Tennis elbow

The main symptom of tennis elbow is pain on the outside of your elbow. The pain may range from mild discomfort when you move your arm to constant pain that can affect your sleep. It may be worse when: lifting or bending your arm gripping objects moving your wrist Other symptoms of tennis elbow include: tenderness or swelling in your elbow pain in your forearm difficulty fully straightening your arm

There are a number of things you can do to help ease the symptoms of tennis elbow. Do avoid or reduce activities that make your symptoms worse use paracetamol or rub an anti-inflammatory gel onto the affected area to help ease the pain try using a hot or cold pack (or a bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a towel on the affected area for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours try doing simple exercises, such as bending and straightening your arm try wearing a forearm strap or a wrist or elbow brace – you can buy these from pharmacies Important Do not smoke or go near naked flames if you're using ibuprofen gel because it's flammable and there's a risk of severe burns.

Tennis elbow usually gets better after resting your arm for a few weeks, but it can sometimes last longer. A GP may give you anti-inflammatory tablets. Physiotherapy may help if your symptoms have not improved after trying treatments at home for 6 weeks. Physiotherapy treatments may include: massage stretching and strengthening exercises for your wrist and forearm ultrasound therapy – where high-frequency sound waves are used to increase blood flow, which can reduce pain and speed up healing Surgery may be an option if you still have tennis elbow after 6 to 12 months.

Tennis elbow is where the tendons in your elbow become inflamed. Tendons are strong cords that connect muscle to bone. You can get tennis elbow if you do activities that involve gripping something and repeatedly twisting your wrist and forearm. Activities that can cause tennis elbow include: computer work, such as typing or using a mouse manual tasks, such as sewing or using a screwdriver leisure activities, such as tennis or playing a musical instrument Anyone can get tennis elbow but it's more common in people between 35 and 54 years of age.