There is no cure for tennis elbow.
But there is a fix.
"A cure per se is fixing the cause of it," said Dr. Michael Harder, a doctor of osteopathy at the Singing Hills Mercy Medical Clinic. "So if you can figure out what's causing it, whether it's the way you're swinging a golf club or a tennis racket or whatever repetitive motion that you're doing, if you can find some better way to utilize the mechanics so that you're not putting that pressure on that area or causing the inflammation in that area, then that's the best treatment and the ultimate cure.
"But as far as a cure - not per se."
Again with the per se.
"Tennis elbow" is the common name for lateral epicondylitis, a painful over-use injury, usually to the outside or lateral aspect of the elbow, Harder said. It is sometimes accompanied by weakness in the forearm and wrist.
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The reason that tennis is so associated with this injury is simply because the motion of hitting a tennis ball with a racket, forehand or backhand, and especially if it is led with the elbow, can cause real problems, he said. But someone using a screwdriver a lot or any kind of injury involving a lot of rotation to the wrist can lead to the same problem.
The similar "golfer's elbow" involves the inner side of the elbow. Labeled medial epicondylitis, it involves different motions, though the principle is the same.
What it isn't is carpal tunnel syndrome, a compression of a nerve that causes pain, numbness and tingling. Tennis elbow is actually tendonitis, an inflammation of tendons, Harder said.
Though there is no cure, there are a number of treatments. Rest and a little pain medication is sometimes all that is required. Surgery, though rare, is a last resort.
Preventive measures
There are also preventive measures that can be taken. Simply improve your tennis form by learning the proper swing techniques and you can avoid the pain, Morningside College tennis coach Larry Mason said.
One of the first treatments utilized, Harder said, is pain medication, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen or Aleve.
"That would probably be one of the first things I would recommend," he said. "The second thing is rest."
Once the cause of the pain is determined, resting from those repetitive motions for a couple of weeks or maybe longer may be necessary, he said.
It may be just a matter of dealing with the mechanics of your tennis swing.
Mason, 58, has served two stints as Morningside's tennis coach, the first from 1974 to 1976. He returned two years ago as an assistant coach and will soon start his second year as head coach. In between, for 21 years, he coached the North High Stars to a 192-58 record in dual meets.
His first - and last - personal experience with some form of tennis elbow came at the age of 16 when he was experimenting with different techniques. "I had some pain in the elbow, so I changed my technique and I've been pretty fortunate since," he said.
"One thing that I'm real big on is technique. If people have proper technique, they don't get tennis elbow nearly as often. I won't say they won't get it, but proper technique, learning how to hit the ball correctly makes a big difference."
The backhand and serve are the two strokes that cause people the most problems. Part of this problem has been alleviated by the rise of the two-handed backhand
"A problem that a lot of people have hitting one-handed backhands is hitting it with the elbow instead of using the shoulder," he said. "You watch Wimbledon and you see (Roger) Federer or any of those guys who hit a big one-handed backhand, you really see them moving at the shoulder."
He doesn't see too many college players with tennis elbow problems, And if they do have problems, they are referred to the training staff. But back in his high school coaching days, Mason said he regularly dealt with the problem.
On a similar note, in Harder's practice, he said a lot of times he sees such injuries from the "weekend warriors," the ex-jocks or non-athletes who aren't in the best shape, yet go out and play three or four rounds of golf over the weekend.
If medication and rest don't help the problem, he said one common treatment is to wear a brace. Worn just below the elbow on the forearm, the "counterforce" brace takes pressure off the tendons so that when you use your wrist and elbow, you're not getting the repetitive motions.
"It takes the pressure off and it's thought that it may help with the pain," he said. "And it can be very painful. Once you get the inflammation, normal everyday movements can cause the pain, too."
Physical therapy is another useful option, he noted. Steroid injections are also used on some of the more severe cases.
