Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow (Lateral Epicondylalgia) is a condition that causes pain and tenderness around the outer elbow. It is called tennis elbow because it has significant impact on some people who play racquet sports such as tennis or badminton.

The condition is also more common amongst manual workers, although it can happen to anybody.

Interestingly, smoking and being overweight increases the risk of you having these types of pains.

Tennis elbow pain comes from the tendon that attaches your wrist muscles to your outer elbow joint.

It is thought that it is caused by the tendon not being able to keep up with the demands it is being asked to do. It could have been getting less resilient for a long while but then suddenly starts to be sore.

The condition can usually be self-managed at home but can often take a long time to settle.

To read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of tennis elbow, download our patient information leaflet.