Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that causes pain and inflammation in your elbow that typically results from overuse. This condition usually develops due to repeated motions of the wrist and arm, which damage your tissue.

Rest, pain medicines, and physical therapy usually help relieve tennis elbow. In severe cases, medical procedures, such as a shot or surgery, can help treat it.

At Kimball Health Services, we can help if you are experiencing symptoms of a tennis elbow, which can include pain, stiffness, or inflammation.

Understanding Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow primarily affects the tendons and muscles of the elbow, which are responsible for extending and stabilizing your arm. Pain mainly occurs in the tendons, the cord-like tissues of the forearm muscles that attach to the elbow. The pain can also travel from the elbow to the forearm and wrist if you have a tennis elbow.

Tennis elbow affects about 1–3% of the adult population yearly in the US and is more common in the dominant arm. Despite being named after tennis, this condition is not limited to people who play tennis or other sports. It can affect anyone who uses their forearm muscles in a repetitive motion.

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

Symptoms of a tennis elbow may include:

Pain while holding, lifting, or gripping an object
Difficulty in raising the hand or straightening the wrist
Trouble in moving your arm
Trouble in making a fist
Lump in your elbow or arm
Swollen elbow or inflammation
Elbow pain
Weak grip

Consult your doctor if self-care steps such as rest, ice, and pain relievers do not alleviate your elbow pain.

Causes of Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow usually develops over time due to repeated motions, overuse, and muscle strain. It can affect people of any age, but it mainly affects people between the ages of 30 and 60.

Extra stress from repetitive movements can strain your muscles and cause a breakdown of the fibers in the tendon that attach the forearm muscles to the bone in your elbow.

Tennis elbow can also be caused by an injury to the arm or elbow or a medical condition that affects the body's connective tissues.

Tennis elbow is common in athletes who play sports such as tennis, softball, and baseball, which puts stress on the arms or elbows. People working as carpenters, plumbers, or in similar jobs that stress the elbows may also develop this condition.

Other less common factors that can increase the risk include smoking, obesity, and certain medications.

Diagnosis of Tennis Elbow

Assessing medical history and conducting a physical examination are the usual diagnostic means for a tennis elbow. Your doctor may press on the affected area or ask you to perform various motions.

Your doctor may recommend the following tests to better understand the cause and affected area.

Electromyography: Your doctor may order this test to determine whether you have a problem with the nerves in your elbow.
MRI scan: It can help show how severe the damage is in the tendon. MRI scans can also find other factors that may be causing pain in your elbow, such as arthritis in your neck or problems in your back.
X-ray: Your doctor may ask for an X-ray to examine the bones in your elbow.

Treatment of Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow can usually get better on its own or with pain medicines and other self-care measures. In severe cases when other treatments are ineffective, nonsurgical or surgical treatments may help alleviate symptoms.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Nonsurgical treatments for a tennis elbow can include:

Physical therapy: A physical, occupational, or hand therapist can help you perform exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles in your shoulder, arm, and wrists.
Shots: Different types of shots can be injected into the affected area to treat a tennis elbow. This includes corticosteroids, platelet-rich plasma, and botulinum toxin A (Botox).
Over-the-counter pain relievers: Pain relievers, such as NSAIDs or acetaminophen, may help reduce swelling and relieve pain. Consult your doctor before taking these medications.
Needle fenestration: This procedure repeatedly guides a needle into the injured tendon using ultrasound to increase blood flow and promote healing.
Ultrasonic tenotomy: This treatment uses ultrasound to guide a needle into the damaged tendon. The needle is then vibrated with ultrasonic energy to turn the injured tissue into liquid so it can be easily removed.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy: Your doctor separates platelets from the other blood cells and then injects them back into the injured tendons to promote healing.

Surgical Treatment

In most cases, tennis elbow does not require surgery. However, your orthopedic or hand surgeon may suggest surgery if you still have severe symptoms after several months of nonsurgical treatments.

Surgical options can include:

Open surgery: It involves making a cut above the bone on the side of your elbow, removing the damaged tendon, and reattaching the healthy part back to the bone. Your doctor may also remove a tiny piece of bone to improve blood flow and help the area heal faster.
Arthroscopic surgery: During this type of surgery, the surgeon makes a few tiny cuts in the skin over your elbow. Then, they use a small instrument and a camera to perform the procedure.

Lifestyle & Home Remedies

The RICE method is usually the best way to relieve tennis elbow:

Rest: Take a break from the activities that increase the symptoms of the tennis elbow.
Ice: Apply an ice pack or cold compress to your elbow for 15 to 20 minutes a few times daily.
Compress: Wrap a compression bandage around your elbow. Your doctor may show you how to apply it safely.
Elevate: Try to keep your elbow above the level of your heart.

Managing Tennis Elbow at Kimball Health Services

Tennis elbow can cause you significant pain and discomfort, interfere with daily activities, and affect your quality of life. To address tennis elbow, you can contact Kimball Health Services for a comprehensive consultation and treatment plan.

As one of the top critical access hospitals in the nation, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.

In case of an emergency, call 911 or walk into our emergency department anytime. For appointments, call us at 308-235-1966 or fill out our online form. We're here for you whenever you need us.