Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a lesion in the tendons of the wrist extensor muscles that attach to the outer bone of the elbow, while golf elbow (medial epicondylitis) is a lesion in the tendons of the wrist flexor muscles that attach to the inner bone. With tennis elbow, pain worsens when bending the wrist upward or gripping objects, whereas with golf elbow, it worsens when bending the wrist downward or twisting it. Tennis elbow occurs 4 to 7 times more frequently than golf elbow. However, for those who overuse their entire arms, issues may arise in both sides simultaneously. Since it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact location if pain spreads to the area around the elbow, it is recommended to differentiate the condition using tenderness point examination and ultrasound. From a Korean medicine perspective, both conditions fall under the category of blocked Qi and blood in the meridians that originate in the hand and pass through the arm; however, the specific locations of the blocked meridians differ. Because the outer and inner sides belong to different meridian domains, the differential diagnosis and acupuncture sites vary even within the same elbow. The common root stems from the principle that the liver governs the tendons. Pain becomes entrenched when liver blood fails to nourish the tendons, combined with the invasion of cold energy and dampness into the joint, or when blood stasis resulting from chronic injury overlaps. At Dongjedang, we identify both the outer and inner tendons using ultrasound to pinpoint the location of the lesion. We then precisely release adhesions in the affected area using acupuncture and needle acupuncture, and for internal treatment, we lay the foundation for tendon recovery with herbal medicine that empties blood stasis and dampness. The treatment principle is the same, differing only in location, so even those suffering from pain on both sides can be managed through a single process.