Tennis elbow (or lateral epicondylitis) generally starts out as a mild pain and gradually becomes worse. Chronic sufferers can have severe pain that rarely decreases. In chronic tennis elbow, the pain is located at the outside of the elbow below the joint’s bony prominence. You will feel pain if you reach and grip, or lift and carry even a
lightweight object.
You don’t need to be a tennis player to suffer lateral epicondylitis. In most cases, tennis elbow is a result of movements that repeatedly engage the muscles in your forearm. It is a very common workplace or athletic injury.
The effects of ESWT are best documented in areas of changes in tissue density, such as those where a tendon attaches to a bone (enthesiopathies) and where a bone attaches to a ligament (desmopathies). For this reason, it is very effective for painful connective tissue in the elbow. Additionally, ESWT gives new hope by relieving pain, eliminating the risk factors associated with surgery and allowing people to resume their normal lives.
You may have tennis elbow if you experience:
Pain caused by lifting, bending the arm or grasping even light objects such as a coffee cup or a milk carton
Pain felt on or below the joint’s bony prominence; can also be tender to the touch
Recurring pain on the outside of the upper forearm just below the bend of the elbow
Pain that radiates down the arm toward the wrist
Difficulty fully extending your forearm
Pain that occurs when you shake hands, turn knobs or
lift something
Muscle weakness in your shoulder, forearm or wrist
A decreased range of movement and flexibility in your wrist
Muscle spasms in your lower arm area
Pain when you press the site where the tendon meets the bone