How to treat tennis elbow

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is a type of repetitive strain injury, usually resulting from tendon overuse. It’s important to identify the cause of the strain and to reduce the repetitive use of the extensor muscles of the forearm. Causes of strain could be using a mouse at the computer or swinging a hammer, for example.

In some cases the symptoms will clear up by themselves after about 2 years. There are a number of ways to ease the pain of tennis elbow, including wearing a brace just below the elbow to reduce tension on the painful tendons. Injections applied to patients with a local anesthetic can also help against acute pain.

Doctors have also recently started using botox injections. Shock wave therapy and acapuncture also help, while many patients do exercises several times a day. One of the most effective involves positioning the arm by the side and stretching it floorwards, then bending it – palm turned upwards - in a 90 degree angle.