Treatment
Tennis Elbow
Lateral epicondylitis is classified as an overuse injury that may result in hyaline degeneration of the origin of the wrist extensor tendon. Overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm and elbow together with repetitive contractions or manual tasks can put too much strain on the elbow tendons.
This injury is often work-related, any activity involving wrist extension, pronation or supination during manual labor, housework, and hobbies are considered as important causal factors. Lateral epicondylitis is also known as tennis elbow but it should be remembered that only 5% of people suffering from tennis elbow relate the injury to tennis. This group is characterized by a high activity level and they often play tennis 3 times a week, for at least 30 minutes per session.
Risk Factor
A systematic review identified 3 risk factors: handling tools heavier than 1 kg, handling loads heavier than 20 kg at least 10 times per day, and repetitive movements for more than 2 hours per day.
Other risk factors are overuse, repetitive movements, training errors, misalignments, flexibility problems, aging, poor circulation, strength deficits or muscle imbalance and psychological factors.
