Tennis elbow is the common name for a painful condition affecting the outer part of the elbow.
It can be caused by repeated twisting movements of hand, wrist or forearm, and is most common in people aged 35 to 55.
The overuse of the joints causes tiny tears in the tendon, and if it is not rested can result in a more severe tear or a ruptured tendon. Depending on the severity, it can take anywhere between two months and two years to heal.
The majority of sufferers do not get the affliction from playing tennis. There are a range of activities from a which an athlete may development tennis elbow from. These include: using scissors, throwing, swimming and manual occupations such as bricklaying.
Weakness and inflexibility in the forearm muscles make tennis elbow more likely.
Usually the condition affects the dominant arm of the patient, and the symptoms develop gradually. The main symptom is pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow, and sometimes in the muscles on top of the forearm. The pain will often may go away after a day or so, however, if the muscle is not sufficiently rested, the injury may return, but more will be more severe.
Pain can also be constant to the point where the sufferer cannot sleep. Using the arm in general is painful, even for simple activities like shaking hands. To compensate for the elbow weakness, sufferers may feel pain or stiffness in other parts of the arm, shoulder or neck.
If the pain in the elbow is severe, or the arm loses it feeling and is unable to move, then it is necessary to consult a doctor.
However, in most cases home-made remedies such as ice packs, rest and painkillers should do the trick. But if there is no improvement over the course of couple of weeks, seek medical advice.
