Cork Emergency Departments
What is Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)?
Tennis elbow is a painful problem that affects the tendons around the elbow joint. You will commonly feel pain on the outside of the elbow. It is thought to occur due to overloading/ misusing these tendons through heavy or repetitive manual work or activities. It is most common in people who repeatedly use their hand for gripping activities either at work or through sport.
Managing your symptoms
- Look at the activities that cause the pain and where possible reduce or avoid these activities until the condition improves
- Apply ice to the affected area for periods of ten minutes
- Your GP can advise you on whether pain killers or anti-inflammatory may be suitable or beneficial
Exercises
The following are suitable exercises to stretch and strengthen the forearm muscles. You may feel slight discomfort doing the exercises but should not feel pain. If an exercise causes pain, stop and try in again in few days time
| Exercise | Instruction |
|---|---|
| Straighten your arm and pull your wrist back towards you (making sure you are not just bending the fingers). You should feel a stretch on the inside of your forearm. Hold for 20- 30 seconds and repeat 5 times during the day. |
|
| Straighten your arm and bend your wrist so your fingers point down. You should feel the stretch on the outside of the forearm. Hold for 20- 30 seconds and repeat 5 times during the day. |
|
| Start this exercise with no weight and then progress to holding a small weight (tin of beans). With your forearm on table, bend your wrist up as far as possible and hold for 3 seconds and then return to starting position. Do 15 times, three times a day as pain allows. This can be gradually increased. |
If you are concerned, please contact the Emergency Department you first attended:
MUH (021)4271971
Mercy Injury Unit, Gurranabraher (021)4926900
CUH (021)4920200
LIU Mallow(022)58506
LIU Bantry(027)52900