Pain on the outside of the elbow with gripping — rarely from tennis, stubbornly slow to leave, and very treatable with patience.
Tennis elbow — lateral epicondylitis — is an overload change in the tendon that anchors your wrist-extending muscles to the outer elbow. Gripping anything loads that tendon, which is why a coffee cup or a handshake can sting as much as a backhand.
The diagnosis is made with the hands: point tenderness at the tendon origin plus pain with resisted wrist extension. Ultrasound or MRI enters only when the story doesn't fit or symptoms drag on despite proper care — and we check the neck when numbness or tingling muddies the picture.
If any of these apply, go to an emergency department or call 911 rather than waiting for a clinic appointment.
The tendon heals by being loaded correctly, not by being rested completely. Progressive strengthening — especially slow, heavy, eccentric work — plus a counterforce brace and activity tweaks resolves most cases. The honest timeline is months, not days, and knowing that up front is half the treatment.
Corticosteroid injections quiet pain briefly but have shown worse one-year outcomes for this condition, so we rarely recommend them. For cases that fail six months of committed rehab, PRP may be considered — it has been studied in tennis elbow more than almost anywhere else, though it remains investigational, and we review the evidence and cost with you honestly.
Surgery is a last resort for the small minority still limited after 9–12 months of genuine conservative care. When you're in that minority, we say so and refer.
Authoritative references on this topic, for patients who want to read further. These are educational resources, not medical advice.
Educational information only. This page describes tennis elbow in general terms. Your situation depends on your history, examination, and imaging — the specifics are worked out at a consultation, not from a web page.
