What will happen to me?
There's a good chance that your tennis elbow will get better by itself. It may take several weeks or months. But most people
recover within a year.
One large study found that half of all people with tennis elbow were completely better or much improved after four weeks.1 After a year, almost 8 in 10 people had recovered or much improved.1
A small number of people have pain for up to two years.2 A few people have tennis elbow for much longer.
Sources for the information on this page:
- Smidt N, van der Windt DAWM, Assendelft WJJ, et al. Corticosteroid injections for lateral epicondylitis are superior to physiotherapy and a wait and see policy at short-term follow-up, but inferior at long-term follow-up: results from a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2002; 359: 657-662. 11879861
- Hudak P, Cole D, Haines T. Understanding prognosis to improve rehabilitation: the example of lateral elbow pain. Archives of Physical Rehabilitation. 1996; 77: 568-593.
This information was last updated in Sep 01, 2008
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This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved. |
