Inflammation of tendons on the outside of the elbowTennis arm

Tennis elbow is the most common disease of the elbow and manifests itself with pain in the outer elbow. Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the common forearm extensor tendon which attaches to the bone at the elbow, e.g. by overloading individual muscle groups at work or on the sports field. It is essential to relieve the corresponding musculature; in most cases it is sufficient to avoid strenuous movements.

Bandages and splints can also be helpful again. In more severe cases, a plaster splint can also be applied. This conservative treatment is usually sufficient to quickly relieve the pain and to soon be able to use the elbow to its full extent again, if performed correctly and with the additional use of anti-inflammatory ointments.

The last resort is surgery to heal or prevent chronification. The chances of success of the operation are about 90% and there are already some minimally invasive surgical techniques, some of which are even possible with local anesthesia and without an inpatient stay. The degenerated, i.e. damaged, tendon attachments are detached from the bony prominence and removed.

We have described this topic in detail on our website under tennis elbow. If you suspect that you suffer from tennis elbow, check with our topic: The typical symptoms of tennis elbowThe triceps, which acts as an arm extensor and is located at the back of the upper arm, also spans the elbow and can be the cause of the pain of an inflammation of the tendon of the elbow. The tendons of the triceps are located slightly below the elbow joint.

Since the work of the triceps plays an important role both under sporting stress and in everyday life, an inflammation of the tendons of this muscle is not unlikely. Symptoms, causes and also the therapy do not differ essentially from the treatment of a golfer’s and tennis elbow. The most important difference is the fact that among those affected by triceps tendonitis, there are more strength athletes and bodybuilders and fewer ball sportsmen and women, since dumbbell training with heavy weights is a particular strain on the triceps.Not to be confused with tendonitis of the inner side of the elbow (golfer’s elbow) is the clinical picture known as sulcus-ulnaris syndrome.

This is a severe compression or permanent damage of the ulnar nerve, which is one of the major nerves of the forearm and supplies important muscle groups. It runs in an indentation of the elbow (sulcus ulnaris), which is palpable on the back of the elbow. As it continues, this nerve runs along the inside of the forearm to the wrist and finally into the palm of the hand.

If the nerve is injured in the aforementioned indentation, the ulnar sulcus, a sulcus-ulnaris syndrome results. Classically, this type of nerve injury is not only characterized by pain in the elbow, but also by a malposition of the fingers, sensory disturbances and/or tingling sensations in the hand area and a weakness of several small hand muscles (particularly severely affected: M. adductor pollicis). Nevertheless, isolated pain on the inside of the elbow can indicate the onset of a sulcus-ulnaris syndrome and should therefore be examined and assessed by a physician, even if there is a strong suspicion of a golfer’s elbow.