Tennis Elbow..??

Oh, the elusive lateral epicondylitis.

There are many treatments for "tennis elbow". Strapping, stretching, strengthening exercises, iontophoresis, ultrasound, soft tissue massage, cortisone injections, oral anti-inflammatories, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, etc.

The problem is that soft tissue injuries/trauma take approximately six weeks to fully heal. If you disrupt that healing at any time during that six weeks the six week healing time frame starts over again. This leads to a chronic condition (greater than six months) which is more difficult to treat. Another problem with treating lateral epicondylitis is that every time you use your hand or wrist, in certain motions, you are irritating already irritated tissue.

It is a difficult cycle to break.

Have you seen any other medical providers besides your chiropractor?

 

I went to graphite shafted clubs and the problem eventually went away....

The strap was the only thing that worked for me during the pain period and I still wear it when I play.

 

You wear a strap with ACE on it playing tennis? I took my Ping putter grip and blackened the P and the G so it says "IN".

Your buddies must be intimidated too!

 

Paper covers rock,

Lock beats _______?

 

I used to practice physical therapy before switching careers and performing independent medical reviews for the state of California. I am off for my furlough Friday.

To answer your question, an orthopedic surgeon is probably your best bet.

The strap shown by another poster works like this. The numerous tendons in your forearm join together near the elbow to form what is known as the common extensor tendon (CET) which is attached to the lateral side of the elbow. The strap, when placed below the elbow, tricks the body into thinking the attachment site of the CET is below the elbow allowing the portion of the tendon above the strap to heal as less stress is placed on that portion of the tendon. Sometimes they work sometimes they don't.

A lot of people exacerbate their symptoms when sleeping by curling their wrist underneath then when they sleep. If you mouse frequently at work try moving the mouse to the opposite hand. Awkward at first, but decreases the stress on the involved upper extremity.

 

I had it pretty bad for 4-5 months two years ago when I started playing summer league baseball. I went from being able to throw from the fence to home plate to not being able to throw to the cut off man. Once the season was over, I let it heal. The following year, I would warm up properly before a game or practice, and it hasn't returned

The elbow bands help alleviate the pain in normal use, but never in more extreme use.

 

I also had a severe case of tennis elbow. Just bumping that part of my arm would cause extreme pain. Believe it or not, I was cured by Todd Scott on youtube. If you follow the exercises in part one and two of his tennis elbow cure clips you will strengthen that very hard to isolate tendon and alleviate the pain. In his clip he claims to be able to cure this affliction in two weeks but I was much better in nine days. The exercises are very simple to do and will directly target the proper tendons.

This is a free solution and you have nothing to lose but the pain. If you give this an honest try, please report back and share you results- for better or worse.

 

The best treatment , without any doubt based on the latest medical research is one or more PRP injections in the area by a physician experienced in this area. They are getting 85-90 % cure rates with the injections. This involves taking your blood, spinning it down to isolate the platlets and they activating the platlets and injection them back into your elbow area. This causes a super healing response and cause the tendon and or ligament or joint to heal. Thios doesnt have the side effects of steroid injections, which can weaken the tendon and lead to a tear. They key is finding an experience health care provider who will do the injections under floroscopy. Orthopods have been slow to adapt to this new procedure and many dont know about it and dont do it. Many professional athletes are now doing which great results for various tendonosis.

 

mine took over 4 years to return to normal ... with regular exercising ...

 

Unfortunately it does require a lot of time to heal if not taken care of properly. When I had mine, Just resting it was not enough as I would do something to set it off again... So I went to an acupuncturist as well. It accelerated the healing process, 3-4weeks instead of 6-10 weeks.

 

Tried that too,didn't work for me.
I'm in pain for 2 years now and nothing helps,it's a chronic pain now.
The worst are parties and any events when I have to shake hands with a lot of people....

 

I am curious. Did your insurance cover the PRP injection(s)? I believe it is still considered experimental/investigational by most health insurance plans.

 

Injections will only mask the symptoms. You must strengthen the tendon to get permanent relief. This can only be done with pinpoint targeting of the affected area. Although the tendon is hard to isolate, the exercises I mentioned in my previous reply will hit that area and the neglected tendon will respond quickly.

 

Out of curiosity I watched the Todd Scott videos on you tube. The first thing is you are not strengthening a tendon but rather the extensor as well as the pronator and supinator musculature of the forearm/elbow. A tendon cannot be strengthened with any exercise.

Although he shows some basic exercises to strengthen and stretch this musculature some of the techniques used are not quite right.

I am sure for some people this would be helpful but it depends on each individual's specific symptoms, length of injury, etc.

I am glad it worked for you.

 

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield that covers almost anything.
Not PRP though....

 

Sorry for the "resurrection" but still fighting a sore (really sore) case of lateral epicondylitis AKA: tennis elbow - I've had this several times over my life, but this one is a doozy. The Todd Scott link is no longer working - is this the exercise mentioned above? :

Many thanks

 

Check out DynaFlex and IronPower Gyro exercise balls. They are excellent for these type repetitive use injuries. They serve to safely stabilize joints through their full range of motion, providing better tracking, and thus reducing pain caused by components gliding against others where they ought not. One employed in the type exercise you are searching for will greatly enhance the results of the exercise through the resistance provided