Pain at the origin of the extensor carpi radialis is an extremely common problem. Most patients are between 35 and 55 years of age. This problem has been referred to as tennis elbow, but fewer than 10% of patients with this problem play tennis, and it is not a common problem among professional tennis players. The problem is most commonly called lateral epicondylitis in spite of the fact that pathology specimens show no evidence of an inflammatory process. Instead, tissue necrosis and other findings suggestive of a degenerative process are seen. Previous clinical trials have noted improvement in 80% of patients in one year, even in placebo groups, suggesting that this is a self-limited rather than a progressive disorder.