Sports Medicine Care For Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is also called lateral epicondylitis and it is typically caused by certain types of strenuous activity and overuse. Various repetitive activities can cause lateral epicondylitis, however, racquetball and tennis are often implicated. Symptoms of tennis elbow may include pain, inflammation, tenderness, and burning sensations in the elbow, typically the outer elbow, and overall arm weakness. It can also cause nighttime elbow pain in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, your orthopedist may recommend the following sports medicine care interventions.
Non-Surgical Interventions
After your physician has diagnosed your tennis elbow, they most likely will recommend non-surgical treatment interventions. These may include applying ice over the painful and swollen areas of the elbow and resting your elbow. Resting helps decrease pain and it also helps promote healing of the tendons. Your doctor may recommend wearing a brace to help prevent undue movement of your arm and to rest your muscles.
It may take up to a few weeks of rest and immobility before your symptoms improve. Physical therapy may also help promote flexibility and range of motion, enhance muscle healing, and improve grip strength. In addition, over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be taken to help relieve your pain.
Surgery
If your symptoms do not improve after months of conservative treatments, surgery may be recommended. Your healthcare provider will determine if you are a candidate for arthroscopic surgery, also known as minimally invasive surgery, or if you need open surgery, which is the traditional type of surgery, involving larger incisions. Surgery for lateral epicondylitis involves removing the damaged muscle tissue and then reattaching your healthy muscle tissue to the bone.
Both arthroscopic surgery and traditional open surgery for tennis elbow are usually performed in an outpatient setting. After your surgery, you will probably wear a splint on your arm, and then after about a week or so, your stitches will be removed. While post-operative rehabilitation will help promote healing, it can take months before you regain most of your strength back, and in some cases, residual weakness may take longer to resolve.
If you hurt your elbow and develop any of the above symptoms of lateral epicondylitis, see a local sports medicine physician. A prompt diagnosis and treatment interventions can help prevent further muscle damage and tendon micro-tears. Timely sports medicine care may also help prevent long-lasting symptoms such as decreased hand strength, loss of flexibility, persistent numbness and tingling sensations of the elbow, and intermittent joint inflammation.
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