Treating Tennis Elbow
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Tennis elbow is not just a problem for tennis players. The medical name is lateral epicondylitis and the problem describes pain on the outside of the elbow. The problem is usually a direct result of overuse and that's why it's associated with tennis players. But, you can get tennis elbow from any activity that involves a twist at the elbow.
The best treatment, at least in my opinion, is rest and ice applied to the inflamed area several times each day.
Most experts won't tell people to totally shut down. For instance, in the case of tennis elbow actually caused by tennis, it's important to cut activity by about 50%. What you essentially do is you reduce the amount of exercise, give yourself a little bit of a break, but don't totally get out of it.