What is it?
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that can result from overuse of the muscles and tendons in the elbow. Tennis elbow is often linked to repeated motions of the wrist and arm.
Despite its name, a lot of people who present to the clinic with tennis elbow don’t play tennis. Some people have jobs that involve repeated movements that can lead to tennis elbow but also hobbies such as sports, DIY can lead to overuse of these tendons and the onset of pain. In some circumstances, the cause is unclear.
SEE OUR BLOG ON TENDINOPATHY FOR MORE INFORMATION
Where is the pain?
The pain is often located on the bony bit on the outside of the elbow and can spread down the lower arm towards the wrist. Movements such as gripping, twisting and lifting can become very painful, to the point where simple tasks such as pouring a kettle or shaking hands can become very painful.
The bone can become so sensitive that knocking it can cause sharp pain.
What can I do about it?
In a number of cases, it can get better on its own, but often advice on management and appropriate exercises is beneficial.
Similar to the management of tendinopathy, one of the important interventions seems to be progressive pain free loading of the forearm muscles. The muscles that are involved produce extension and supination (turning the palm upwards) of the wrist, so exercises targeting these movements are advised.
In addition, if the cause is tennis for example, then certain modifications can be looked at:-
If you would like more information on tennis elbow or other symptoms that you may have then please get in touch
