Tennis Elbow Treatment in Hyderabad
Treatment for Outer Elbow Pain, Grip Pain & Repetitive Strain
Tennis elbow, medically known as lateral epicondylitis, is a painful overuse condition affecting the tendons attached to the outer side of the elbow.
Despite its name, you do not need to play tennis to develop tennis elbow.
At Nirmala Hospital, Vijaya Nagar Colony, Hyderabad, our Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team provides evaluation and tennis elbow treatment in Hyderabad for patients experiencing persistent outer-elbow pain, grip weakness or pain during repetitive hand and wrist activities.
Tennis elbow commonly develops because of repeated loading of the muscles and tendons that extend the wrist and fingers.
Activities that may contribute include:
- Racquet sports
- Gym or weight training
- Repetitive gripping
- Lifting
- Manual work
- Tool use
- Computer or occupational activity involving repeated wrist movements
- Other repetitive forearm activities
AAOS describes tennis elbow as an overuse condition in which repeated movements can damage the forearm muscles and tendons attached around the elbow.
Common symptoms include:
- Pain on the outside of the elbow
- Tenderness over the outer elbow
- Pain while gripping
- Pain while lifting objects
- Pain during wrist movement
- Reduced grip strength
- Pain when opening jars or turning handles
- Discomfort during sports or gym activity
Tennis elbow is generally treated without surgery first.
The goal is to reduce excessive tendon loading, restore forearm strength and gradually rebuild the tendon’s ability to tolerate normal activity.
Symptoms, Causes Tennis Elbow Is Diagnosed
Why Does Tennis Elbow Develop?
The muscles that extend the wrist attach to the outer side of the elbow through tendons.
Repeated loading can gradually lead to tendon degeneration and pain, particularly around the attachment of the extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon.
NICE describes tennis elbow as a condition involving chronic degenerative changes around this tendon attachment and notes that injury or repetitive overuse is a common cause.
What Does Tennis Elbow Feel Like?
Pain is usually located around the bony prominence on the outside of the elbow.
It may become worse when:
- Shaking hands
- Holding a cup
- Carrying bags
- Using a screwdriver
- Lifting with the palm facing downward
- Using gym equipment
- Playing racquet sports
- Gripping objects tightly
Pain may sometimes extend from the elbow into the forearm
Is Tennis Elbow the Same as Golfer's Elbow?
No.
Tennis elbow affects the outer side of the elbow.
Golfer’s elbow, or medial epicondylitis, affects tendon attachments on the inner side of the elbow.
Both can result from repetitive forearm loading but involve different tendon groups.
How Is Tennis Elbow Diagnosed?
Diagnosis usually begins with:
- Medical and activity history
- Location of pain
- Examination of the elbow
- Wrist and finger resistance testing
- Grip assessment
- Evaluation of elbow and wrist movement
The doctor may also assess the neck, nerves and surrounding joints when symptoms are unusual.
Do I Need an X-ray or MRI?
Not every patient with tennis elbow requires imaging.
The diagnosis can often be made from the symptoms and physical examination.
Imaging may be considered when:
- Symptoms are persistent
- Diagnosis is uncertain
- There has been significant trauma
- Another elbow problem is suspected
- Nerve compression is possible
- Surgery is being considered
Conditions such as radial tunnel syndrome can sometimes produce symptoms resembling tennis elbow, so persistent or atypical pain deserves proper evaluation. AAOS notes that radial nerve compression can mimic or coexist with lateral epicondylitis.
Tennis Elbow Treatment – Physiotherapy, Bracing, PRP & Surgery
Most patients begin with non-surgical treatment.
Activity Modification
The first step is usually reducing or temporarily modifying activities that repeatedly overload the painful tendon.
This does not necessarily mean completely stopping all activity.
The aim is to identify the movement causing excessive tendon stress and gradually reintroduce loading as symptoms improve.
Physiotherapy & Exercise
Rehabilitation is one of the key components of tennis elbow treatment.
A programme may include:
Forearm stretching
Wrist-extensor strengthening
Eccentric exercises
Progressive resistance exercises
Grip strengthening
Shoulder and upper-limb conditioning when appropriate
AAOS recommends therapeutic stretching and strengthening of the affected forearm muscles to help restore tendon capacity and resistance to repetitive loading. Its current exercise programme commonly runs for approximately 6–12 weeks, although treatment should be individualised.
Bracing
A counterforce strap or selected wrist support may be recommended for some patients.
Bracing can help temporarily reduce stress placed on the affected tendon during activity, but it does not replace strengthening and rehabilitation.
Pain Management
Depending on the patient’s health and symptoms, treatment may include appropriate pain-relieving medication or anti-inflammatory medication.
Medication should be used as part of the overall rehabilitation plan rather than repeatedly masking symptoms while the tendon continues to be overloaded.
Injection Treatment
Selected patients with persistent symptoms may discuss injection-based treatment with their orthopedic specialist.
Options can include corticosteroid injections or biologic treatments such as platelet-rich plasma in appropriately selected cases.
However, the evidence differs according to the treatment and follow-up period.
A recent meta-analysis comparing PRP and corticosteroid injections found that corticosteroids may provide better short-term symptom relief, whereas PRP showed better outcomes at later follow-up in some studies; importantly, the authors cautioned that the available evidence was not sufficiently robust to recommend one treatment universally.
Therefore, an injection should not automatically be considered the “best treatment” for every patient.
Related Service: PRP Therapy for Joint & Tendon Pain in Hyderabad
Does Tennis Elbow Need Surgery?
Surgery is rarely the first treatment.
It may be considered when:
Symptoms remain persistent despite an adequate period of structured conservative treatment
Pain significantly limits normal function
The diagnosis has been confirmed
Other causes of elbow pain have been excluded
The type of procedure depends on the tendon problem and individual findings.
Most patients should first receive an appropriate programme of load modification and rehabilitation.
Returning to Gym, Work or Sports
Return should be progressive.
Before resuming unrestricted activity, patients should ideally regain:
Comfortable elbow movement
Grip strength
Forearm strength
Ability to tolerate repetitive loading
Confidence using the arm
Returning directly to the same workload that caused symptoms can contribute to recurrence.
Related Service: Sports Medicine & Sports Injury Specialist in Hyderabad
Your health is everything – prioritize your well-being today.
Book Appointment Now
Our Tennis Elbow & Sports Injury Doctors
Nirmala Hospital also lists Dr. Rushikesh, BPT-NIMS, MPT-JSS, as a Musculoskeletal & Sports Physiotherapist.
Physiotherapy is particularly important in tennis elbow because successful treatment usually requires restoring the tendon and forearm’s ability to tolerate progressive load rather than focusing only on short-term pain reduction.
Dr. Ram Pradeep Konakalla
Consultant orthopedic, sports medicine, joint replacement & amp; Arthroscopy surgeon.
MBBS, MS Orthopedics, FIJR, FIRJR, FIAS, FIPM.
Dr Veer Abhishek Goud
Complex trauma, Joint replacement and Arthroscopic Surgeon
MBBS, MS Ortho, (MRCS) Edinburgh, FIA
Prof. Dr. G. Ramesh
Consultant Orthopedic, Arthroscopy &
Arthroplasty Surgeon
MBBS, MS ORTHOPEDIC
Nirmala Hospital also provides musculoskeletal physiotherapy and rehabilitation support.
Rehabilitation can be an important component of both:
Non-surgical spine care
Recovery following spine surgery
The appropriate specialist and treatment pathway are selected according to the spinal diagnosis, neurological findings and individual patient requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an overuse-related tendon condition that causes pain around the outer part of the elbow.
Yes.
Tennis elbow can affect anyone who performs repeated gripping, wrist extension or forearm movements.
It is common among athletes, gym-goers, manual workers and people performing repetitive occupational activities.
Pain is usually felt around the outer side of the elbow and may extend into the upper forearm.
The muscles used to grip objects also place load on forearm tendons attached near the outer elbow.
When those tendons are painful or overloaded, gripping can reproduce symptoms
Many cases improve over time, particularly when the repetitive activity causing the problem is modified and appropriate rehabilitation is followed.
Persistent symptoms should be assessed to confirm the diagnosis and optimise treatment.
Despite the traditional name “epicondylitis,” persistent tennis elbow is more accurately considered a tendinopathy involving degenerative tendon changes, rather than simply an acute inflammatory condition. NICE describes chronic degenerative changes at the tendon origin as a characteristic feature.
Exercise-based rehabilitation is an important component of treatment.
AAOS recommends stretching and progressive strengthening to improve the affected forearm muscles and increase resistance to repetitive loading.
A counterforce brace may help some people reduce discomfort during specific activities.
It should generally be considered a supportive measure rather than a substitute for rehabilitation.
Usually not for a straightforward case.
Imaging may be considered if symptoms are atypical, persistent, follow significant trauma or suggest another condition.
Yes.
Pain during gripping can reduce functional grip strength and make lifting or carrying objects uncomfortable.
Yes. Nirmala Hospital currently lists Tennis Elbow Treatment within its orthopedic services, and its dedicated Sports Medicine service also identifies tennis elbow among the sports and overuse injuries treated.
Consult for Tennis Elbow Treatment in Hyderabad
If outer-elbow pain, grip weakness or pain while lifting has persisted despite rest or is interfering with work, gym training or sport, orthopedic assessment can confirm the cause and guide an appropriate rehabilitation and treatment plan.