I have pain in my left elbow and cannot do any regular activities. Please help.

Question

Hello doctor,

I have severe pain in the left elbow. I have attached the photo (the center point where I marked a circle). I am a housewife and have severe pain on my left hand even on lifting a small fry pan. I cannot lift pressure cookers. When lifting, pain becomes severe and feels like it moves downwards near to the wrist. Early morning, I have severe pain while getting up from the bed, even tears come out of my eyes. But I can lift things, with a little bit adjustment like giving more weight to the right hand and change the angle a little bit and lift. As per one local doctor's advice I completed seven days of medicines. I took Calcium carbonate 500 mg, Diclofenac sodium 1 %, Ibuprofen, and Amorphous aescin 20 mg.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have seen the pictures (attachment removed to protect patient identity).

Yes, it looks like a tennis elbow. In tennis elbow, common extensor muscle tendon attached to the outer side of elbow gets inflamed. And its name suggests that it is common in tennis players due to twisting movent of the upper limb. Same thing happened with housewife while washing cloth and squeezing clothes while making roti and all such activities are predisposing and exaggerating factors for tennis elbow.