Dr. Khubaib here, and I’m back again to tell you all (well almost all) about tennis elbow. Despite its name, some experts estimate that more than 90% of people who have tennis elbow don’t develop it from playing tennis or other sports!
What is tennis elbow?
Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is inflammation of the tendons that bend your wrist backward away from your palm. It is usually a repetitive strain injury, meaning that it happens when you use a part of your body to repeatedly do the same kind of motion so often that it damages your tissue.
Tennis elbow is usually diagnosed in people between the ages of 30 and 50. It is one of the most common causes of elbow pain, with experts estimating that around 3% of all people in the U.S. experience tennis elbow each year.
What causes tennis elbow?
Lateral epicondylitis happens when you overuse the tendon that connects your forearm muscles to your elbow (your extensor muscle tendon). Lateral epicondylitis is inflammation in the extensor muscle tendon where it attaches to the bone on the outer part of the elbow.
Any motion that makes you grip or twist and swing your forearm often can cause tennis elbow. This motion can be found in various sports such as:
- Tennis
- Weight lifting
- Baseball
- Softball
- Bowling
- Basketball
- Other racquet sports like racquetball, pickleball, badminton, squash
Some professions and activities requires people to put a lot of stress on their elbows, including:
- Painting with a brush or roller
- Working a chainsaw
- Frequent use of other hand tools on a regular basis, such as a hammer
- Butchers
- Plumbers
- Musicians
- Dentists
- Auto workers
Visit a healthcare provider if you have an elbow injury or feel pain that doesn’t get better on its own in a week
What are the symptoms of tennis elbow?
People with tennis elbow often feel a specific kind of pain in their elbow and arm that can travel from the outside of the elbow into the forearm and wrist. It is often described as a sharp or burning pain that can be worse when twisting or bending your arm.
Some other common symptoms include:
- Elbow pain, especially on the outside of your elbow
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- A weakened grip when you’re trying to hold something
You won’t know for sure if you have tennis elbow without visiting a healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
How is it diagnosed?
A thorough history and detailed physical examination is usually enough to diagnose tennis elbow. However, based on the exact presentation, a clinician might utilize imaging such as X-Rays, Ultrasound and MRI if needed.
On physical examination, pain with resisted wrist extension and resisted long finger extension are characteristic findings of tennis elbow and on Ultrasound or MRI, imaging can show changes in the area of the disease in how the tendon looks.
What treatments are available for tennis elbow?
The mainstay of treatment for tennis elbow is Physical Therapy. As needed, pain killers, elbow braces specific for tennis elbow and certain types of injections can be used as adjuncts to rehabilitation exercises as well.