Help! My Lateral Epicondyle is Inflamed Quiz

Answer: Guitar player

Tennis elbow is a fairly common condition. It becomes noticeable as a pain on the outside of the elbow and generally comes about through repetitive use or overuse of that part of the body or from adopting poor techniques with the action being worked. As we noted in the question, despite its common title this injury is not restricted to tennis players or, for that matter, those involved in some form of racquet sport. It is also prevalent in swimmers, musicians (and the worst here are our guitar players with their strumming motion) and manual workers. You may also hear the condition being referred to as archer's elbow or shooter's elbow.

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Answer: Tendon

The pain of tennis elbow occurs at the common extensor tendon that starts at the lateral epicondyle. In this situation, a person has overused the lateral extension of the elbow and will feel acute pain when the arm is fully extended. The lateral epicondyle is a small, tuberculated eminence, which is a curved piece of bone that allows for the attachment of this tendon and a ligament of the elbow joint. A tendon connects muscle to bone while a ligament connects bone to bone.

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Answer: No

Tennis elbow is referred to as lateral elbow pain with the ache occurring on the outside of the outer areas of the elbow. It starts its journey of pain in the lateral epicondyle and makes its way down the common extensor tendon. Golfer's elbow, on the other hand (no pun intended) is an inflammation of the medial epicondyle on the inside of the elbow. As you may have guessed by its name it is very much a golfer's condition, particularly those that do not use an overlapping grip, however, it can also be caused by having an improper throwing action. As a consequence it also goes by the name of pitcher's elbow and, occasionally, you may hear it called climber's elbow.

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Answer: Wrist pain when shaking hands

It is not unusual to find some form of weakness in the wrist when afflicted by tennis elbow. Pain when shaking hands becomes an issue and so does opening round door handles or jars with twist lids. You will also detect some pain on the outside of the elbow when you try to straighten your fingers against some form of resistance or when you try to bend your wrist back with your opposite hand. There will also be points along you lateral epicondyle that will respond with pain when pressure is applied. It is important to note that these are only indicators and not conclusive proof that you have tennis elbow. Similar symptoms may surface when your radial nerve becomes trapped or you may have some neck pain, particularly in joints C5 and C6, which is referring the ache to your elbow. Your health practitioner should check for these as part of their diagnosis.

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Answer: Late onset

In respect to Tennis elbow there are generally two types of onset; late and sudden. In the scenario described above you have been using your wrist a lot more than usual and either the equipment is different (i.e. it may be heavier, the grip is different, the strings not well strung) or it's an activity that you haven't performed for some time (you smashed your old racquet in a fit of temper and it's taken you six months to save for a new one) and the symptoms are not immediate. Late onset can occur anywhere from 24 to 72 hours after the event. Sudden onset usually occurs as the result of a single action and almost immediately you can sense that you have done some damage. In this form of onset there's a fair chance that you may have also incurred some micro tearing in the tendon.

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Answer: Apply ice to the injured area

Before you head off to see your doctor there are three things that you should do immediately. (i) Stop the action that is causing you pain (and trust me when I tell you that bending the elbow at the Sportsman's Bar will not help) (ii) Get some rest (which means "exit bootscooting and remaining extremely active") and (iii) try and reduce any inflammation. This is where ice on the elbow (not in your whiskey glass) or some other cold therapy comes into play. Reducing the inflammation may also assist your doctor in making their diagnosis. You may also choose to wear some form of elbow brace to protect the tendon, however, take care not to apply it directly to the wounded area, shift it down the arm some ten to twelve centimetres. The brace works by dissipating the stresses that are generated, by gripping actions, away from the injured tendons. Warning; the brace may not work in every case and consulting your health specialist is a must.

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Answer: Colonoscopy

If your health professional suggests that a colonoscopy is vital to their assessment procedures for tennis elbow it may be wise to request a second opinion. Questioning by your doctor will help to establish your history, in particular what you may have been doing that has contributed to your injury and the circumstances as to how it has developed. Palpation involves the gentle tapping and feeling of the areas around you lateral epicondyle. From this your doctor can begin to isolate the areas of pain, how tender the region is and how much muscle tension there is. There are a couple of resistance extension exercises your doctor can employ. These involve you bending your wrist back or extending your middle finger while the doctor provides a source of resistance. This will also help to pin point the areas that ache as well as the severity of the pain.
These are only some of the tests likely to be performed. A series of eliminations need to occur to ensure that it is tennis elbow and not some other issue that is referring pain to the region.

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Answer: False

Unfortunately there are no magic bullets here. This is partly due to the fact that every case is likely to be slightly different and each individual is likely to respond differently to various treatments. Accordingly each remedial action will need to be tailored for the individual. It is also my sad duty to inform you that your doctor does not even have a secret little pill that you only have to take once with a spoonful of sugar (or strawberries and cream) that will make it all go away. Your treatment will be programmed to take place over a longer period of time.

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Answer: Buying a heavier tennis racquet

Possibly the greatest cause of tennis elbow is the overworking of and the repetitive use of the tendons involved. Not allowing your body adequate time to recover from your work activity or training session will place you at risk. Keeping a diary and a video recording may seem like tools only for sports people but both are valuable in all forms of activity. A diary may provide clues if you are overworking and the video record will allow you identify any failings or faults within your technique. A heavier tennis racquet (yes this bit is sports specific, but you get the idea) will place more stress on your tendons and it certainly wouldn't come with a recommendation from your health specialist. Your equipment should be checked for correctness and suitability. Simple things, let's use the tennis racquet as an example again, such as an ill fitting grip or the racquet being poorly strung may contribute toward tennis elbow.

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Answer: Gradual return to activity after a period of rehabilitation

Rehabilitation for tennis elbow sufferers may include stretching exercises and massage. This will commence as soon as the pain allows and will most likely be followed by a series of strengthening drills. Some form of cold therapy after these exercises is recommended. It is believed that acupuncture may also assist in recovery so don't discount this as an option. The return to activity will need to be gradual and part of this management programme will involve assessment and monitoring of work techniques and work practises. Wearing a brace may also assist in relieving the strain on the tendons.

Thanks to pollucci19 for this question.