Tennis elbow: Popularly known as Tendulkar’s Elbow

If Sachin bats well, India sleeps well”. This was a famous quote on the influence the legendary batsman had on the psyche of a cricket-mad nation throughout his career of 24 years of international cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar’s career can be compartmentalized into many phases but none so harrowing as 2004-06 when tennis elbow almost threatened to end his career.”My tennis elbow injury, unfortunately, happened at the beginning of of the season (2004-05). I was not even able to hold a bat then” disclosed by master blaster himself.

What is Tennis Elbow Injury?

The medical name of Tennis Elbow is called Lateral Epicondylitis. It is a condition caused by inflammation(Swelling) of the muscles and tendons attached in your forearm. Tendons connects your muscles to your bones. Due to constant and repetitive motion of the arm, the tendons at the elbow end of a certain muscle – the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle – may develop small tears. The tears lead to inflammation and may put stress on the rest of your arm, making it painful to lift and grip things.

Tennis elbow is a very common problem that usually recovers with minor treatment, but sufficient rest is most important. If left unattended, it can become chronic. Below we discuss what causes it, signs and symptoms to look out for and how your orthopedic doctor will diagnose and treat it.

Causes of Tennis Elbow

• Repetitive movement of the wrist joint that requires constant gripping or squeezing can cause tennis elbow. Activities include hedge clipping, excessive use of a hammer or a screwdriver, painting and more can cause tennis elbow.
• In the game of tennis,badminton hitting a backhand puts some stress on your forearm muscles which repeatedly contracts when you hit the ball. Poor technique or tight racquet grip may also increase stress in the tendons.

Tennis elbow affects up to 3% of the population, particularly adults between 30 to 50 years of age. But less than 5% of cases are linked to tennis. There is also a Golfer’s elbow that differs from tennis elbow in that the pain is focused on the inside of the elbow. Although, the causes are like that of tennis elbow.

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

The most common presentation of tennis elbow is pain on the outside of the elbow. Over time, if left untreated, the ache turns into a chronic pain. The outside of your elbow may become too painful to touch. Sometimes tennis elbow affects both arms. Other symptoms include morning stiffness of the elbow with persistent aching and soreness of the forearm muscles. Elbow pain is worse when grasping or holding an object.

Diagnosing Tennis Elbow

An orthopedic doctor can typically diagnose tennis elbow through a combination of physical examination and medical history. Here’s what you might expect during a visit:

Medical history: Your orthopedic surgeon will ask about your symptoms, when they started, and any activities or injuries that may have led to the pain.

Physical examination: The ortho doctor will examine your elbow for tenderness, swelling, and range of motion. They may ask you to perform certain movements to assess the pain and identify the affected tendons.

Imaging tests: In some cases, imaging tests such as X-rays or ultrasounds may be ordered to rule out other conditions or to confirm the diagnosis. However, these tests are often not necessary.

Treatment for Tennis Elbow

We may ask you to do some simple actions to see whether you have a tennis elbow. These include straightening your wrist against pressure and checking for pain in parts of your arm. We may then suggest an elbow strap or splint to help take the pressure off the inflamed tendon.

A physical therapist may have the patient perform different exercises to increase flexibility and strength. These exercises are usually performed at home.
Majority of people have pain relief within 12 months of conservative therapy like putting ice, taking rest and anti-inflammatory medications. Failure to follow through on a therapy plan frequently leads to recurrence.

If do not respond with conservative line of management then local injection are recommended.Surgical treatment does not have very good results..