Can stroke modification relieve tennis elbow?

Abstract

An analysis of the tennis strokes of 57 patients with elbow pain indicates that their elbow pain may be caused by hitting the ball incorrectly and that the technical error may be determined by the location of the pain. Pain in the lateral or medial side of the elbow is associated with the type of stroke: forehand, backhand, serve, or volley. Treatment consists of office and sometimes professional tennis instruction to correct the faulty stroke, combined with the usual conservative measures. When symptoms lasted for less than six months, 90% of the patients achieved an excellent or good result. When symptoms persisted for more than six months, 82% had excellent or good results. In five patients, stroke correction alone resulted in a cure. No one had surgery.