Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis, is an inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. It is a painful condition of the elbow caused by overuse. Not surprisingly, playing tennis or other racquet sports can cause this condition. However, despite the name several other sports and activities can also put you at risk. The forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from overuse — repeating the same motions again and again. This leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow.
Most people who get tennis elbow are between the ages of 30 and 50, although anyone can get tennis elbow if they have the risk factors.
Causes:
Any repetitive motion of the wrist, including tennis, hedge clipping, excessive use of a hammer or screwdriver, painting, or any activity that requires excessive constant gripping or squeezing can cause tennis elbow.
In the game of tennis, the following maneuvers can lead to tennis elbow:
One-handed backhand with poor form
A late forehand swing resulting in bending the wrist significantly
Snapping and turning the wrist while serving with full power
Athletes are not the only people who get tennis elbow. Many people with tennis elbow participate in work or recreational activities that require repetitive and vigorous use of the forearm muscle.
Painters, plumbers, and carpenters are particularly prone to developing tennis elbow. Studies have shown that auto workers, cooks, and even butchers get tennis elbow more often than the rest of the population. It is thought that the repetition and weight lifting required in these occupations leads to injury.
tennis elbowoccur without any recognized repetitive injury. This occurence is called “insidious” or of an unknown cause.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Pain on the outer part of the elbow (lateral epicondyle)
Point tenderness over the lateral epicondyle—a prominent part of the bone on the outside of the elbow (where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach).
Pain from gripping and movements of the wrist, especially wrist extension and lifting movements
Pain from activities that use the muscles that extend the wrist (e.g. pouring a container of liquid, lifting with the palm down, sweeping, especially where wrist movement is required)
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.
HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT
Although this this disease is many times caused by the overuse of the hand but it shows that the individual has a predisposition or tendency to get this disease. Hence the treatment strategy is also directed towards the correcting of the genetic tendency to get the particular illness. Medicine is selected according to the individual peculiarities which in is found out through thorough case taking.