Tennis Elbow What is it?
Tennis elbow is a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow.
Its medical term is lateral epicondylitis - the lateral epicondyle being the
bony prominence at the outer part of elbow.
A similar condition affects the 'medial epicondyle' (the bony prominence at
the inner part of the base of the humerus) and is termed 'golfer's elbow'.
What causes tennis and golfer's elbow?
The pain of tennis and golfer's elbow is thought to result from tiny (and not-so-tiny)
tears of the muscle origins at the junction between muscle and bone, which occur
with repetitive overuse of the elbow. There is then only slow healing, which
is further delayed by continued use of the forearm. In fact, symptoms are probably
related to the poor healing process than to any original injury.
Tennis and Golfers Elbow are both related to repetitive overuse of the elbow.
Tennis elbow occurs where a strong grip of the extended wrist is involved -
as in tennis (especially where there is poor backhand technique) and knitting.
Golfer's elbow is related to overuse of the muscles causing flexion of the
forearms; it is associated with certain manual or household activities, racquet
sports, bowling, and occasionally golf.
Both conditions typically affect people aged 35-50 years, and both men and
women equally.
How do I know I have it?
As noted above, tennis and golfer's elbow are associated with pain about the
outside and inside of the elbow, respectively. Certain tasks produce the pain,
such as picking up a cup of coffee (tennis elbow). There is usually tenderness
over the lateral epicondyle in tennis elbow (and over the medial epicondyle
in golfer's elbow).
What should I do if I think I have tennis or golfer's elbow?
If you're concerned that you may have either of these conditions, you should
consult your doctor, to have the diagnosis confirmed and to commence treatment.
How are tennis and golfer's elbow treated?
The initial treatment of these conditions is rest, ice applications, and compression.
A specific wrist and forearm support splint may be helpful in resting the forearm.
Painful activity should be avoided (including racquet sports, shaking hands,
unscrewing jars, use of a screwdriver and hammering);
however, it is important that the range of motion of the elbow and forearm
is maintained.
Once pain has subsided, there should be gradual resumption of specific activities
to strengthen the affected muscles, for which a course of physiotherapy may
be best.
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