What is a tennis elbow (also known as common extensor tendinopathy or lateral epicondylitis)?
Tennis elbow is a common condition which causes pain on the outside of the elbow. It is often caused by repetitive use of the forearm (extensor) muscles. It effects men and women of all ages. It is more prevalent in those that play racket sports such as tennis, squash and golf, but also in individuals that lift weights in the gym and manual workers such as carpenters and plasterers.
Tennis elbow can be a frustrating and debilitating condition especially if it effects your ability to play sport or go to work. In a majority of tennis elbow cases it responds positively to a combination of physiotherapy and activity modification. For those cases that do not respond, an ultrasound-guided injection can significantly improve your pain and get you back to full function.
What are the symptoms of tennis elbow?
The symptoms of a tennis elbow are:
- Pain, point tenderness and occasional swelling on the bone and muscles on the outside of the elbow
- Pain that is made worse by lifting e.g., lifting a weight or kettle or carrying shopping, and/or twisting movements, such as opening a jar or turning a door handle
- Extreme pain if you hit the outside of your arm against a wall or door
If this sounds like your pain, read on…
What other conditions can mimic tennis elbow?
If this does not sound like your pain there are other conditions that can mimic the pain of tennis elbow such as:
- Golfer’s elbow
- Posterior Interosseus Nerve (PIN) entrapment
- Distal biceps tendon
Tennis elbow vs golfer’s elbow
Tennis elbow causes pain and tenderness on the outside of the arm, whereas golfers elbow causes pain and tenderness on the inside of the elbow. Both tennis elbow pain and golfers elbow pain are aggravated by lifting weight and gripping.