Treatment Options for Tennis Elbow

While I'm a shoulder specialist, it isn't uncommon for my patients to report elbow pain. The most common condition is tennis elbow.

Tennis elbow is a form of tendonitis that manifests as pain on the outside of the elbow. You don't necessarily have to be a tennis player to get tennis elbow. Any type of repetitive gripping activity involving the tendons on the outer aspect of the elbow over a period of time may cause the problem.

How it is treated

As tennis elbow is an overuse injury, the initial treatment would be rest and application of ice to the area to reduce swelling and pain. Anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or Aleve can also be tried. An elbow strap may be helpful to protect the injured elbow tendon from further degeneration.

If these treatments fail, an occasional corticosteroid injection or platelet-rich plasma injection into the injured tendon may help.

Generally, tennis elbow will get better with conservative treatment alone. I offer all of these treatment options to my patients. While it can take quite a long time to improve — up to a year — in 80 to 90% of cases no surgery is needed.

Dr. Patrick Denard has been voted one of the top 20 Shoulder Surgeons in North America and is the most widely published shoulder specialist in Oregon. Dr. Denard has advanced arthroscopy training and is able to perform the vast majority of shoulder procedures in a minimally invasive fashion, including all types of rotator cuff repairs and instability repair. These techniques allow him to repair tears that some consider "irreparable."

Related reading

• How Shoulder Surgery Gets Tennis Players in Their 50s and 60s Back
• How Long Am I in a Sling After Rotator Cuff Repair?
• The Impact on a Pitcher's Anatomy: Common Baseball Injuries