Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is the name for a condition in which the bony bump at the outer side of the elbow is painful and tender.
The elbow joint is made up of the bone in the upper arm (humerus) and one of the bones in the lower arm (ulna). The bony bumps at the bottom of the humerus are called epicondyles. The bump on the outer side of the elbow, to which certain forearm muscles are attached by tendons, is called the lateral epicondyle.
Lateral epicondylitis is also referred to as wrist extensor tendonitis.
Tennis elbow results from overusing the muscles in your forearm that straighten and raise your hand and wrist. When these muscles are overused, the tendons are repeatedly tugged at the point of attachment (the lateral epicondyle). As a result, the tendons become inflamed. Repeated, tiny tears in the tendon tissue cause pain. Among the activities that can cause tennis elbow are tennis and other racket sports, carpentry, machine work, typing, and knitting.
The symptoms of tennis elbow are:
Your health care provider will ask you about your daily and recreational activities. He or she will examine your elbow and arm and will have you do movements that may cause pain in the outer part of your elbow. Your provider may order x-rays of the elbow.
Treatment includes the following:
While you are recovering from your injury you will need to avoid repetitive motion of the elbow and to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to run instead of play tennis. If you play tennis, your health care provider may advise you to use a tennis racket with a larger grip. He or she may suggest improvements in the way you hold or swing your racket. Try to lift objects with your palm facing up to keep from overusing your lateral epicondyle.
The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate. Return to your sport or activity will be determined by how soon your elbow recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better.
You may return to your sport or activity when your are able to forcefully grip your tennis racket, bat, or golf club, or do activities such as working at a keyboard without pain in your elbow. In sports such as gymnastics, it is important that you are able to bear weight on your elbow painlessly. It is important that there is no swelling around your injured elbow and that it has regained its normal strength compared to your uninjured elbow. You must have full range of motion of your elbow.
To prevent tennis elbow: