What is Tennis Elbow

Lateral epicondylitis, also known as “Tennis Elbow”, is the most common overuse syndrome in the elbow. It is a tendinopathy injury involving the extensor muscles of the forearm. These muscles originate on the lateral epicondylar region of the distal humerus. In a lot of cases, the insertion of the extensor carpi radialis brevis is involved. It should be remembered that only 5% of people suffering from tennis elbow relate the injury to tennis! Contractile overloads that chronically stress the tendon near the attachment on the humerus are the primary cause of epicondylitis. It occurs often in repetitive upper extremity activities such as computer use, heavy lifting, forceful forearm pronation and supination, and repetitive vibration. Despite the name you will also commonly see this chronic condition in other sports such as squash, badminton, baseball, swimming and field throwing events. People with repetitive one-sides movements in their jobs such as electricians, carpenters, gardeners , desk bound jobs also commonly present with this condition.

SYMPTOMS & DIAGNOSIS

The most prominent symptom of epicondylitis lateralis is pain, this pain can be produced by palpation on the extensor muscles origin on the lateral epicondyle. The pain can radiate upwards along the upper arm and downwards along the outside of the forearm and in rare cases even to the third and fourth fingers. Furthermore it is also often seen that the flexibility and strength in the wrist extensor and posterior shoulder muscles are deficient.
Furthermore it is also often seen that the flexibility and strength in the wrist extensor and posterior shoulder muscles are deficient. At least patients report weakness in their grip strength or difficulty carrying objects in their hand, especially with the elbow extended. This weakness is due to finger extensor and supinator weakness. Some people have a sense of paralysis but this is rare.
Symptoms last, on average, from 2 weeks to 2 years. 89% of the patients recover within 1 year without any treatment except perhaps avoidance of the painful movements .

Causes of tennis & golfer elbow

  • Sports injury like playing racquet sports (tennis, badminton or squash) or sports that involve throwing (javelin or discus)
  • Using hand tools repeatedly (gardening shears, screwdriver or scissors)
  • Using tools while decorating, plumbing or bricklaying
  • Activities that involve fine, repetitive hand and wrist movements (typing or sewing)
  • Activities that involve repeatedly bending the elbow (playing the violin)
  • Weight training: Activities that involve lifting or picking up heavy weights can cause curling of the wrists or stress or strain in the tendons and elbow muscles, ultimately causing the medial epicondylitis condition.

Causes of tennis & golfer elbow

  • Sports injury like playing racquet sports (tennis, badminton or squash) or sports that involve throwing (javelin or discus)
  • Using hand tools repeatedly (gardening shears, screwdriver or scissors)
  • Using tools while decorating, plumbing or bricklaying
  • Activities that involve fine, repetitive hand and wrist movements (typing or sewing)
  • Activities that involve repeatedly bending the elbow (playing the violin)
  • Weight training: Activities that involve lifting or picking up heavy weights can cause curling of the wrists or stress or strain in the tendons and elbow muscles, ultimately causing the medial epicondylitis condition.

Treatment

Elbow Pain embolization is the best way to treat

Catheter treatment for joint pain embolization will be effective for elbow pain. Its non-surgical treatment is done with single needle puncture, no cut, no suture & 70-80% effective for pain reduction.

How does elbow pain embolization work?

By doing selective angiography with a catheter, find out abnormal blood vessels in the pain area.

These abnormal blood vessels are culprit for pain. We inject embolizing particles to block these abnormal vessels & it will reduce the pain.

Approximately 80% to 95% of patients have success with nonsurgical treatment.

Rest

The first step toward recovery is to give your arm proper rest. This means that you will have to stop or decrease participation in sports, heavy work activities, and other activities that cause painful symptoms for several weeks.

Medications

Acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory medications (such as ibuprofen) may be taken to help reduce pain and swelling

Physical therapy

Specific exercises are helpful for strengthening the muscles of the forearm. Your therapist may also perform ultrasound, ice massage, or muscle-stimulating techniques to improve muscle healing.

Brace

Using a brace centered over the back of your forearm may also help relieve symptoms of tennis elbow. This can reduce symptoms by resting the muscles and tendons.

Steroid injections

Steroids, such as cortisone, are very effective anti-inflammatory medicines. Your doctor may decide to inject the painful area around your lateral epicondyle with a steroid to relieve your symptoms.

Platelet-rich plasma

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a biological treatment designed to improve the biologic environment of the tissue. This involves obtaining a small sample of blood from the arm and centrifuging it (spinning it) to obtain platelets from the solution. Platelets are known for their high concentration of growth factors, which can be injected into the affected area. While some studies about the effectiveness of PRP have been inconclusive, others have shown promising results.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy

Shock wave therapy sends sound waves to the elbow. These sound waves create “microtrauma” that promotes the body’s natural healing processes. Shock wave therapy is considered experimental by many doctors, but some sources show it can be effective.

Equipment check

If you participate in a racquet sport, your doctor may encourage you to have your equipment checked for proper fit. Stiffer racquets and looser-strung racquets often can reduce the stress on the forearm, which means that the forearm muscles do not have to work as hard. If you use an oversized racquet, changing to a smaller head may help prevent symptoms from recurring.

Patient Reviews

FAQ

Click on the down arrow button to see the answer.
Not just golfers! Anyone can have golfer’s elbow, but it primarily affects people who play golf, racquet sports (tennis, badminton, etc.), throwing sports, football, or bowling. It can also occur in people who lift weights or are carpenters.
Golfer’s elbow is a repetitive stress injury (RSI). Repeatedly straightening your elbow causes damage to the muscles and tendons that control your wrist and fingers. In golf, this injury typically results from gripping and swinging your clubs incorrectly or too forcefully. It can also occur if you take thick divots.
  • Pain and tenderness on the inner side of your elbow, sometimes extending down your forearm
  • Elbow stiffness
  • Pain when making a fist
  • Weakness in your hands and wrist
  • Tingling or numbness, at times radiating into the fingers
The causes of tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis as it is known in the medical field, are not yet fully understood. However, the most popular explanation is that the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) becomes unable to properly repair itself, causing a growth of connective tissue in the tendons, or an increase of tendon damage. In both cases, this can lead to functional issues in the arm and elbow when exerting force through the tendon, resulting in pain when moving the arm, wrist and elbow.
It is not necessary to x-ray every patient who undergoes diagnosis for tennis elbow. Unnecessary screening can be a waste of time and money.