What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is the common name for pain near the side of your elbow, where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bony knob on the outside of the elbow. The pain may spread into your forearm and even your wrist. It may hurt when you extend your wrist (bend it back), make a fist, straighten your fingers, or try to grip objects, such as a coffee cup. Your forearm may also be weakened.

The medical term for tennis elbow is "lateral epicondylitis."

Tennis Elbow Causes
Tennis elbow is usually an overuse injury, in this case, of the forearm muscles/tendons that you use to straighten and extend your wrist. Repetitive strain and overuse can stress the tendon tissue, causing inflammation and/or tiny tears.

Putting the wrist extensor muscle and tendon under too much strain is another possible cause of lateral epicondylitis, most common among body-builders and strength athletes. The tendon can be injured if it is put under more stress than it can physically handle, or if it's stressed without properly warming it up first.

And we're more likely to develop tendon dysfunction of all kinds as we age and our tendons lose some of their elasticity.

For actual tennis players, contributing factors may be a poor backhand technique, too-tight strings, playing with wet, heavy tennis balls, or having a too-small racket grip.

While the condition is called tennis elbow, there are many other tennis elbow causes. The common thread is usually the involvement of frequent wrist extension, including keyboarding, wielding a paint-brush, and using a screwdriver.

Other common tennis elbow causes are:

Computer keyboarding
• Carpentry
• Gardening
• Swimming
• Golfing

How Can I Get Rid of It?
Professional treatment massage can help a lot--but it can't do the whole job. In order to make real progress, you'll have to take self-care steps at home, too.

Learn more about the best things that you can do to heal your own tennis elbow and get back to the activities that you love at my main tennis elbow page.

When to See a Doctor
You should see your doctor if the pain persists for over a week in spite of self-treatment. See your medical doctor immediately if you can't bend your elbow; your elbow is hot, swollen, and you have a fever; if your elbow looks mis-shapen; or if you think you may have broken a bone or have an infection in your arm.

I wish you ease and comfort in your arms and elbows, and I am confident that you will be able to help yourself feel better.

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