Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is swelling of the tendons that bend your wrist backward away from your palm.
A tendon is a tough cord of tissue that connects muscles to bones. The tendon most likely a ected in tennis elbow is called the exterior carpi radialis brevis. Tennis elbow is usually diagnosed in people between ages 30 and 50.
Tennis elbow, as the name implies, is often caused by the force of the tennis racket hitting balls in the backhand position. Your forearm muscles, which attach to the outside of your elbow, may become sore from excessive strain. When making a back hand stroke in tennis, the tendons that roll over the end of your elbow can become damaged. Tennis elbow may becaused by:
The following are the most common symptoms of tennis elbow. You may experience symptoms rerently.
At first you may have pain, burning, or an ache along the outside of your forearm and elbow. Over time, the pain gets worse. If you keep doing the activity that caused your condition, the pain may spread down to your wrist, even at rest. Pain may also persist when you place your arm and hand palm-down on a table, and then try to raise your hand against resistance.
You may also feel pain when you try to lift and grip small objects, such as a co ee cup. A weak grip is another symptom of tennis elbow.
These symptoms can be caused by other health conditions. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Your healthcare provider can often diagnosis your tennis elbow with a physical exam. In some cases, you may have certain tests, such as:
An X-ray. This is to look at the bones of your elbow. It is done to see if you have arthritis or other problems in your elbow.
An MRI. This can show your tendons and the amount of damage. An MRI of your neck can show if arthritis is in your neck, or disk problems in your spine are causing your arm pain.
An EMG (electromyography). This may show if you have any nerve problems in your elbow that may be causing your pain.
Tennis elbow is swelling or tearing of the tendons that bend your wrist backward away from your palm.
It’s caused by repetitive motion of the forearm muscles, which attach to the outside of your elbow. The muscles and tendons get sore from too much strain.
Symptoms include pain, burning, or an ache along the outside of the forearm and elbow. It may get worse and spread down to the wrist if you keep doing the activity that causes the condition. Your grip may become weak.
You can help prevent tennis elbow by doing things like warming up before exercise or sports, increasing activity slowly, using the right equipment for activities, and strengthening your arm muscles.