Epicondylitis True/False:
Tennis elbow is also referred to as lateral epicondylitis.
True. Lateral epicondylitis is a painful condition caused by overuse of the elbow.
There are 2 bones that come together at the elbow joint.
False. “Your elbow joint is a joint made up of three bones: your upper arm bone (humerus) and the two bones in your forearm (radius and ulna). There are bony bumps at the bottom of the humerus called epicondyles. The bony bump on the outside (lateral side) of the elbow is called the lateral epicondyle. ” -- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00068
Tennis elbow is only caused by overuse of the joint.
False. In addition to overuse, tennis elbow is caused by activities involving weight bearing, and there are some instances of tennis elbow that don’t include repetitive use as a cause.
There is more than one type of epicondylitis.
True. Lateral epicondylitis is known as “tennis elbow”. The term “golf elbow” also is used to describe elbow pain, but involving the medial, not lateral, epicondyle. “Both conditions are overuse tendinopathies that can be associated with racquet sports”. – Medscape website: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/97217-overview
Epicondylitis is a type of tendonitis.
True. The tendons of the elbow are injured in both lateral and medial epicondylitis. “Some common names for tendinitis identify with the sport or movement that typically increases risk for tendon inflammation. They include tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, pitcher’s shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder, and jumper’s knee”. – National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bursitis/ (This page discusses the difference between bursitis and tendonitis- the tendonitis quote is situated on this page).