Tennis elbow is pain over the bony point on the outside of the elbow and into the forearm, felt when gripping, lifting a kettle, shaking hands or turning a door handle. Most people who develop it have never played tennis. It comes from repeated loading of the tendons that extend the wrist, so it turns up in tradespeople, gardeners, people who have decorated a house, new parents lifting a car seat, and anybody who has recently taken up something involving a grip.
More information
Why it is stubborn
Because it is a tendon problem, and tendons respond slowly. It is also stubborn because the natural response is to rest it, and rest alone does not resolve tendon pain. The tendon needs graded loading to adapt, which means doing carefully chosen exercise that produces some discomfort rather than avoiding everything that hurts.
Most cases improve over several months. Some settle in weeks. A minority take a year or more, and those are usually the ones that have been rested repeatedly rather than loaded properly.
What treatment involves
A diagnosis first, because not all pain on the outside of the elbow is tendon pain. Some comes from the neck, and some from the joint itself. Then a loading programme, advice on modifying rather than abandoning the activity that provoked it, and hands on treatment where it helps with symptoms.
Do braces and injections help
A brace can reduce pain enough to keep working and is worth trying, though it does not treat the underlying tendon. Corticosteroid injections reduce pain in the short term but are associated with worse outcomes at a year compared with exercise, so we would generally advise loading first and would say so to your GP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have tennis elbow if I do not play tennis?
Should I rest my elbow?
How long does tennis elbow take to settle?
Is a steroid injection a good idea?
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