The Most Effective Treatments for Tennis Elbow

Fun fact: More than 9 in 10 people do not get tennis elbow from playing tennis.

The sport is certainly one way to develop the problem, but any motion that requires you to grip or twist and swing your forearm repeatedly can cause the condition.

Tennis elbow, also called lateral epicondylitis, is an overuse injury to the tendon that connects your forearm muscles to the outside of your elbow. When you make the same motion repeatedly (at work, playing tennis, etc.), the tendon develops painful inflammation and tenderness.

Symptoms include pain or burning on the outside of your elbow, reduced grip strength, and reduced range of motion.

However you get tennis elbow, it can be painful. At Carolina Joint and Arthritis in Wilmington, North Carolina, Dr. Austin Yeargan and our team have several ways to treat the condition. Here’s what we’ve found to be most effective.

RICE

Start with the basics by rotating through rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) for your elbow. Many times, this treatment will be enough to relieve your pain. If it doesn’t help within a few days, you may need an extended rest of several weeks from whatever sport or activity is causing the problem.

Medications

These can range from over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen to corticosteroids such as cortisone, which also help relieve inflammation. 

Physical therapy and braces

A physical therapist can give you specific stretches and exercises to strengthen the muscles in your forearm and around your elbow. This will help increase your flexibility as well. They may also use ultrasound, ice massage, or other techniques to stimulate your muscles and improve your healing.

You can also wear braces around your wrist or elbow or along your forearm to allow your tendon to rest so it can heal. Your doctor or physical therapist will give you a specific recommendation for the best type of brace based on your specific case.

PRP therapy

With platelet rich plasma therapy, we spin a sample of your blood in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets (which include growth factors that promote healing), then Dr. Yeargan adds additional proteins to optimize the process before injecting the mixture into your elbow area to promote healing of the tendon. 

Tenex

We use an ultrasound therapy called Tenex to cut away any diseased or damaged tissue from your tendon, allowing it to heal more quickly.

If you’d like a professional opinion on the type of treatment that will work best for your tennis elbow, our team at Carolina Joint and Arthritis is here to help. Call our office to schedule an appointment, or use our online scheduler to pick your own convenient time.