FITNESS & NUTRITION
LATERAL
EPICONDYLITIS
(Tennis/Pickleball elbow)
BY DR. ALAN H. BRAGMAN
I
was a very serious tennis player for
almost 50 years and never suffered
from “tennis elbow” until I started
playing pickleball just over a year ago.
I stubbornly refused to rest and after
several months of rehabilitation, physical
therapy and acupuncture, the problem
finally resolved. Unlike tennis where the
ball is soft and strings have give or flex
when hitting the ball, this does not occur
in pickleball due to the solid ball and
paddle. I have treated numerous cases
of lateral epicondylitis in my 35 years of
50
practice, and it can be a very challenging
condition to successfully treat.
What is Pickleball/Tennis Elbow?
Lateral epicondylitis is a painful
condition of the elbow generally caused
by repetitive motion and overuse, and
it is commonly seen among pickleball
players. It involves small tears or micro
evulsions of the muscles and tendons on
the lateral or outside of the elbow. The
symptoms of pickleball elbow develop
gradually and are not associated with a
specific incident or injury. This condition
is also commonly seen in individuals who
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aren’t involved in racket sports, such as
cooks, carpenters, plumbers and painters.
The muscles involved in this injury are
the forearm extensors that attach to the
lateral epicondyle and raise the hand
and wrist. The signs and symptoms of