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Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow

Alternative Names

Lateral Epicondylitis

What is Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow is a condition that results in pain around the outside of the elbow. It occurs after strenuous overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm, near the elbow joint.

Tennis elbow is known as lateral epicondylitis. The lateral epicondyle is located on the outside of the elbow. It forms the top of the upper arm bone, or humerus. The humerus, radius and ulna make up the bones of your forearm. Tennis elbow is swelling and tenderness in the tendons, also known as extensors that connect the muscles of the forearm to the outside of the elbow.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of tennis elbow include the following:

Pain increases slowly around the outside of the elbow. Less often, pain may develop suddenly.
Pain is worse when shaking hands or squeezing objects.
Pain is made worse by stabilizing or moving the wrist with force. Examples include lifting, using tools, opening jars, or even handling simple utensils such as a toothbrush or knife and fork.

Possible complications

Tennis elbow can develop into a chronic condition and it usually doesn't result in long-term health problems. Proper treatment and prevention will often alleviate the symptoms. However, when all else has failed to cure the problem, doctors may recommend surgery. Surgery may involve trimming the troubled tendon or reattaching it to the bone. Surgery is usually highly successful in reducing or eliminating the problems.

What causes

Tennis elbow can be caused by small tears in the muscles of the forearm due to overuse of the muscles or minor injury. It can also occur as the result of a single, forceful injury.

Excessive or repeated use of the muscles that straighten your wrist can injure the tendons in your arm and elbow and lead to tiny tears, which cause rough tissue to form near the bony lump on the outside of your elbow.

Tennis elbow often occurs after any activity that uses your forearm muscles when you have not used them much in the past. However, even if you use your forearm muscles frequently, it is still possible to injure them and develop tennis elbow.

Prevention

Sometimes to prevent tennis elbow is difficult. However, avoiding putting too much stress on the tendons of your elbow will help you to avoid the condition or to prevent your symptoms from getting worse.