GIVING TENNIS ELBOW A REST
Tennis elbow is a painful condition caused by overuse and injury of the muscles and tissues around the elbow, and lasts from 6-24 months. Tasks involving tools like hammers and screwdrivers are often related to cases, although half of all tennis players also experience the condition -- as the name implies. Corticosteroid injections in the elbow, which suppress the body's natural inflammatory response to injury, have been deemed safe and effective for short-term medical treatment of tennis elbow, but their long-term success rate is unknown.
The authors of a study in The Lancet assigned patients who suffered from tennis elbow into three groups based on treatment to be provided: wait-and-see (no treatment besides ceasing activity), physiotherapy, or corticosteroid injections. Patients underwent six weeks of treatment, and recovery was evaluated over the following year.