How to Treat Tennis Elbow (Epicondylitis) with Electrostimulation

Tennis Elbow is epicondylitis, a painful inflammation of the tendons in the elbow, often caused by improper movements and postures.

In this blog, we will mainly discuss managing the pain related to this condition.

It's important to note that treating epicondylitis involves correcting improper movements and postures to rest the affected tendons. Patients may require medical treatment, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgery, and early intervention accelerates recovery. However, treatment can last from several weeks to several months.

First Phase: Acute Phase of Tennis Elbow

Program: Tendinitis (or TENS or Modulated TENS depending on the Compex model).

Treatment Duration: throughout the acute phase of tennis elbow and the persistence of inflammatory signs.

Treatment Procedure: at least one session daily to treat Tennis Elbow. You can repeat sessions multiple times in a day based on your needs.

Electrode Placement: place two electrodes on the forearm as shown in the picture below, covering the painful tennis elbow area.

Wired Placement

Wireless Placement

Body Position: position yourself in the most comfortable neutral position.

Adjusting the Intensity: the desired effect is to achieve a strong, but not painful, tingling sensation.

Gradually increase the intensity until you feel a strong tingling sensation. Raising the intensity to a higher level does not provide more effective treatment and can trigger unwanted muscle contractions.

For devices with mi-TENS technology: As soon as a muscle contraction is detected, the stimulation intensity is automatically reduced.

For devices without mi-TENS technology: If a muscle contraction appears, the intensity level should be manually slightly reduced.

Second Phase: Chronic Phase of Tennis Elbow

Program: Muscle Pain (or Chronic Tendinitis depending on the Compex model).

Treatment Duration: throughout the chronic phase until painful signs disappear.
If you don't observe improvement after the first week of use, consult a doctor.

Treatment Procedure: at least one session daily to treat Tennis Elbow. If possible, two sessions a day with a minimum of 10 minutes rest between them.

Electrode Placement: same placement as above.

Body Position: position yourself in the most comfortable neutral position.

Adjusting the Intensity: the desired effect is to achieve strong muscle twitches while remaining comfortable.

Increase the intensity until you achieve a muscle response similar to a beat or a strong vibration, also known as muscle twitches. This muscle activity, very different from a genuine contraction, acts like a pump, crucial for causing a significant increase in blood flow in the stimulated muscle.

As you increase the intensity, the muscle beat is first subtle, then becomes more stronger before a ceiling of maximum muscle response is reached.

How to Use Mi-Technology to Assist Tennis Elbow Treatment

For devices with mi-range technology, the optimal stimulation intensity zone is shown on the screen:

• On the SP 4.0, there is a small bracket that shows the optimal zone. Keep the intensity within this bracket, preferably at its maximum.

• If you're using the Fit 5.0 or SP 6.0, increase the intensity until "Optimal intensity level found" is shown. If the stimulation is comfortable, you can increase the intensity slightly higher for more stronger beats.

• On SP 8.0, the mi-AUTORANGE function will automatically adjust the intensity. Once you find the optimal intensity level, it will read "Optimal intensity level found". If the stimulation is comfortable, you can increase the intensity slightly higher for more stronger beats.

Do not ignore Tennis Elbow pain. We advise to consult a doctor if it is strong and/or lasts for too long.

Proven Effectiveness

Supported by clinical studies proving their efficacy, Compex stimulators belong to the category of Class II medical devices and meet the requirements of the European Medical Standard 93/42 EEC.

Compex - Always with you

We're on the side of athletes, amateurs and also ordinary people. From the search for better performance to post injury recovery, from post fatigue massage to pain treatment. At Compex, we have just one goal: people's well being.

To choose the one that's right for you, take a look at our buying guide.

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