What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis Elbow is more technically know as Lateral epicondylitis or lateral epicondylalgia. It is popularly also referred as shooter's elbow and archer's elbow. Basically a tennis elbow is a condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender. It is commonly associated with playing tennis and other racquet sports, though the injury can happen to almost anyone.
Overall Population of world 1-3% People affects elbows tennis and a big percentage of tennis approximately 50% tennis player during their careers. Over 5% of all tennis elbow diagnoses are actually related playing tennis. Tennis elbow affects women less than men. People can affect any time and any age. It most affects people 30 to 50 ages.
Tennis elbow most commonly affects people in their dominant arm (that is, a right-handed person would experience pain in the right arm), but it can also occur in the nondominant arm or both arms.
Although tennis elbow mainly affects tennis player also other athletes and who use arms, and wrist movement. Such as golfers, baseball players, bowlers, gardeners or landscapers, house or office cleaners carpenters, mechanics, and assembly-line workers.
Who Gets Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow affects 1% to 3% of the population overall and as many as 50% of tennis players during their careers. Less than 5% of all tennis elbow diagnoses are related to actually playing tennis. Tennis elbow affects men more than women. It most often affects people between the ages of 30 and 50, although people of any age can be affected.
Although tennis elbow commonly affects tennis players, it also affects other athletes and people who participate in leisure or work activities that require repetitive arm, elbow, and wrist movement. Examples include golfers, baseball players, bowlers, gardeners or landscapers, house or office cleaners (because of vacuuming, sweeping, and scrubbing), carpenters, mechanics, and assembly-line workers.
How Is Tennis Elbow Diagnosed?
Tennis elbow cannot be diagnosed from blood tests and rarely by X-rays. Rather, it is usually diagnosed by the description of pain you provide to your doctor and certain findings from a physical exam. Since many other conditions can cause pain around the elbow, it is important that you see your doctor so the proper diagnosis can be made. Then your doctor can prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Tennis elbow usually is successfully treated by medical means -- such as cortisone injections and only rarely requires surgery. The type of treatment prescribed for tennis elbow will depend on several factors, including age, type of other drugs being taken, overall health, medical history, and severity of pain. The goals of treatment are to reduce pain or inflammation, promote healing, and decrease stress and abuse on the injured elbow.
What is Golfer's Elbow and how it is different from Tennis Elbow?
Golfer's elbow is pain and inflammation on the inner side of your elbow, where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. The pain may spread into your forearm and wrist.
Golfer's elbow also known as medial epicondylitis is similar to tennis elbow. But it occurs on the inside rather than the outside of your elbow. And it's not limited to golfers. Tennis players and others who repeatedly use their wrists or clench their fingers also can develop golfer's elbow.
How Pain and Inflammation can be reduced in Tennis Elbow?
To reduce the pain and inflammation of tennis elbow, try:
- Rest and avoid any activity that causes pain to the sore elbow.
- Apply ice to the affected area.
- Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.
- Cortisone-type medication may be injected into the sore area by your doctor.
What can you do for yourself in case of Pain with Tennis Elbow?
- Even though you are in pain, it is important for you to stay active. Being active can help prevent long-term problems.
- If your pain is acute, ice or anti-inflammatory medication may help.
- Rest the sore arm for a few days to a week, to give the tissues a chance to heal.
- Find exercises, which don’t require repetitive movements of the arm and hand.
- Examine which activities make your arm, wrist, and hand feel better or worse. Try to limit those activities, which make you feel worse.
- Switch to power driven tools, which allow you to limit repetitive arm turning motions.
- Vary your activities frequently.
- Take “mini breaks” to rest arm, wrist, and hand, and to correct your posture.
How Corticosteroids is used in Tennis Elbow?
A local anesthetic (lidocaine) may be used first to help with diagnosis. If this shot improves the pain, then a corticosteroid injection is given. Lidocaine is sometimes given with a corticosteroid to reduce the pain of the injection. A corticosteroid injection is sometimes used to treat tennis elbow. Corticosteroids are given to relieve the pain of tennis elbow when other forms of treatment haven't helped.
If you don't find long-term relief after a total of three injections over the course of a year, more injections aren't likely to help and may cause harm. Some doctors believe that corticosteroids should not be given to children. It should be also avoided when infection is suspected.
Is surgery only option to treat tennis elbow?
Surgery is considered a last resort for treating tennis elbow. But if you still have elbow and forearm pain and stiffness after more than 6 to 12 months of non-surgical treatment (rest, ice, rehabilitation), you may consider surgical treatment. When making your decision, keep in mind:
Resting the tendon is important. A typical case of tennis elbow takes 6 to 12 months to heal. In some cases, the pain lasts for 2 years or longer.1 With tendon rest and rehabilitation and (possibly) 1 to 3 corticosteroid shots, most people with tennis elbow heal within a year.
Tennis elbow tendon damage gets worse when you continue painful, aggravating activity.
There are various surgical procedures for treating tennis elbow. But there is no evidence to support any one technique as being most effective or to prove that surgery is better than other treatment.
"Tennis elbow surgery does not guarantee a cure".
What kind of surgery is done for tennis elbow?
Your doctor may recommend an arthroscopic exam of your outer elbow area, with a plan to do surgery if necessary. Types of tennis elbow surgery are:
- Removal of scar tissue from the damaged tendon area.
- Release (cutting) of the tendon that attaches the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle to the bone. The ECRB attachment is thought to be the most common site of tennis elbow damage.
- Repairing (reattaching) tendon tears if it's possible to do it without overtightening the tendon.
What Is the Outlook for People With Tennis Elbow?
Overall, 90% to 95% of people with tennis elbow will improve and recover with the treatment plan described. However, about 5% of people will not get better with conservative treatment and will need surgery to repair the injured muscle-tendon unit around the elbow. For 80% to 90% of people who have surgery, it results in pain relief and return of strength.
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