ABSTRACT
The term epicondylitis is applied to musculoskeletal conditions centred on the two epicondyles of the elbow. According to D. M. Walz et al., lateral epicondylitis invariably involves the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle, followed by the extensor digitorum communis and, to a lesser extent, other muscles sharing the common origin. Variations in findings from different epidemiological studies of disorders such as epicondylitis often partly stem from differences between studies in the diagnostic criteria used to identify ‘cases’. A. G. Titchener et al. examined the relationship between a variety of factors as part of a case–control study into lateral epicondylitis. In the UK, the work-relatedness of tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis has been examined on a number of occasions by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, which, in 1981, recommended further investigation of the disorder. Z. J. Fan et al. published a quantitative assessment of risk factors for lateral epicondylitis amongst a mixed group of manufacturing and health care workers.
