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Tennis Elbow – What is it?
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is also known as lateral epicondylitis. Tennis elbow is a term used to describe muscle pain attributed to overuse of the extensor and supinator muscles of the forearm. These muscles are responsible for wrist extension (bringing the wrist backwards), and supination (turning the palm up). Tennis elbow is inflammation, pain, or soreness on the outside part of the elbow. Tennis elbow occurs in both men and women, and often as a result of overuse. Although commonly associated with tennis or other raquet sports, this injury is common among many people and can happen to anyone. For example, repetitive use of a keyboard or mouse at an office job often cause tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis.
Tennis elbow is equally common among males and females. The typical demographic for tennis elbow is 35-55 years old, is a recreational athlete, or participates in rigorous or highly repetitive daily activities. Occupations more likely to suffer from tennis elbow include but are not limited to computer-heavy office jobs, carpenters, jackhammer operators, people using hand-held power tools, production line workers, and professional musicians, especially drummers and string musicians who often spend long hours doing repetitive fine movement with their hands.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is usually due to overuse. This means that there is no specific injury or incident to cause the elbow pain. Equipment change, less than optimal grip size for industrial workers, use of tools with repetitive vibration, heavy equipment, or increased work demands are possible causes of tennis elbow. Poor biomechanics are also a contributing cause, especially for backhand swings in racquet sports. Bilateral tennis elbow, or tennis elbow on both arms, may be due to neck problems, such as nerve impingement.
Tennis elbow can end up becoming chronic if not dealt with in a timely and effective manner. Once chronic, tennis elbow can be difficult to treat and can take much longer to resolve. Acute bouts can be treated and resolved in as little as 2-4 weeks, while chronic cases of tennis elbow can take many months. Your physiotherapist can treat tennis elbow and advise you in preventative strategies as well as self management strategies.
In office workers, tennis elbow often results from excessive typing and use of the mouse. For example, when you spend a lot of time doing these activities, your forearm muscles must constantly work to keep your wrist up. This may seem like no force at all, but over time the cumulative effects of this positioning and the repetitive nature of the work can cause an inflammation or pain in the muscle and lead to tennis elbow. It often starts off as an annoying nagging condition that can become increasingly bothersome if not treated.
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