Tennis elbow is often caused by overuse or repetitive strain caused by repeated extension (bending back) of the wrist against resistance.
This may be from activities such as tennis, badminton or squash but is also common after periods of excessive wrist use in day-to-day life.
Tennis elbow affects 1% to 3% of the population overall and as many as 50% of tennis players during their careers. Less than 5% of all tennis elbow diagnoses are related to actually playing tennis.
Tennis elbow affects men more than women. It most often affects people between the ages of 30 and 50, although people of any age can be affected.