Flat-iron tendonitis

C. was in to day with pain in her right elbow. She's tried everything for it already -- anti-inflammatory medications, ice, and even a forearm band. She has researched the treatment well. As I examine her elbow, noting the particularly tender "lateral epicondyle", that bump on the outside of the elbow, I ask her what she's been doing with her arm lately. Nothing unusual at work, no lifting, no repetitive grasping. Finally she reveals she has been using a flatiron for straightening her hair. I'm reminded that very straight hair is back in style, and thus the return of the flatiron, but now in a portable electric form rather than the old-fashioned ironing of the hair on an ironing board. The repetitive motion of ironing her hair everyday using the newer portable versions has stressed the tendon coming into the elbow. After an injection of cortisone she has complete resolution of her pain. She's decided to try a different hairstyle, one that won't cause tendinitis of her elbow.