Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and Golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis) are common conditions and occur in all individuals and not just sports people. Some times Tennis players get Golfers elbow and vice versa.

The cause of the problem is disease in the tendon (tendinopathy) near where the tendon attaches to bone.

The condition is diagnosed by assessment by a specialist, and by the use of scans including ultrasound and MRI scans

Treatment may involve rest, special clasps, physiotherapy and injections. These injections could be blood or steroid. If symptoms are persistent other treatment such as shockwave (a special type of ultrasound) treatment can be used.

Sometimes patients require surgical treatment of the tennis elbow. Normally this is performed by surgeons in this unit by a key-hole surgical technique. The patient has an Elbow arthroscopy, which allows treatment of the tennis elbow without damage to other structures. It also allows the surgeon to deal with any other problem in the elbow at the same time.