Tennis Elbow Not Just Tennis Related

You don’t have to play tennis to suffer from tennis elbow. In fact, tennis elbow is the most common elbow injury that orthopedic physicians see. What is it, how does it occur, and how is it treated?

While a large percentage of tennis players will suffer from tennis elbow at some point in their career, they make up a small percentage of all reported cases of tennis elbow. Tennis elbow can strike anyone whose job or activity requires a repetitive motion of the wrist, including painting, plumbing, and using a hammer.

Sometimes confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow is characterized by a recurring pain on the outside of the upper forearm just below the elbow that radiates down the arm toward the wrist. Pain often occurs when lifting or squeezing an object.

Tennis elbow is often a form of tendonitis, as tiny tears in the tendon and muscle coverings cause inflammation and pinching of the radial nerve, which control muscles of the arm and hand. It is a chronic condition that can sideline you for 12 to 18 months.

Rest is the best medicine. If treatment is needed, medication and physical therapy to strengthen the wrist are conservative and often effective methods. Surgery is a viable option, as well, if conservative methods fail.

To prevent tennis elbow, take time to stretch your arm and wrist, warm up before your job or an activity, and strengthen your forearm using hand weights.

Drs. Todd Shapiro, Mark Schamblin, and Christopher Hamilton, specialists in upper extremity care at Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI), see patients year-round with tennis elbow. If you have hand or wrist pain, contact SCOI at (877) 933-3387.

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