Tennis & Golfers Elbow | Exercises & Treatment

Two common conditions that plague gym-goers are tennis and golfer’s elbow, medically termed as lateral epicondylitis, and medial epicondylitis, respectively. These conditions cause pain over either the medial (inside) or the lateral (outside) side of the elbow, which can be achy or burning in nature, and can either be diffusely spread or over a specific point.

Their onset is usually seen in accordance with a rapid increase in the level of upper body activity undertaken in a person’s life, for example starting a new job which involves lots of repetitive arm motions, or starting a new gym routine with more emphasis on upper bodywork.

What are lateral and medial epicondylitis?

Lateral and medial epicondylitis are tendon problems to do with the muscle groups that operate not the elbow but the wrists. We will refer to these tendon issues as tendinopathies from here on in, as this term encompasses several stages that a tendon may go through during these conditions.

What is Tennis Elbow?

Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is a problem with the extensor tendons of the wrist. These are responsible for bringing the back of your hand up towards your forearm. Since all the wrist extensor muscles have the same origin at the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, an increase in training load or frequency of use of these muscles can lead to irritation of their common meeting point.