Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an injury which brings upon so much pain to people who acquire it. The specific reasons behind tennis elbow is unknown; however, doctors believe that it is mainly a result of micro-tears on the tendons attached to the forearm muscles. In fact, tennis elbow does not only affect tennis players but individuals whose occupation may require them to constantly use forearms for lifting or gripping. Individuals who repeatedly use their forearms and elbow in tasks have a high chance of acquiring tennis elbow.
What is tennis elbow? Defining the medical condition Tennis elbow occurs when the tendons attached to the outside of the elbow suffer from mini-tears. These tendons which are attached to the muscles helps the wrist to move back. People think that tennis elbow is a case of inflammation like arthritis. Since it is thought of as arthritis in some aspects,people think that is a degenerative disease that cannot be stopped. In fact, it is an injury resulting from minuscule tears in the tendon that have not healed yet.
What is tennis elbow and what are the symptoms?
Commonly, doctors often check for these usual symptoms during the physical examination:
* Pain that starts from the outside of the elbow into the forearm and wrist
* Pain is experienced once the outside of the elbows touch or bump
* A weak grip
* A painful grip during certain activities, like holding a mug or twisting a doorknob.
Patients with tennis elbow have varying degrees of pain that can really become excruciating to the point of being immobilized. Several exams may be required to properly diagnose if the patient has tennis elbow or another condition that is causing forearm pain. Tests include:
X-ray An X-ray is valuable for diagnosis to detect other conditions such as bone fractures or swelling in the elbow joint, which is not tennis elbow at all.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) This is required for those who experience persistent pain and limited motion in their arm which can further pinpoint some underlying condition.
Learning what is tennis elbow and its symptoms is valuable. The more people become aware of this condition, the better chance they have at taking precautionary measures to avoid having tennis elbow.
By Daily Health Tips
Posted in: Tennis Elbow