Tennis elbow refers to the condition when the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender. It is also referred to as an injury of the muscles and tendons that results from over stress. The movements involving gripping, lifting and carrying becomes difficult. It is technically known as lateral epicondylitis. It is associated with tendon injury so it is also known as tendonitis. It usually occurs in people who overuse their arms during playing tennis, gardening, athletics and other activities. The pain is similar to that of arthritis but is not arthritis. The condition consists of inflammation, degeneration of the tendons and may also involve tendon tears. The majority of people who suffer from tennis elbow are between 40-50 yrs but it can also affect athletes of any age group.

Tennis elbow is often confused with golfer's elbow and bursitis. Golfer's elbow is caused by the same types of activities as tennis elbow, but the pain is felt on the inside of the elbow and in bursitis the pain often occurs at the back of the elbow.

Only 5 percent of the tennis players suffer from tennis elbow at one or the other time in life.

The pain caused by tennis elbow usually lasts for 6-12weeks but the duration can be shorter or longer depending varying from individual to individual. The development of tennis elbow depends on the way of using forearm muscles. The forearm muscles control hand and wrist movements and are attached to the tendons. These tendons connect them to two small bone points. Sometimes the points where the tendons are attached are small and are not able to handle the strong forces. These strong forces cause an injury to the tendons making the tissues weak.

Symptoms for Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow appears in different ways. Some people get symptoms after doing the same type of work for several years. While others get the symptoms suddenly soon after starting a new type of work. The main symptom of tennis elbow is the pain on the outside of the elbow. The pain gets aggravated with the movements involving grasping and holding objects. The damage caused by tennis elbow consists of tiny tears in tendon parts and in muscle coverings. Even after the healing of injury, these areas remain susceptible to tear again that leads to hemorrhage and calcium deposits within the surrounding tissues. Collagen, a protein, leaks out from around the injured areas and causes inflammation. The pressure caused results in the blockage of the blood flow and pinch the radial nerve, one the major nerves that controls arm and hand muscles.

Tendons that attach muscles to bones, do not receive proper amount of oxygen and blood that lowers the process of healing. The various other symptoms of tennis elbow are:

• Tenderness of elbow
• Pain in the forearm
• Stiffness of elbow in the morning
• Pain in the neck and shoulder

Causes for Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is usually caused due to the damage to the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the elbow joint and forearm. The damage is due to repeated strain on the muscles of the forearm that extend the wrist and fingers. Any repetitive motion of the wrist, including tennis, hedge clipping, excessive use of a hammer or screwdriver, painting, or any activity that requires constant gripping can also cause tennis elbow. Arthritis, rheumatism and gout sometimes cause tennis elbow. Persons with neck problems or nerve disorders are also at risk of developing tennis elbow.

Inflammation can occur from direct injury and muscles generally tear, causing pain and swelling, and recurrence is common.

Inflammation can also occur without definite cause. Some other causes of tennis elbow include pinched nerve in the neck, pain arising from a shoulder problem, pressure on the radial nerve in the region of the elbow that is called radial tunnel syndrome.

Treatment for Tennis Elbow