Tennis Elbow Physiotherapy in Dubai: Stages of Healing Explained by Specialists

You know how a physical setback can disrupt your routine if you have a busy lifestyle in Dubai. One day you can be hosting all the padel matches you want or setting a personal best record in the gym and then the next day you can have all the fun ended by a frustrating pain on the outside of your elbow. You might have even been ignoring the pain by shaking your arm in between matches. It can eventually hurt to even lift your morning espresso or type a simple email. You are probably in that stage of the pain now when you are considering your tennis elbow physiotherapy options to stop the pain and the threat of it worsening.

The Danger of Trying to "Rest It Away"

The mistake most people make when considering the pain and trying to “rest it away” like a slap injury after two weeks off with a cheap elbow strap is that what's best is to just leave it be. The pain can ease after this, but the very first day you think you are ready to go again, the pain can come back with a vengeance and can sometimes be even worse than it was before.

The healing of tendons is different from muscle healing. Vestiges of tendon healing are slower and more poorly vascularized than muscle healing. Left completely idle, tendons grow weak and stiff. Total rest yields no long term benefits. Instead, the body grows trapped in a cycle of temporary relief and re-injury. The immediate results of total rest leave the injured wondering, "Am I destined to be inactive forever, or do I have to schedule a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon Dubai specialist?"

What Do You Have to Do to Tendons to Make the Healing Permanent?

The answer is structuring movement. This is the actual sports injury recovery timeline for tennis elbow, as described by the sports injury specialists.

Stage 1: Calming the Reactive Tendon (Weeks 1 to 2)

When dealing with a highly reactive injury, the goal of this stage is to calm the pain while keeping the elbow moving. Your arm will not be placed into a sling. The injury remains highly responsive, which is where non-surgical sports injury treatment becomes focused. Gentle forearm muscle relaxation, assisted by therapy, and light, pain-free isometric contractions are utilized here. This approach keeps the muscle engaged and prevents the tendon from locking.

Stage 2: Reloading Tendons (Weeks 3 to 8)

After the swelling and constant pain have subsided, tendon strengthening can begin. We can load the tendon progressively using the slow release of heavy weights to perform eccentric loading. Heavy weights that are slowly released provide the tension needed to allow the collagen fibers in the tendon to realign.

Progressive loading of tissue is the same concept that we use to develop the high-performance ACL rehabilitation Dubai systems. The tissues must be reinforced before rapid and explosive movements can be used in the rehabilitation.

Stage 3: Rapid Loading and Sport (Weeks 8 to 12)

Strong tendons can support ATP production necessary to load and move the body in an explosive manner, and all racquet sports and weight training require rapid movements. Energy absorption and release in rapid and explosive movements is the focus of this stage of the rehabilitation process. The focus now is on the tendons of the forearm and the mechanics of the upper back and shoulder to ensure that the stabilizers of the shoulder are not overloaded and that the energy is not transferred to the elbow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does the Tendon Pain Get Worse Overnight?

While sleeping, the body temperature and blood circulation to the tissues all decrease and the tendons begin to stiffen. The tendons have poor circulation and in conjunction with the tightening can cause fluid to accumulate overnight. For the first few movements in the morning the release of this fluid can be painful, but moving and warming the joint can help this fluid dissipate.

Is It Okay to Work Out My Lower Body While I Recover?

Yes! It’s very beneficial to work out other parts of the body during recovery. It can actually enhance your recovery process. It can help with the blood flow and keep your hormone levels stable. We will provide you with modifications for your lower body workouts that will keep your routine intense without heavily straining your injured arm.

Beyond Recovery

The goal of recovery is to be able to function at your best without restrictions. This is especially important with tendon injuries. Permanent damage to tendons is caused by underestimating the recovery process. Our team of experts at a specialized sports injury clinic Dubai center offer assessments that will help you recover with certainty so that you can get your arm moving again without fear of injury.