Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)

What is lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)?

Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is the name for a condition in which the bony bump at the outer side of the elbow is painful and tender.

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

When muscles attached to the outer elbow are overused, pain and inflammation can develop at the lateral epicondyle, where these muscles attach to bone.

 

The elbow joint is made up of the bone in the upper arm (humerus) and one of the bones in the lower arm (ulna). The bony bumps at the bottom of the humerus are called epicondyles. The bump on the outer side of the elbow, to which certain forearm muscles are attached by tendons, is called the lateral epicondyle.

Lateral epicondylitis is also referred to as wrist extensor tendonitis.

How does it occur?

Tennis elbow results from overusing the muscles in your forearm that straighten and raise your hand and wrist. When these muscles are overused, the tendons are repeatedly tugged at the point of attachment (the lateral epicondyle). As a result, the tendons become inflamed. Repeated, tiny tears in the tendon tissue cause pain. Among the activities that can cause tennis elbow are tennis and other racket sports, carpentry, machine work, typing, and knitting.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of tennis elbow are:

• pain or tenderness on the outer side of the elbow
• pain when you straighten or raise your wrist and hand
• pain made worse by lifting a heavy object
• pain when you make a fist, grip an object, shake hands, or turn door handles
• pain that shoots from the elbow down into the forearm or up into the upper arm

How is it treated?

Treatment includes the following:

• Put an ice pack on your child's elbow for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days or until the pain goes away.
• You can also do ice massage. Massage your child's elbow with ice by freezing water in a Styrofoam cup. Peel the top of the cup away to expose the ice and hold onto the bottom of the cup while you rub the ice over her elbow for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Have your child wear a tennis elbow strap. This strap wraps around the forearm below the elbow and helps keep the forearm muscles from pulling on the painful epicondyle.
• Give your child an anti-inflammatory pain medication, such as ibuprofen (Advil).
• Have your child do the exercises recommended by your health care provider. Your provider may also recommend physical therapy.
• Your provider may recommend an injection of a corticosteroid medication around the lateral epicondyle to reduce the inflammation.
• In severe cases, surgery may be recommended.

Your child will need to avoid or reduce racket sports or other activities that involve repetitive motion of the elbow (hammering, unscrewing jars, or using a screwdriver) until your symptoms disappear. Try to have her lift objects with her palm facing up to keep from overusing her lateral epicondyle.

How long will the effects last?

The pain of tennis elbow will last until there is no stress to the area. Your child should avoid physical activities that make the condition worse until the symptoms disappear. Usually the symptoms go away a week or 2 after you begin treatment.

How can you prevent tennis elbow?

To prevent tennis elbow:

• Make sure your child uses proper form during her activities, whether they are sports or job-related. For instance, be sure her tennis stroke is correct and that her tennis racket has the proper grip size.
• Your child should warm up before playing tennis or doing other activities that involve her elbow or arm muscles. She should gently stretch her elbow and arm muscles before and after exercise.
• Ice your child's elbow after exercise or work.
• In job-related activities, be sure your child's posture is correct and that the position of her arms during her work doesn't cause overuse of the elbow or arm muscles.