Tennis elbow, as the name suggests, is a medical condition afflicting the tendons, which join your forearm muscles to the bony part of your elbow. In severe cases, pain can also spread to the wrist and rest of the arm and shoulder. However, playing tennis is just one of the many activities that can result in tennis elbow symptoms.


Simple activities like raking your yard, plumbing with heavy tools, painting, weaving and other activities, which involve a similar back and forth motion, may result in tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is an injury caused by overuse or poor technique straining the tendons in that region.

Tennis Elbow Symptoms

• If you experience numbness or pain while gripping or turning everyday objects like doorknobs, jar lids, keys and so on.
  
  
  Light activities like shaking hands to greet someone can also seem very painful for a person suffering from tennis elbow.

• You may experience sharp pricking pain while holding even small objects like coffee cup

• Certain physical activities may leave you sore or numb for sometime. However, if the pain persists for weeks, you experience weakness in your forearms or if the pain rides up all the way to your shoulders or wrists, it would be best to consult a doctor who may recommend medication or physical therapy.

• Left untreated tennis elbow symptoms might increase and cause fever, inflammation in the elbow or even elbow deformity. In chronic cases like these, your doctor might suggest corrective surgery.

• Tennis elbow condition usually heals itself over time with rest. It may take a few weeks to a few months to completely heal. During this period, it is best to avoid any strenuous activity like sports or picking up heavy objects.

• Applying an ice pack gently to the strained area is another easy tennis elbow treatment that your doctor might recommend. However, be careful not to apply force or pressure to the inflamed area as you might cause more damage.

• Your doctor may also recommend a specialist or physical therapist so they may evaluate the way you use your muscle groups. Whether for sport activities or everyday activities, a physician-approved method may help to lower the strain on your wrist. Alternately, you can have a tennis coach recommend better strategy for your backhand shot.

• Physical therapists can teach you tennis elbow exercises to stretch and strengthen your forearms and wrists. You may need a few sessions with your therapist before you can do these exercises at home.

• For a mild tennis elbow condition, your doctor might recommend painkillers or anti-inflammatory medication (oral and topical). However, please note that these drugs are not long-term medication. If the pain persists despite the recommended course, you may need to consult your doctor.

• Preventive measures include regular warm up concentrating on your forearms before any sports activity, applying ice compresses to the affected region if you have indulged in heavy, strenuous activity, resting your elbow and holding it in an elevated position during heavy lifting and practicing strengthening exercises for the arm muscles.