Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the muscles of the forearm and the tendon that connects the muscles to the bones in the elbow. These muscles bend the wrist backward and cause the wrist to turn the palm face up. When the muscles and tendon become inflamed from overuse, the pain is felt on the outside of the elbow (lateral epicondylitis).
A tennis player most often aggravates the elbow by hitting the ball late on the backhand side, straining the forearm muscles and tendon. Constantly turning the wrist to put more spin on the serve also can cause pain.
A second type of tennis elbow is known as medial epicondylitis. This causes pain on the inside of the elbow. It is most often seen among golfers, bseball pitchers, tennis players who hit topspin forehands and weight lifters.
Treatment of tennis elbow does not always mean the use of medication but in most cases it is to teach the patient how to prevent it but in some cases cortisone injections maybe use as a standard treatment this reduces inflammation and pain. Gentle exercises are also implemented to prevent further injuries.
