You don’t have to be Andre Agassi or Maria Sharapova to end up with Tennis Elbow. In fact, you might end up with the painful condition—caused by repetitive stress of the forearm, arm, and hand muscles that penetrate the elbow—even if you’ve never swung a tennis racket.
So before you shrug off that dull, chronic ache in the back of your arm, consider these causes, symptoms, and treatment options for tennis elbow…
1. What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a medical condition known as lateral epicondylitis. However, don’t mistake the condition as one that only targets tennis players. Tennis elbow can strike anyone who overuses the tendons in the forearm, close to the the elbow, which explains the placement of pain.
Repetitive stress of the forearm tendons will often cause damage (or tiny tears) in the forearm tendons as well as chronic inflammation. The pain can become so bad that it’s painful to bend the wrist or grasp objects in your hand.
