Tennis Elbow
March 7, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Filed under Elbow Pain
Tennis Elbow is a term for severe elbow tendonitis, or an inflammation, soreness, or pain on the outside (lateral) part of the upper arm near the elbow. It’s usually caused by a partial tear in the tendon fibers, which connect muscle to the bone. Symptoms include elbow pain that gradually worsens and radiates outside of the elbow to the forearm and to the back of the hand.
Although, termed “Tennis Elbow”, anyone can experience this painful condition that results from constant and overuse of the tendon.
The Problem with Tendons:Tendons are tricky. These tough bands of fibrous, but flexible tissue connect the muscle to the bone and allow movement in the joints, which enables you to walk, jump, lift, bend, and move in multiple ways. They are absolutely essential and thus become easily used and abused every single day.
However, unlike muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments do not respond to physical therapy or exercise. Because of this, many physicians and patients resort to the temporary relief of anti-inflammatory drugs to cope with the pain caused from wear and tear or injury. In more severe cases, tendon surgery seems like the only option.
Patients with elbow tendonitis may not respond to the conventional treatments of wait, rest, and medicate for pain relief. For some patients still, this slow-track to healing is not in their schedule and they would much prefer getting on with their lives by fast forwarding the healing process. Consequently, they want and need a faster treatment.
I had a women come in years ago that had 16 cortisone shots for tennis elbow, she had no tendon just a few strands left. She could pick up her hand but it was very painful, we had to do Prolotherapy several times to grow back that tissue, and it was a long arduous process. I would hope that people not do that knee-jerk reaction of getting a steroid injection when they have pain, I think a better way to go is with Prolotherapy, which actually grows the tissue back and heals it up, rather than put a band-aid on it that makes you go out and feel like you can play tennis again.
