Tennis elbow or its medical term lateral epicondylitis is a common injury causing pain on the outside of the elbow. Despite it’s name, this condition is not commonly seen in tennis players but more in work-related elbow injuries where repetitive stress is concerned.
It is called “tennis elbow” due tennis players are at risk of getting it as in average about 50% tennis players might have this condition. However this condition is not restricted to tennis players. Tennis elbow can occur with any activity that involves repetitive gripping, turning, bending, or extending the wrist backwards.
Tennis elbow causes pain on the outer aspect of the elbow as a result of of small injuries causing inflammation of tendons around your elbow. This is as a result of the pain is felt around the realm of the lateral epicondyle – the lower, outer, bumpy part of your humerus bone in your upper arm. Symptoms in several people improve over time simply by stopping activities that create the symptoms. Painkillers may facilitate to ease the pain till the condition improves. A steroid injection could also ease pain in the short term. However the pain typically returns after a certain period. Some people opt for physiotherapy while the other choose alternative treatments if the symptoms persist.
Tennis elbow diagnosis tests are movements that reproduce pain including:
- Pain on the skin of the elbow when the hand is bent back (extended) at the wrist against resistance.
- Pain on the surface of the elbow when trying to straighten the fingers against resistance.
- Pain when pressing simply below the lateral epicondyle on the surface of the elbow.
For most people with tennis elbow, the pain only happens when they use their forearm and wrist, notably for twisting movements such as turning a door handle or gap a jar. However, for a few people who feel constant pain, it happens at rest and can have affect their sleep. The pain could go down to your arm from your elbow towards your wrist and you may notice it troublesome to carry items like a knife or fork, a cup or a pen, or to straighten your arm fully.
Tennis elbow mainly affects people between 40 and 50 years old however it can affect all ages.
Tennis elbow symptoms usually begin gradually where the main symptom is pain that may begin with a boring aching or soreness on the outer part of the elbow that goes away at intervals of 24 hours after an activity. As time goes on, it could take longer for the pain to go away. The condition could further progress to pain with any movement, even during everyday activities, such as lifting a jug of milk. Pain might spread to the hand, alternative parts of the arm, shoulder, or neck.
The pain is typically worse when you use your arm, particularly for twisting movements. Repetitive wrist movements, like extending your wrist and gripping, will make the pain worse. By the way you can use pain relief therapy products such as Penetrex which is recommended to relieve the suffers & pain of tennis elbow.