Elbow Pain - Tennis Elbow

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Dr Anurag Awasthi  Orthopaedic Specialist, Sohna Road, Gurgaon 9718112112

Tennis Elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis got its fame when one of our best cricketers Sachin Tendulkar reported his symptoms. He had pain in the outer aspect of his elbow and had difficulty in gripping the cricket bat.

Tennis Elbow is a common cause of Elbow pain in people engaged in repetitive forearm rotational activities. Common in sportsmen- Lawn Tennis players, Badminton players and Cricketers.

It occurs due to degeneration in the fibres of origin of one of the forearm muscles, namely Extensor Carpi Radialis brevis which runs between the lower end of the arm to the wrist joint

Symptoms- Pain over elbow outer aspect; aggravated with gripping and squeezing movements.

Signs- Tenderness over Lateral Epicondyle of Humerus.
Pain aggravated with passive stretching of forearm muscles.

Treatment-

1. Physiotherapy - Ultrasonic therapy or Interferential therapy over the point of maximum pain helps relieve the pain.

2. In patients not responding to physiotherapy, steroid injection may be infiltrated locally. This offers a temporary short term relief.

3. Tennis elbow splint helps in reducing the strain in the affected muscle. It should be worn over the maximum width of forearm, approximately 2 inch below the elbow joint.

4. In resistant cases, a manipulation under anesthesia may be performed.

5. Surgery is the last resort if the symptoms are not responding to any of the above mentioned manoeuvers. In this, the origin fibres of Extensor Carpi Radialis brevis may be surgically opened and debrided.

Patients need to avoid certain provocative movements in the region of Elbow joint for a period of 4-6 weeks after surgery.

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