Tennis elbow
The condition called tennis elbow shows itself as pain on the outer side of the elbow joint. It is common in people who use their hands a lot in daily life, make strenuous movements or repeat the same movements often – especially women. After a while patients may be unable to grip with their hand, and shaking hands can even become unbearably painful. The underlying cause is a disorder of the tendons resulting from strain and overload of the muscles that run from the outer side of the elbow to the wrist and fingers. It is not an inflammatory condition and there is no risk of it progressing or spreading to other parts of the body. However, as it becomes chronic the pain can increase and cause serious difficulty with manual tasks.
The diagnosis is easily made on examination by a specialist. The patient is given the necessary information and the treatment alternatives are explained.
Treatment
Tennis elbow is a condition that can improve with appropriate conservative (non-surgical) treatment. Following the patient with the right treatment for a sufficient period is usually enough. However, in a small number of patients the pain does not go away with conservative treatment, and in such cases surgery can be considered.
First, the patient needs to stop the strenuous movements they are doing – sometimes a sporting activity, sometimes daily housework. Then the pain is relieved with appropriate medication, injections and physiotherapy. During this time a tennis elbow strap worn on the forearm gives relief to some patients.
With treatment for an appropriate period the complaints usually disappear, but it should be remembered that tennis elbow can recur. If the patient returns to the old strenuous activities, the pain may start again. The patient is informed about this and told which movements to avoid.
Surgery may be needed for patients whose pain does not go away. In surgery the muscles in the painful area are released and procedures are performed to stimulate healing of the tissues there. After surgery, patients can return to daily activities within a few weeks.
The information on this page is for general information only and does not replace an examination and diagnosis.