Your doctor can usually find out if you have tennis elbow by talking to you about the history of your symptoms, daily activities, and past injuries. You'll have a physical exam too.

X-rays aren't usually needed for tennis elbow. They can show unusual bone structure that might cause soft-tissue damage (such as to tendons or muscles), but they don't show soft tissues very clearly. If your elbow pain isn't severe and can't be linked to a specific injury, your doctor may start treatment without doing X-rays to see if the problem clears up in a few weeks.

X-rays can sometimes rule out other causes of elbow pain. These include arthritis, signs of another type of injury, or a buildup of calcium crystals in a tendon or ligament.

If nonsurgical treatment hasn't helped your elbow pain, or if the diagnosis is unclear, other tests may help.

• MRI can show problems in soft tissues such as tendons and muscles.
• Arthroscopy allows the doctor to see inside the elbow. Doctors can also surgically treat tennis elbow with arthroscopy.
• Bone scans are done in rare cases. They can show stress fractures in the bone or certain problems, such as a tumor or infection.

If your doctor thinks you have nerve damage, then an electromyogram and nerve conduction test can be done. These tests check to see how well your nerves are working.