Learn About Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is soreness or pain on the outside (lateral) side of the upper arm near the elbow.
Epitrochlear bursitis; Lateral epicondylitis; Epicondylitis - lateral; Tendonitis - elbow
The part of the muscle that attaches to a bone is called a tendon. Some of the muscles in your forearm attach to the bone on the outside of your elbow.
When you use these muscles over and over again, small tears may develop in the tendon. Over time, the tendon cannot heal, and this leads to irritation and pain where the tendon is attached to the bone.
This injury is common in people who play a lot of tennis or other racket sports, hence the name tennis elbow. Backhand is the most common stroke to cause symptoms.
But any activity that involves repetitive twisting of the wrist (like using a screwdriver) can lead to this condition. Painters, plumbers, construction workers, cooks, and butchers are all more likely to develop tennis elbow.
This condition may also be due to repetitive typing on the computer keyboard and mouse use.
People age 35 to 54 years old are commonly affected.
Sometimes, there is no known cause of tennis elbow.
Symptoms can include any of the following:
- Elbow pain that gets worse over time
- Pain that radiates from the outside of the elbow to the forearm and back of the hand when grasping or twisting
- Weak grip
The first step is to rest your arm for 2 or 3 weeks and avoid or modify the activity that causes your symptoms. You may also want to:
- Put ice on the outside of your elbow 2 or 3 times a day. Cover the painful area with a towel, and place the ice on it for 15 minutes. Do not fall asleep while applying the ice. You can get frostbite if you leave it on too long.
- Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin.
If your tennis elbow is due to sports activity, you may want to:
- Ask your provider about any changes you can make to your technique.
- Check the sports equipment you are using to see if any changes may help. If you play tennis, changing the grip size of the racket may help.
- Think about how often you play, and whether you should cut back or cross train.
If your symptoms are related to working on a computer, ask your manager about changing your workstation or your chair, desk, and computer setup. For example, a wrist support or a roller mouse may help.
A physical therapist can show you exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles of your forearm.
You can buy a special brace (counter force brace) for tennis elbow at most drugstores. It wraps around the upper part of your forearm and takes some of the pressure off the muscles.
Your provider may also inject cortisone and a numbing medicine around the area where the tendon attaches to the bone. This may help decrease the swelling and pain.
If the pain continues after rest and treatment, surgery to repair or remove the injured tendon may be recommended. Talk with your orthopedic surgeon about the risks and whether surgery might help.
Tidewater Orthopaedic Associates Inc.
Nicholas Sablan is an Orthopedics specialist and a Sports Medicine provider in Hampton, Virginia. Dr. Sablan is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Tennis Elbow. His top areas of expertise are Tennis Elbow, Tendinitis, Osteoarthritis, and Frozen Shoulder. Dr. Sablan is currently accepting new patients.
Summit Orthopedics - Eagan
Debra Parisi, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon at Summit Orthopedics specializing in the hand, wrist, and elbow. She serves Minneapolis/St. Paul patients and has a special interest in reconstructive and endoscopic surgery and sports-related injuries. She completed a hand and microvascular fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. “If you give patients a good experience and provide excellent care, everything else will fall into place,” she says. “For me, it’s really important to sit across from the patient and listen to what he or she is experiencing before making a diagnosis or offering a management plan. Patients are individuals. I want to honor each patient’s uniqueness and tailor the care to personal needs and lifestyle.”. Dr. Parisi is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Tennis Elbow. Her top areas of expertise are Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Rhizarthrosis, Trigger Thumb, and Fasciotomy.
Aligned Orthopedic Partners
Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and also in Hand Surgery, Dr. Bieber is interested in all areas of orthopedics, with a special interest in reconstruction, trauma, arthroscopy, and sports medicine of the upper extremity, including the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. He has expertise in arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and shoulder replacement surgery. A graduate of Yale University and Georgetown Medical School, his orthopedic training was at Johns Hopkins University with a fellowship in hand and upper extremity at the Mayo Clinic. He is a consultant for hand and upper extremity surgery at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bieber has served as Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Chairman of the Medical Staff at Suburban Hospital and as President of the Washington Orthopaedic Society.SpecialtiesUpper Extremity (hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder)PrivilegesDr. Bieber performs surgery at Surgical Specialty Center of Mid-Atlantic, Suburban Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Bethesda Chevy Chase Surgery Center, Surgical Specialty Center of Mid-Atlantic, and Advanced Surgery Center of Bethesda. Dr. Bieber is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Tennis Elbow. His top areas of expertise are Synovitis, Tendinitis, Tenosynovitis, and Trigger Thumb.
Most elbow pain gets better without surgery. But most people who have surgery have full use of their forearm and elbow afterwards.
Contact your provider for an appointment if:
- This is the first time you have had these symptoms
- Home treatment does not relieve the symptoms
Summary: The EPIC-PRP study is a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial with 1:1:1 allocation.The objective of the study is to evaluate by means of a randomized controlled, double-blind clinical trial the clinical outcomes of echo-guided injection of PRP with or without leukocytes compared with echo-guided injection of saline for minimally invasive treatment of patients with epicondylitis resist...
Summary: This study at Hashemite University looks at how people with and without tennis elbow (AKA lateral elbow tendinopathy) feel pressure pain and how their bodies briefly turn down pain after a cold stimulus. Participants complete brief questionnaires (basic demographics without names, a tennis-elbow symptom form, and a physical-activity form) and then have their pressure-pain threshold (PPT) tested wi...
Published Date: August 27, 2024
Published By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Adams JE, Steinmann SP. Elbow tendinopathies and tendon ruptures. In: Wolfe SW, Pederson WC, Kozin SH, Cohen MS, eds. Green's Operative Hand Surgery. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 25.
Biundo JJ, Canoso JJ. Bursitis, tendinopathy, other periarticular disorders, and sports medicine. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 242.
Miller RH, Azar FM, Throckmorton TW. Shoulder and elbow injuries. In: Azar FM, Beaty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 46.