Elbow Pain
Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Medical Editor: Dennis Lee, MD
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What Is Tennis Elbow?
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
 Tennis
elbow is a condition that produces severe, burning
pain over the bone at the side of the elbow. The medical term for tennis elbow
is lateral epicondylitis. The pain results from inflammation of the tendon that attaches
muscle to the bony projection (called the epicondyle) on the outside of the
elbow.
Tennis elbow usually begins with mild pain and can worsen
over time. The pain is worsened by pressing on the affected area, by lifting
objects particularly with extension of the wrist. Using a screwdriver can worsen
the injury and cause pain. In advanced cases, even simple movements of the elbow
joint can produce pain.
While tennis elbow affects up to half of people who
participate in racquet sports, most people who develop tennis elbow do not play
racquet sports. Work activities that involve frequent use of the forearm muscles, such
as meat cutting, painting, plumbing, or weaving are also associated with the
development of tennis elbow.
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How is the elbow designed and what is its
function?
The elbow is
the joint where three long bones meet in the middle portion of the arm. The bone
of the upper arm (humerus) meets the inner bone of the forearm (ulna) and the
outer bone of the forearm (radius) to form a hinge joint. The radius and ulna
also meet in the elbow to allow for rotation of the forearm. The elbow functions
to move the arm like a hinge (forward and backward) and in rotation (twisting
outward and inward). The biceps muscle is the major muscle that flexes the elbow
hinge. The triceps muscle is the major muscle that extends the elbow hinge. The
outer bone of the elbow is referred to as the lateral epicondyle and is a part
of the humerus bone. Tendons are attach to this area which can be injured,
causing inflammation or tendinitis (lateral epicondylitis, or "tennis elbow").
The inner portion of the elbow is a bony prominence called the medial
epicondyle. Additional tendons from the muscles attach here and can be injured,
causing medial epicondylitis, "golfer's elbow." A fluid-filled sac (bursa),
which serves to reduce friction, overlies the tip of the elbow (olecranon
bursa). The elbow can be affected by inflammation
of the tendons or the bursae (plural for bursa) or
conditions that affect the bones and joints, such as fractures,
arthritis, or nerve irritation.
Next: What injuries can cause elbow pain? »
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Elbow Pain
Pinched Nerve »
Introduction to pinched nerve
Nerves are like electrical cords that carry information from the brain to the rest of
the body and vice-versa. They are distributed throughout the entire body.
- Motor
(efferent) nerves carry information from the brain out to the
body. This allows the brain to send commands to the various organs of the body.
For example, these commands are sent to the muscles causing them to contract
and move, or sends information to the
heart to either beat faster or
slower.
- Sensory (afferent) nerves send information from the body back to the brain
for processing, including information about
pain, touch,
taste, temperature, or
other sensations.
The information travels along the nerve by an electrochemical signal, much
like information traveling along an electrical cord. When a nerve is pinched,
the signal is interrupted somewhere along its path.
What caus...
Read the Pinched Nerve article »
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