Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
What is it?
Typically, an overuse injury to the tendon that attaches forearm muscles to the bony prominence on the outside of the below (lateral epicondyle).
It is commonly brought on by repetitive movements, especially gripping activities.
Although common in racquet sports, many activities can cause tennis elbow.
Typical symptoms/features
- Pain over the outside of the elbow which may radiate into the forearm
- Pain on lifting, twisting and gripping tasks e.g. turning keys, lifting kettle
- Worse with repetitive actions
- Weakness with gripping activities
Management
- Activity modification
- When you first start noticing elbow pain, it may help to reduce your activity for a short amount of time to allow the pain to settle
- However, there is strong evidence that says keeping active and slowly returning to your normal levels of activity can actually help the pain to settle quicker
- Ice or heat
- Pain relief
- Physiotherapy including range of movement exercises and a graded strengthening programme
- Some find a tennis elbow brace useful when performing aggravating activities
- Per current NICE guidelines, corticosteroid injections should NOT be offered as this is associated with worse outcomes at 6 months
Do I need imaging?
Imaging (X-rays or scans) are rarely required to diagnose tennis elbow.
X-rays and scans are most appropriately used after a serious injury.
