Causes
During early experiments, it was thought that tennis elbow was primarily caused by overexertion. Studies have shown that trauma such as direct blows to the epicondyle, a sudden forceful pull, or forceful extension have caused more than half of these injuries.
One explanation of how tennis elbow may come about is proposed by Cyriax. The theory states that there are microscopic and macroscopic tears between the common extensor tendon and the periosteum of the lateral humeral epicondyle. An operation conducted in this study showed that 28 out of 39 patients showed tearing at the tendon cuff. Kaplan stated that the radial nerve was significantly involved in tennis elbow. He noted the constriction of the radial nerve by adhesions to the capsule of the radiohumeral joint and the short extensor muscle of the wrist. Evidence found that many differed in how they contracted tennis elbow. Disorders such as calcification of the rotator cuff, bicipital tendinitis, or carpal tunnel syndrome may increase chances of tennis elbow.
Read more about this topic: Tennis Elbow