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Tennis elbow is the term used for the condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender. This condition is occurred due to specific strain or overuse of elbow. As the name... |
Tennis elbow is the term used for the condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender. This condition is occurred due to specific strain or overuse of elbow. As the name suggests, this defect in elbow does not occur only in tennis players but can affect any one (Use non-tennis players). In medical term, tennis elbow is known as lateral epicondylitis.
Risk factors / Causes:
Though the abnormality can occur in any age group, the patients are mainly found in the ages of 30-50 years. The abnormality is caused due to the strain on the elbow or over using the elbow parts. People who are involved in some professions or the recreational activities tend to overuse the elbow part. People involved in tennis, squash, fencing and racquetball are more prone to tennis elbow. Professionals like meat cutters, plumbers, painters and weavers are also found to have the defect in their elbow.
Symptoms:
Patients with tennis elbow generally complain of severe, burning pain on the outer part of the elbow. The main symptoms includes
* Pain during gripping and movements of the wrist.
* Difficulty in performing a simple task like lifting a cup of coffee or throwing a ball.
* Pain with a simple motion of the elbow joint.
* Creates pain while pressing, straightening or extending the elbow region.
Treatment:
At the initial stage, patients are asked to opt for non-operative treatments. This would include applying ice to the outside part of the elbow and stopping the activities which causes strain on elbow. Use of counterforce braces and wrist splints can bring a relief from pain by resting the muscles and tendons.
If the symptoms still persist, patients are subjected to corticosteroid injection around the outside of the elbow. However, repetitive use should be avoided as it can cause number of side effects.
After this, the activities are explained to the patients by undergoing physical therapy. This helps not only in speedily recovering from ailment but also gives a normal functioning to elbow.
Surgery is only recommended to those patients who could not overcome the symptoms even after six months of non-operative treatment. Surgery includes replacing the affected tendon tissue by a normal tendon tissue to bone. Currently, an arthroscopic surgery method is also recommended to have better results.