This tenderness becomes painful when the wrist and elbow are moved in certain ways. In a medical examination, pain experienced in any three of these movements can indicate the possibility of tennis elbow. Usually there is no outward sign of redness or swelling. Most often tennis elbow affects only one arm, usually the one that does most at work. Tennis elbow can appear in many different ways.
Some people get symptoms gradually after doing the same type of work for several years.
Others get it suddenly, soon after they start doing a new type of work. Sometimes it can develop immediately following a single violent muscle exertion or after an elbow becomes injured. In other cases, tennis elbow occurs for no obvious reason. Tennis elbow requires medical attention as soon as the symptoms appear. Early attention usually prevents the development of a serious disorder.