Symptoms:
Tenderness and pain in the elbow, weakness in the hand.


Cause:
Tennis elbow is an occupational and recreational problem. Those who do a lot of hand-gripping can have this disorder. This would include golfers, carpenters, factory workers, housewives, and even politicians who shake hands a lot.

The weakness occurs when gripping an object, and is not a true muscle weakness. The tendons are involved.

Treatment:
• For 3-4 days, do not do the types of activities which cause the pain.

• Apply cold or hot to the affected area, according to which helps you best: Apply ice on the affected area for 30-90 minutes each day; the more the pain, the longer the application. Or apply heat, especially after the first few day.

• Careful exercise is also needed, to eliminate tennis elbow; rest is not enough. The tendons need to be strengthened. Purchase a hand gripper at a sporting goods store, and slowly increase your usage of it until you are using it 5-10 minutes, 4 times a day. When you use it, the elbow should be straight and the wrist bent. This will stretch the extensor tendons and help strengthen the fibrous tendons.

• Other exercises are also helpful. Place your forearm on a table, palm down, and grip a 3-pound dumbbell. Flex the wrist upward slightly; hold for 5 seconds, lower and rest for 3 seconds. When you can easily do this 15 times, increase the weight by 1 pound. Over a period of 4-6 weeks of doing this every day, you may be able to move up to 8-10 pounds lifted without pain. Medical Tribune (January 12, 1977) reported that 14 of 18 patients, on a four-week program with this exercise, obtained complete pain relief.

• Athletes sometimes place a band several inches wide around the forearm near the elbow, and another just above the wrist. Be sure they are not too tight.

• Avoid cortisone injections, for these can produce tendon atrophy or even dissolve it!