Minimally Invasive Approaches for Lateral Epicondylitis

Abstract

Lateral epicondylitis is a painful condition that affects the lateral aspect of the elbow, usually centered around the epicondyle of the humerus. Historically called tennis elbow, this condition occurs in both men and women, usually in the 35- to 50-year age range, and rarely in tennis players. Patients present with laterally based elbow pain, exacerbated with repetitive stresses to the wrist and finger extensors, specifically the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) and extensor digitorum communis (EDC). A distinct pathoetiology has not been elucidated, and as such most patients have an idiopathic source, although some patients report “work-related” causes. Direct trauma is rarely a source of tennis elbow pain, neither is tennis, as only 5–10% of patients with lateral epicondylitis are tennis players.1 Most patients report an insidious onset with pain associated with gripping, carrying, and holding objects with the forearm in pronation and the elbow in extension.