Characterized by pain in the back side of the elbow and forearm. Tennis elbow is inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow. The forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from overuse. This leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow. Not surprisingly, playing tennis or other racquet sports can cause this condition, but several other sports and activities requiring repetitive and vigorous use of the forearm muscles can also put you at risk. We tend to see this often in golf, although this is NOT Golfer’s elbow.

Characterized by pain from the elbow to the wrist on the palm side of the forearm. The pain is caused by damage to the tendons that bend the wrist toward the palm. Medial epicondylitis is caused by the excessive force used to bend the wrist toward the palm, such as swinging a golf club or pitching a baseball. Other possible causes include carrying a heavy suitcase or frequent use of hand tools on a continuous basis.