An Overview of Tennis Elbow

tennis elbow

Keefe Gorman has nearly three decades of experience as an advisor with prominent financial institutions such as Merrill Lynch. Beyond his financial activities with Merrill Lynch, Keefe Gorman enjoys staying physically active by playing tennis.

Though not exclusive to tennis players, tennis elbow ranks as one of the most common injuries tennis players suffer. Tennis elbow is the colloquial term used to describe lateral epicondylitis, a condition characterized by pain in muscles and tendons around the elbow. The condition is brought about not only by overuse of the forearm but by repetitive motions made by the hand and arm, making tennis players particularly vulnerable.

Tennis elbow can begin either as a symptom of a sudden injury or as a long-developing standalone condition. The lateral epicondyle, the area of the arm where muscles and tendons meet the bony exterior of the elbow, is typically the source of discomfort, with symptoms generally originating in the dominant arm.

All types of athletes suffer from tennis elbow, though the malady is more commonly seen in nonathletes. Fewer than 5 percent of tennis elbow cases involve actual tennis players. That said, the condition is prevalent in the tennis community, with an estimated 50 percent of tennis players experiencing the problem at some point in their careers.

Unfortunately for tennis players and other athletes, the primary treatment for overuse injuries is simply resting the impacted area. Before or after a bout of tennis elbow, players should consult a trusted coach or physical trainer. There are various technical adjustments players can make to put less stress on the lateral epicondyle and exercises that can strengthen the area.

ShelterBox’s Work in Nepal

ShelterBox USA
Image: shelterboxusa.org

Outside of work as a managing director at Merrill Lynch, Keefe Gorman is an avid skier who enjoys spending time on the slopes with his family. Keefe Gorman also remains actively involved with a number of charities, including ShelterBox USA.

A nonprofit organization, ShelterBox USA was founded in 2004. It is one of the worldwide affiliates of ShelterBox, which was started by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall, England. ShelterBox is now the Rotary Club’s largest project in the world.

The aim of the organization is to provide people who have experienced humanitarian calamities and catastrophes with shelter and care. Since its founding, the nonprofit has been involved in more than 270 humanitarian crises and catastrophe relief operations in over 95 geographic areas and has helped more than 1 million people.

When a destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Gorkha, Nepal, in April 2015, thousands of people were killed, and entire villages were destroyed. Within two days of the catastrophe, a team from ShelterBox arrived and rapidly began distributing aid from stocks that had been prepositioned in a nearby location. The team also provided tents for damaged hospitals in the national capital of Kathmandu.

Further, ShelterBox distributed shelter kits to people in need. The kits contained heavy-duty tarps and tools to be utilized in different ways to fix and build shelters. ShelterBox team members also helped in building the shelters.

A year after the tragedy, the organization has assisted in providing shelter to over 67,000 individuals in Nepal.