Lateral epicondylitis
| Tennis Elbow | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Left elbow-joint, showing posterior and radial collateral ligaments. (Lateral epicondyle visible at center.) | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Orthopedics, sports medicine |
| ICD-10 | M77.1 |
| ICD-9-CM | 726.32 |
| DiseasesDB | 12950 |
| MedlinePlus | 000449 |
| eMedicine | orthoped/510 pmr/64 sports/59 |
| Patient UK | Tennis elbow |
| MeSH | D013716 |
Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a condition in which the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender at the lateral epicondyle. The forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from repetitive overuse. This leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow.
Any activity, including playing tennis, that involves repetitive use of the extensor muscles of the forearm can cause acute or chronic tendonitis of the tendinous insertion of these muscles at the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. The condition is common in carpenters and laborers who swing a hammer or other tool with the forearm, and is similar to golfer's elbow, which affects the medial epicondyle on the inside of the elbow. Continuing activity after onset of the condition and avoiding mandatory rest may lead to permanent onset of pain and only treatable via surgery. German physician F. Runge is usually credited for the first description of the condition, calling it "writer's cramp" (Schreibekrampf) in 1873. Later, it was called "washer women's elbow". British surgeon Henry Morris published an article in The Lancet describing "lawn tennis arm" in 1883. The popular term "tennis elbow" first appeared the same year in a paper by H. P. Major, described as "lawn-tennis elbow".
Symptoms associated with tennis elbow include, but are not limited to: radiating pain from the outside of the elbow to the forearm and wrist, pain during extension of wrist, weakness of the forearm, a painful grip while shaking hands or torquing a doorknob, and not being able to hold relatively heavy items in the hand. The pain is similar to the condition known as golfer's elbow, but the latter occurs at the medial side of the elbow.
Tennis elbow is a type of repetitive strain injury resulting from tendon overuse and failed healing of the tendon. In addition, the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle plays a key role.
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Wikipedia