Tennis Elbow

What is tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is tendonitis of the elbow joint caused by the tendons becoming inflamed. Although it's called tennis elbow, this condition can affect anyone, not just those who play racquet sports.

The inflammation causing tennis elbow is due to a repetitive strain or overuse injury. It can happen if you constantly contract the muscles in your forearm responsible for straightening the arm and raising your hand and wrist.

These repetitive movements result in many tiny tears in the extensor tendon, which attaches to the outer elbow. The tears build up over time, leading to inflammation, pain, and loss of function.

Tennis elbow causes pain that spreads from your elbow to your forearm and sometimes the wrist. The pain and weakness you feel can make it hard to grip, so you might struggle to hold onto things or open doors.

How is tennis elbow treated?

You might be able to resolve tennis elbow simply by resting your arm and modifying your activities so you no longer make the movements that triggered the tendonitis. 

You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, but don't use them to hide the pain while you carry on with the activity that caused your tennis elbow, or you could make it worse.

For more serious or persistent tennis elbow, the team at Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center starts with physical therapy. They stretch and strengthen your muscles and might fit you with a strap or brace that reduces stress on the inflamed tendon.

Your provider can also look at how you use your arm and identify problems with your technique that may be causing your tennis elbow.

Is surgery required for tennis elbow?

For most patients, the Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center team finds that nonsurgical treatments successfully resolve tennis elbow. If these methods aren't working for you, the team offers ultrasonic tenotomy (the TENEX procedure).

To perform TENEX, your provider inserts a specialized needle into your damaged tendon with the aid of ultrasound imaging. When the needle is in position, they deliver ultrasonic energy into your tendon, causing the needle to vibrate.

These vibrations are so rapid, they turn the damaged tissue into a liquid that your provider can extract using suction. TENEX is a highly effective, minimally invasive solution to severe tennis elbow. Therefore, very few patients require surgery, although it can sometimes be necessary to remove a severely damaged tendon.

If you have symptoms of tennis elbow, get prompt relief by scheduling a consultation with the experts at Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center. Call their office or book an appointment online today.