This condition, commonly called tennis elbow, is a degeneration of the tendons that attach to the lateral epicondyle, the bony bump on the outer side of the elbow.
Inside the Elbow
The muscles that pull the wrist back are called extensor muscles. These muscles join together and attach to a single tendon at the elbow. This tendon, called the common extensor tendon, attaches to the lateral epicondyle.
Cause of Damage
This condition is caused by repetitive trauma or aging.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include tenderness and pain at the lateral epicondyle, and this pain canbe made worse by bending the wrist.
Treatment
Treatment will be determined by your physician and may include rest, an arm brace or wristsplint, physical therapy, steroid injections, ice and anti-inflammatory medications.
Prevention
Another factor of tennis elbow injury is experience and ability. The proportion of players who reported a history of tennis elbow had an increased number of playing years. As for ability, poor technique increases the chance for injury much like any sport. Therefore an individual must learn proper technique for all aspects of their sport. The competitive level of the athlete also affects the incidence of tennis elbow. Class A and B players had a significantly higher rate of tennis elbow occurrence compared to class C and novice players. However, an opposite, but not statistically significant, trend is observed for the recurrence of previous cases, with an increasingly higher rate as ability level decreases
