Where does tennis elbow hurt?

Lateral epicondylitis is a condition that’s more commonly known as tennis elbow. This issue is typically caused by repetitive motions, but these motions can come from much more than playing tennis. In fact, anyone who does repetitive elbow movements can develop this condition. Some people may be wondering, “Where does tennis elbow hurt?” There are three potential answers to this question. 

1.   Outside of the elbow

The pain of tennis elbow is the result of tendons being injured or overstressed by repetitive motions. Tendons are a type of soft tissue, and their job is to attach muscles to bones. The tendons in question attach the forearm muscles to the outer point of the elbow, and this is the most common place where tennis elbow hurts. The pain you feel here is the result of tiny tears in the tendons that have resulted from the repetitive elbow motions. 

2.   Forearm

Where else does tennis elbow hurt? Well, the forearm is another area where this condition can cause pain. This is because the forearm muscles are attached to the damaged elbow tendons. Since they’re attached to each other, they share many of the same nerves. This means that pain signals from the tendons on the outside of your elbow can also make their way into the forearm. The pain in your forearm will typically be at its worst when doing activities like opening a door. This is because the forearm muscles must move during these twisting movements, and this pulls on the tendons in the elbow and sends out more pain signals. 

3.   Upper arm

The nerve connections in your arm are also the reason tennis elbow can hurt the upper arm. As with the forearm muscles, there are upper arm muscles attached to the outside of the elbow. This means that pain signals from the elbow tendons can also stray into the upper arm. It’s more likely you’ll feel this form of pain when lifting objects, and this can make many daily activities harder to do. For example, lifting a cup from the table to your mouth can transmit tennis elbow pain to the upper arm. 

No matter where tennis elbow hurts you, Armor Physical Therapy can help

Where tennis elbow hurts does depend on the person, but Armor Physical Therapy offers treatment options that can help anyone with this condition. Our team will perform a one-on-one screening to determine the root cause of your tennis elbow, and it can also show us where you’re feeling pain. Then, we’ll build you a personalized treatment plan designed to target your areas of pain. 

Take the next step to find relief from your tennis elbow pain. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.