What is Tennis Elbow?

‘Tennis Elbow’ is a term used to describe medial epicondyalgia. This injury is usually when there is a gradual overload of the common extensor tendons of the wrist and forearm. These tendons play a role in all gripping tasks, but also in wrist extension. Although tennis players probably amount to a very small percentage of people that get medial epicondyalgia, the injury was closely associated to racket sports, and called tennis elbow.

When suffering from this injury, patients will often reports sharp or burning sensations on the outside of the elbow. It may initially be very transient pain, stopping immediately after letting go of an object, but can progress to linger for hours after the activity. Tasks frequently reports as the most aggravating are carrying bags, gripping onto dumbbells, typing, and even holding your mobile phone up to your ear. This injury is a tendinopathy, and results from putting too much strain through these common extensor tendons in a short spice of time. This may range from taking up tennis again after a 6 month hiatus, to doing some DIY and using a hammer for a few hours at the weekend.

Risk Factors for Tennis Elbow

The injury almost always occurs on your dominant arm, and although can begin acutely, it can last for long periods of time if not managed correctly. Some risk factors for developing Tennis Elbow include:

• Age: Being slightly older, the tendons may be slightly more sensitive to increase activity and loading than when you were younger.

• Hormonal Changes: Any changes in hormonal balance such as menopause can leave the tendons in your body susceptible to injury.

• Occupation: New manual occupations, or recent changes in your job can lead to this issue. For example, if a builder has been quiet for a few months and is suddenly busy, they are at a higher risk, or if someone has new lifting tasks in their job that weren’t previously there.

• New Sport: Taking up tennis in summer? Adding a new sport or strength training program to your routine can put you at risk of this injury. The increased requirement to grip and extend your wrist.

• Muscle Imbalances: It is important that the whole upper body works together duding activities. If for example you have weak shoulders, then it means that your elbow and wrist has to work more to lift a dumbbell or swing a racket.

How do we diagnose tennis elbow?

Obtaining an accurate diagnosis of tennis elbow is essential. It allows the clinician to select the most effective treatment plan for you. A diagnosis will be made by your physiotherapist who will carry out a comprehensive subjective and clinical assessment. It is not essential at this stage to have a scan.

They will ask questions about your past health, symptoms, and exercise regime, which will give your clinician a good indication of your diagnosis. After your consultation, the specialist physio will complete a series of tests to help confirm a diagnosis.

If you have any questions on whether physio is the best option for you, or you have any questions about MVMNT in general, feel free to contact via email.

- Jay Towolawi, Specialist Sports Physiotherapist and MVMNT Founder.