Tennis Elbow

The key factor that worsens tennis elbow is movements that place a load on the wrist extensor muscles. Specifically, this includes lifting objects with the back of the hand facing upward (pronation), gripping tightly (scissors, hairdryer, frying pan), twisting (rag, bottle cap, doorknob), and performing repetitive tasks with the wrist bent (typing, mouse). Even with the same weight, lifting with the palm facing upward (supination) significantly reduces the load on the extensor muscles. For professions like hairdressers where you cannot put down your tools, a realistic approach is to switch to lighter scissors and hair dryers with thicker grips and incorporate 1 to 2 minutes of muscle stretching during breaks. Counterforce bands worn below the elbows also help distribute the load during work. In Korean medicine, it is believed that the same movement can either cause illness or not depending on one's physical condition. Individuals with sufficient liver blood, which allows their tendons to grow well, can recover even after cutting scissors all day; however, if they become imbalanced due to overwork and lack of sleep, the same activity leads to cumulative damage. In other words, if managing the triggering movement accounts for half the process, managing recovery power is the other half. At Dongjedang, for those who cannot rest from work, we pursue both approaches simultaneously. Externally, acupuncture and moxibustion are used to release hardened adhesions, preventing the work load from concentrating on a single point; internally, accumulated blood stasis and dampness are cleared, and Qi and blood are replenished with herbal medicine tailored to the constitution, creating a balance where recovery keeps pace with the injury even while working. If you cannot change your profession, changing your body's recovery speed is the answer.