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Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow is a painful inflammation of the muscles and tendons on the outside of the arm around the elbow joint. The medical term for this is lateral epicondylitis.
Despite its name, tennis elbow isn’t reserved solely for tennis players. In fact, anyone who regularly carries out an activity that involves repeatedly rotating the wrist and using force at the same time can develop this condition. For example, repeatedly using a screwdriver may result in tennis elbow. Within the game of tennis, it tends to be aggravated by bad backhand technique or a wrong-sized racket grip.
Tennis elbow most commonly occurs between the ages of 35-55 years, especially after a period of unaccustomed activity.
What are the symptoms?
- Pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow and sometimes the top of the forearm
- The pain may come and go, or it may be constant
- Tennis elbow is typically aggravated by stretching or extending the wrist
How is it treated?
You should visit your doctor if you suspect tennis elbow. He or she may recommend an X-ray to eliminate other causes of the pain. If you are diagnosed with tennis elbow, the treatments include:
- Rest, followed by gradual rehabilitation exercises to stretch and strengthen the forearm muscles
- You may find it helpful to wear a tennis elbow arm band to reduce stress on the injured area
- Your doctor may recommend anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen or diclofenac)
- You may be given a steroid injection to boost recovery if the pain is severe
- Once you return to exercise, you may need to change your exercise equipment (such as your racket) or
- change your exercise style to prevent recurrence of the problem.
For more on tennis elbow, please read Bupa’s factsheet
Sources
The following sources were used to write this article:
- Tennis Elbow in Oxford Handbook of Sports Medicine. Oxford University Press, 1998 (Eds. Sherry E, Wilson F) p 290-291.
- Bupa A-Z factsheet - Tennis Elbow
- Virtual Sports Injury Clinic - Tennis Elbow
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