Causes of tennis elbow

Information on Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is a medical condition which is caused by strenuous overuse of the tendons and muscles located in the forearm and around the joint of the elbow. It can be rather painful in some cases. The name suggests that it may indeed by caused by playing tennis but there also numerous other physical activities which may be the cause of this medical condition.

Tennis elbow can be easily characterized by painful sensations and inflammatory conditions on the outer side of the elbow. The bony lump located on the outer side of the elbow is called epicondyle so the condition is medically referred to as lateral epicondylitis. Some rare cases may include the occurrence of the same symptoms on the inner side of the elbow. This condition is more known as the golfer’s elbow. The elbow joint is surrounded by numerous different muscles whose purpose is to make the movement of the fingers, elbow and the wrist possible.

The tendons connect the muscles and the bones and they are also in charge of the muscles which surround the lateral epicondyle. Tennis elbow involves the inflammation of the elbow tendons. Movements of the forearm may be painful due to the inflammatory conditions. Most symptoms of the tennis elbow usually resolve on their own, so they may not require any treatment.

Painful sensations and the inflammatory conditions may be relieved by using certain types of painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications. Severe cases may require cortisone injections in order to relieve the pain. The most persistent severe cases of tennis elbow may require a surgical procedure.

Causes of Tennis Elbow

When the small tears in the elbow tendon become inflamed they trigger the medical condition known as the tennis elbow. Repeated or excessive use of the wrist straightening muscles can lead to tendon injuries.

When the injured tendons do not heal properly they can lead to further complications such as the formation of rough tissue. The inflammatory conditions get triggered because of collagen leakage.

The inflammation may be responsible for the cutting off of the blood flow and the pinching of the radial nerve. These instances are what actually causes the arm to feel painful. Tennis elbow gets triggered by physical activities which involve heavy use of forearm muscles. Certain activities that are known of causing tennis elbow may be using scissors, racquet sports, gardening, typing, throwing, swimming, and repetitive lifting or turning of the wrist.