What is tennis elbow? Tennis elbow is soreness or pain on the
outer part of the elbow. It happens when you damage the tendons
that connect the muscles of your forearm to your elbow. The pain
may spread down your arm to your wrist. If you don't treat the
injury, it may hurt to do simple things like turn a key or open
a door. See a picture of tennis elbow. Your doctor may call it
lateral epicondylitis. What causes tennis elbow? Most of the
time tennis elbow is caused by overuse. You probably got it from
doing activities where you twist your arm over and over. This
can stress the tendon, causing tiny tears that in time lead to
pain. A direct blow to the outer elbow can also cause tendon
damage. Tennis elbow is common in tennis players, but most
people get it from other activities that work the same muscles,
such as gardening, painting, or using a screwdriver. It is often
the result of using equipment that is the wrong size or using it
the wrong way. Anyone can get tennis elbow, but it usually
occurs in people in