swelling or blockage due to scar tissue. A single massage probably won't be enough to heal your tennis elbow. It usually takes weeks for your tissues to heal from the trauma of the tears. Having multiple massages spread out over that time can help reduce your pain and keep the tissues healthy so they resist further damage while they're weak.

Why Deep Tissue Massage Relieves Pain

Improving blood flow to your elbow helps with pain, but deep tissue massage relieves pain in another way too. The massage therapist applies deep tissue massage by pressing with hard, steady pressure onto an area of your elbow that is sore. These sore spots are where scar tissue has developed due to your injury. Breaking apart the scar tissue is painful at the time, but it reduces the chronic pain and speeds healing. The scars cause adhesions that hold your tendons or muscles in a pinched position. This makes natural movement painful. By working out the tiny scars, pain-free range of motion is restored. Plus, with scars out of the way, normal blood flow can resume to the tissues.

If your tennis elbow is extremely painful, you may need treatment from a doctor. If your case is mild, try to stop or limit the activity that caused it until your elbow has completely healed. Expect your recovery to take several weeks, and consider getting deep tissue massages over the area as a natural way to speed healing and manage your pain. For more information, contact companies like Soothe Massage and Wellness.