[Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)--assessment and treatment]

Tennis elbow typically presents as pain and localized tenderness at the lateral aspect of the elbow. It is the most common diagnosis related to the elbow. Microtrauma at the vicinity of the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis muscle is postulated to be the cause of this clinical entity. Initial treatment should be conservative and is successful in up to 90% of cases. Modalities such as patient education, physiotherapy, use of splints, anti-inflammatory medication, complementary medicine and eventually local injections are all acceptable treatment methods. Surgical treatment of tennis elbow should be used only as a last resort. Both open and arthroscopic methods are acceptable and their results are considered to be excellent.