Symptoms may include soreness on the outside of the elbow and weak grip strength.
Anyone can get tennis elbow, but people who putrepetitive stresson the elbow are at higher risk.
Treatment for lateral epicondylitis can include rest, medication, braces or splints, and tennis elbow exercises.
Ellen Lindner / Verywell
In most cases, tennis elbow resolves on its own with proper care.
What Is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a form of tendinitis.
Illustration by Alexandra Gordon, Verywell
Sometimes, tennis elbow can be confused withother conditions, such asbursitisorgolfer’s elbow.
Thus, it’s best to have the condition diagnosed by a healthcare provider.
Pain can be highly variable too, ranging from very mild to severe and debilitating.
Experts also believe that the position of the ECRB may play a role in causing tennis elbow.
Risk Factors
Despite its name, tennis elbow does not solely occur in tennis players.
Most patients with tennis elbow are between 30 and 50 years old.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of tennis elbow is made through a medical history and physical examination.
Additional tests may be ordered to rule out other conditions that cause elbow pain.
With tennis elbow, there is usually tenderness about one centimeter from the lateral epicondyle itself.
Other Tests
Various tests may be used to diagnose some of the above conditions.
These tests are commonly ordered to diagnosis tennis elbow or rule out other conditions.
Treatment
Recovering from tennis elbow can be a long process.
Some people achieve full recovery within one or two years after their symptoms begin.
Others may recover completely in as little as six months.
The good news is that tennis elbow usually gets better on its own.
Treatment of tennis elbow entails simple, non-surgical steps.
With sufficient time, most individuals respond well.
Tennis elbow heals on its own within one to two years in 80%-90% of people.
A wrist brace can also be helpful.
Surgery
A small percentage of patients diagnosed with tennis elbow will ultimately requiresurgical treatment.
Sometimes, the pain is the result of other conditions, like arthritis.
A proper diagnosis will help you get the care you oughta recover quickly.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
American Society for Surgery of the Hand.Tennis Elbow - Lateral Epicondylitis.
Hospital for Special Surgery.Tennis Elbow: An Overview
Medline Plus.Tennis Elbow.
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis).
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis).
Cutts S, Gangoo S, Modi N, Pasapula C.Tennis elbow: A clinical review article.J Orthop.
In: StatPearls [Internet].
2015 Mar;23(3):181-9. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-13-00148
