Ask the Pain Doctor

Tennis Elbow

Category: Arm Pain

Posted: 3/2/2010

Question:

Don’t tell me I have tennis elbow! I have never played tennis in my life and can’t even brush my teeth. If I pull my index finger up, it kills me. The pain is on the outside of my elbow just below where it bends and it hurts to touch it. By the way, I didn’t hit it on anything. What is this? My smart aleck friends tell me I have tennis elbow.

Doctor's Response:

Well, you can call it toothbrush elbow if you’ll feel better about it but the common name for what you have is tennis elbow but you can dazzle the friends with its scientific name-lateral epicondylitis. It usually responds well to rest, elbow bands, exercise, or injections. Rarely operation is needed to free the tendon from the elbow bone itself. You don’t need to play tennis to get it and you definitely need to continue brushing your teeth, if only with your other hand.