Nearly 3% of people in the U.S. have lateral epicondylitis every year.
01 | Introduction
Lateral epicondylitis, commonly called tennis elbow, is an injury that causes pain and inflammation in the elbow. This injury is caused by repetitive motions that cause extra stress to the tendons connecting the forearm muscles to the elbow. Symptoms of tennis elbow include pain on the outside of the elbow, stiffness, swelling, and weakened grip.
02 | Causes
Though this injury is called tennis elbow, it can be caused by any job, sport or activity that uses repeated arm or wrist movements. Some include:
03 | Diagnosis
Physical exams are usually used to determine if a patient has tennis elbow. In some cases, other tests may be run to determine the extent of the injury.
04 | Treatments
The first treatments include rest and ice packs, which help with recovery and reduce pain. Physical therapy exercises targeting the injured area, anti-inflammatory medications, or compression bandages are also used to help with recovery.
If these treatments don’t work, more treatments can be used to resolve the injury, such as bracing the area, steroid or platelet-rich plasma injections, shock wave therapy, or even surgery.
Learn More
For more information on lateral epicondylitis and supportive resources, please visit clevelandclinic.org/lateral-epicondylitis.
References
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7049-tennis-elbow-lateral-epicondylitis
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tennis-elbow/symptoms-causes/syc-20351987
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/lateral-epicondylitis-tennis-elbow
