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Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is a tendinopathy of the muscles that extend the wrist, where they attach on the outside of the elbow. The name is misleading: most of the people we treat for it have never played tennis, and got it from a keyboard, a screwdriver or a heavy season of gardening. It is stubborn and can run for many months, but it does respond to loading done properly.
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Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Pain on the bony point at the outside of the elbow
- Pain gripping — a kettle, a door handle, a handshake
- Weak grip that is limited by pain rather than true weakness
- Discomfort lifting with the palm facing down
- Tenderness to press directly on the spot
Why it happens
- Repetitive gripping, twisting or lifting with the palm down
- A sudden increase in manual work or DIY
- Keyboard and mouse use over long hours
- Weakness through the shoulder and upper back, increasing the load at the elbow
- Racquet or tool technique that loads the wrist extensors heavily
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Progressive loading of the tendon, which is the treatment with the best evidence
- Isometric holds early on for pain relief while loading begins
- Manual therapy and dry needling alongside the loading, not instead of it
- Assessing the neck and shoulder, which often contribute and are often missed
- Grip, tool and workstation changes to reduce the daily provocation
- A brace or strap for symptom relief during the early phase
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
Tennis elbow rarely settles by resting it
Six months of avoiding the aggravating activity usually leaves the tendon exactly as weak as it started. Loading it correctly is what changes it. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
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Other arm conditions we treat
Related reading: the same problem on the inside of the elbow, neck-related arm pain it can be confused with and other causes of hand and grip symptoms.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Lateral Epicondylitis on Physiopedia.
