Tennis elbow that occurs without tennis, mistaken for simple muscle pain
Oct 19, 2025
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◇The difference between tennis elbow and golf elbow
Recently, an increasing number of patients have complained of tingling or stiff pain in the elbow area when extending their arms or holding objects. Severe symptoms can make even daily movements such as washing your face or brushing your teeth difficult. The condition, commonly known as 'Tennis Elbow', can occur without actually playing tennis, contrary to its name.
Tennis elbow is a disease that causes pain due to inflammation of tendons in the outer protruding area of the elbow. It is caused by the accumulation of micro-damage as the tendon in the area where the wrist-stretching muscle begins is repeatedly used. Conversely, if you have pain inside your elbow, it is called 'Golf Elbow (inner upper inflammation)'. Both diseases are common not only in specific athletes but also in the general public who frequently use their arms. It occurs frequently in office workers who use their arms repeatedly, such as housewives, chefs, hairdressers, and couriers, as well as in office workers who often use computers or smartphones.
Seo Hyun-seok, head of the Joint Center at Nanuri Hospital in Incheon, said "Tennis Elbow is a disease caused by accumulated micro-damage to elbow tendons, and if it is mistaken for simple muscle pain, it can worsen into chronic pain."Early diagnosis is important because it can be sufficiently improved with non-surgical treatment in the early stages."
◇In the beginning, medication, physical therapy, and exercise therapy
Treatment is carried out step by step depending on the degree and cause of symptoms. In the early stages, pain and inflammation are controlled by medication and physical therapy, and injection treatment is performed at the same time if necessary. It is a method of relieving pain and restoring function without surgery by applying a combination of manual therapy, extracorporeal shock wave (ESWT), rehabilitation exercise, and posture correction under the exact prescription of medical staff.
In vitro shock wave treatment improves blood flow and reduces pain by applying strong energy to the inflammatory area, and kidney injection treatment (SST) relieves pain and swelling by injecting CO2 gas to induce nerve reflex reactions by lowering skin temperature to cryogenic temperatures. Manual therapy corrects the imbalance of the musculoskeletal system by relaxing and correcting the muscles and ligaments that cause pain using the hands. In addition, ESMA treatment combines external shock waves and manual therapy to help improve nerve, muscle, and joint functions.
Combining exercise therapy can speed recovery and prevent recurrence. Representative equipment includes Biodex and MedX. BioDex helps customized rehabilitation exercises by precisely analyzing joint strength and exercise load using the principle of constant acceleration, and Medex strengthens muscles around the waist or arms, which is effective in relieving pain and improving flexibility. These exercise treatments help revive pain-stricken joint functions and quickly return to normal life.
◇Important such as early treatment and refraining from using excessive arms
Arthroscopic surgery may be performed if the pain persists for a long time or structural damage is severe despite non-surgical treatment. This is a method of directly identifying and treating lesions by inserting special cameras and instruments with a minimum incision of less than 5mm, and has the advantage of small incision sites and fast recovery. In addition, it can accurately evaluate joint conditions to areas that are difficult to confirm with radiographs, so it is used for treatment of detailed joints such as wrist and ankle as well as shoulders and knees.
Tennis Elbow is difficult to recover naturally because it occurs when micro-destruction occurs repeatedly in tendon areas where blood flow is not smooth, and can lead to chronic pain when left unattended. Therefore, it is important to start treatment early when pain is felt and to correct the lifestyle of overusing the arm.
Manager Seo Hyun-seok advised that "Elbow pain is easy to regard as simple fatigue or temporary symptoms, but it is a disease that can be sufficiently recovered through early treatment" and that "even if the pain persists, an accurate diagnosis should be obtained.'
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
