Vulkan ‘Classic’ Tennis Elbow Support

  • The strap helps to reduce the pressure on the tendon complex at the elbow during repeated movements. The strap is Ideal for anglers, tennis players and golfers
  • One size fits all
  • From £ 9.50 to £ 19.00
Vulkan Say
Vulkans Aerotherm Neoprene ranges of supports are designed to provide optimum amount of heat, support and compression. Featuring quality neoprene with uniform cell wall construction and even compression grade material the products offer the best possible combination which is invaluable in helping prevent soft tissue injuries or helping them repair if already injured.

Vulkan neoprene features a unique spiral lining which is critical in removing excess sweat to create a near normal environment around the injury. This aids recovery by giving a micro massage to the injured joint, constantly activating your skins receptors to enhance the feeling of support.

Vulkan Advice for Treating Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is the common name for a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow and is most common in people aged 35 – 55.

It can be caused by any repeated twisting or gripping movement of the hand, wrist or forearm. This in turn can cause microscopic tearing of the tendons that attach on the outside of the elbow. The body’s attempt to heal this tear results in inflammation, which is the cause of tennis elbow.

Anglers are particularly prone to tennis elbow because of continuous casting.

Tennis elbow usually affects the arm of the dominant hand and the symptoms develop gradually. The main symptom is pain and tenderness in the outside of the elbow and sometimes in the muscles on top of the forearm. The pain may go away after a day or so, but if the activity that triggered the pain is repeated soon after, the pain is likely to come back and may become progressively worse as the tendon damage builds up.

Vulkan physiotherapist Julia Trevor says: “The pain may become constant and even interrupt sleep. Other symptoms include stiffness of the arm first thing in the morning and pain when turning door handles and shaking hands.

“As the body tries to compensate for the weakness in the elbow, you may also get pain or stiffness in other parts of the affected arm, shoulder or neck.”

Julia advises that although most people with mild symptoms of tennis elbow can try home treatment, if the symptoms don’t improve after a couple of weeks, you should see your GP.

She says: “Tennis elbow that is dealt with promptly is more likely to heal quickly, with a full return to normal strength. This will depend on changing the way the arm is used so that the tendon is rested and has time to heal.

“As an angler, this would mean laying off fishing for a few weeks.”

Julia’s tips for home treatment of tennis elbow are: –

  • Rest – this means avoiding further overuse, but not stopping activity altogether. You should try to maintain as high an activity level as possible while avoiding anything that aggravates the injury. Listen to your body – pain is the best guide to determining the appropriate type and level of activity.
  • Ice – apply an ice pack for a maximum of 20 mins. Vulkan has an instant ice pack that changes from room temperature to ice cold within seconds and is ideal as it reduces inflammation, relieves pain and muscle spasm and moulds to the shape of the arm.
  • Wear an elbow strap or brace around the forearm or elbow to help restrict movement of the tendon. This will reduce the stress and pressure around the elbow during repeated movements. Vulkan has a range of tennis elbow braces and straps which are ideal for tackling both existing injuries and helping to reduce the chance of developing an overuse injury.
  • With the elbow bent and the wrist supported, place a 1lb weight in the hand with the palm facing downward. Support the forearm at the edge of a table or on your knee so that only your hand can move. Raise the wrist/hand up slowly and lower slowly. Repeat with the palm facing upward.
  • Place a rubber band around all five fingertips. Spread fingers 25 times and repeat three times. Add a second rubber band or a thicker band for more resistance.
  • Hold a tennis ball in the palm of the hand and squeeze 25 times and repeat three times. If this proves to be painful, replace the tennis ball with a sponge or piece of foam.
But Julia is keen to stress that in this instance the old adage of ‘No pain, no gain’ does NOT apply. She says: “All exercises should be pain free and so if you feel at all uncomfortable, then stop the exercise immediately and place an ice pack on the area of tenderness.”

For more details of Vulkan supports, including those specific to tennis elbow, call 0161 678 0233 or visit www.mobilishealthcare.com

FISHINGmagic VERDICT

An aching knee and tennis elbow are something I suffer from every couple of years or so and there is no doubt that these supports from Vulkan help a great deal. If I was sensible I would take Vulkan’s advice and not fish until the elbow healed, but I can’t do that so I wear the support, tolerate the pain and eventually it goes away.

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