Prevention and treatment of elbow and shoulder injuries in the tennis player.

Tennis injuries are common in both the upper and lower extremities. The most common, and often most difficult, upper extremity injuries are shoulder tendinitis and tennis elbow (lateral and medial). Key considerations in the treatment of tendinitis include an understanding of the injury process and the resultant character and quantity of the pathologic spectrums. Tendon degeneration rather than tendon repair is the primary pathologic entity secondary to intrinsic muscle-tendon overload. For best treatment results, the protocols of treatment, both surgical and nonsurgical, must be individualized.