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Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow through overloading the tendons that extend the wrist and fingers. Symptoms often improve gradually with adjusted activity and exercises; sudden weakness, a red hot joint or an injury with deformity needs a different assessment.

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Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow through overloading the tendons that extend the wrist and fingers. Symptoms often improve gradually with adjusted activity and exercises; sudden weakness, a red hot joint or an injury with deformity needs a different assessment.

  • Pain or tenderness over the bony outside of the elbow.
  • Pain when lifting something with the wrist extended, opening a jar or shaking hands.
  • Temporarily reduce the task that clearly triggers pain and spread the load throughout the day.
  • Apply cold briefly after activity if it feels soothing, and protect the skin.
  • Make an appointment if pain does not improve after a few weeks of adjusting activity or clearly limits work and sleep.
  • For urgent GP care outside normal opening hours, call HAP 9252. Call Ambulance 912 only for an immediately life-threatening situation.

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