Tennis elbow happens when there is inflammation of tendons which connect the muscles of the forearm to the outside of the elbow. This is basically an outcome of overuse of forearm muscles as well as tendons around the elbow joint. Most of the patients with the tennis elbow are over 40 years of age, and this problem is essentially an activity- provoked failure happening in the body.
Mentioned below are some of the causes for tennis elbow:
- Muscle overuse
Tennis elbow is essentially an injury to the arm due to pressure on muscles. It happens when the muscles and tendons of the forearm get strained either because of repetitive activity or owing to some kind of continuous strain. - Accident
In some cases, if you accidentally knock or bang your elbow against a hard surface, you might experience the elbow pain. So, the muscles, as well as the tendons in the forearm, get strained. Muscle tears and inflammation can build up close to the bony lump i.e. lateral epicondyle on the outer edge of the elbow. This can be a cause of tennis elbow. - Manual work
Tennis elbow can also occur in case you are not in the habit of using your forearm muscles and due to some reason you have to use them such as for doing gardening or decorating etc. So, when you are using the muscles all of a sudden, you end up straining them. - Age factor
Tennis elbow is usually common in people between 30 to 50 years of age. - Psychological factors
Problems such as depression, anxiety, etc., are also the causes of tennis elbow.
Different activities which can strain the forearm lead to tennis elbow
Tennis elbow can be a result of any activity which encompasses repeated twisting of your wrist and excessive use of your forearm muscles. Some common activities which lead to this problem are:
- Playing different racquet sports like tennis, squash or badminton
- Throwing sports like a javelin, discus throw, etc.
- Fencing in sports like football
- Making use of shears while doing gardening
- People who are into weight lifting are also prone to tennis elbow
- Making prolonged use of a paintbrush or roller brush while decorating
- Any kind of arduous manual work like plumbing, bricklaying, etc.
- Activities which include fine as well as repetitive movements of hand and wrist, such as cutting for long hours with a scissor or typing on a keyboard
- Activities which involve repeated bending of the elbow, for instance, playing the violin
Tennis elbow can lead to a lot of pain when you:
- Pick up anything
- Make a fist or have a grip of an object, such as a tennis racket or even a vase
- Open the door or any box
- Shake hands with someone
- Raise the hand
- Straighten the wrist
