[건강칼럼] Chinese chefs and tennis elbow in Netflix’s ‘Black and White Chef’

최광민 평택우리병원 원장

The Netflix entertainment show ‘Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War’, whose final episode was released on the 8th, continues to be a huge success, ranking first in the non-English TV series category for three consecutive weeks. As it is a program in which about 100 great chefs appeared, many Chinese chefs, including Chef Yeo Kyung-rae, a Chinese food master, Chef Jeong Ji-seon, and Chef Lim Tae-hoon, who became popular by appearing under the nickname Iron Bag Chef, also appeared.

The disease that Chinese chefs suffer most from is lateral epicondylitis, commonly called tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is a disease in which the tendons in the elbow become inflamed, causing pain on the outside of the elbow. It is mainly caused by repetitive movements or overuse of the elbow. Although the name is related to tennis, it is one of the diseases that commonly occurs in Chinese chefs.

The reason why tennis elbow is especially common among Chinese chefs is because the tools used in Chinese cooking are relatively heavy, which increases the burden on the elbow when used for a long time. Also, cooking methods such as frying and stir-frying require a lot of elbow movement. This is because Chinese cooking methods generally have to be fast and efficient, which puts excessive force on the elbows.

If elbow pain lasts for about two weeks, you may have tennis elbow. If you experience various symptoms, including elbow pain, it is helpful to visit an orthopedic surgeon for an accurate diagnosis. Typical symptoms include pain on the outside of the elbow when raising or rotating the wrist or extending the arm. Pain may be felt when the outside of the elbow is pressed, or swelling may occur around the elbow. If these symptoms are neglected and treatment delayed, the disease may become chronic, making basic arm movements difficult and causing problems with ligaments and tendons.

If tennis elbow is detected early, improvement is possible through physical therapy, rehabilitation therapy, and lifestyle management. If recurrences occur frequently despite previous treatment, prolotherapy, an injection treatment, may be considered. Prolotherapy identifies adhesions and inflammation using ultrasound and then induces tissue regeneration. Fundamental treatment is possible by helping cell proliferation, and the simple treatment does not burden office workers.

If there is no improvement or the condition worsens despite these non-surgical treatments, arthroscopic surgery may be considered. Arthroscopic surgery is a method that allows diagnosis and treatment at the same time by making an incision of about 5 mm and inserting a miniature endoscope and surgical instruments. The advantage is that the incision area is small, causing little scarring and pain, and the recovery period is short, allowing a quick return to daily life.

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