Tennis Elbow
Sports Medicine & Non-Surgical Orthopedic Physicians located in Boulder and Centennial, CO
It’s not only tennis enthusiasts who get tennis elbow — anyone could suffer from this repetitive strain injury. If you have a painful, weak elbow, contact the Breakthrough Regenerative Orthopedics office in Boulder or Centennial, Colorado. The practice’s outstanding medical staff expertly treats tennis elbow and other musculoskeletal conditions so you can regain function quickly. Call your nearest office today to schedule a consultation or request an appointment using the online booking feature.
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a chronic condition brought on by repeatedly making wrist and arm movements that stress the elbow joint. It affects the tendons attaching your forearm muscles to the outside of your elbow. Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) is a similar problem, but it affects the inside of your elbow.
Although it’s called tennis elbow, this condition doesn’t only affect tennis players. Anything involving making repetitive movements that irritate the elbow tendon could trigger it.
The primary tennis elbow symptom is pain and tenderness around your lateral epicondyle. This is the bony lump on the elbow’s outside where the affected tendons attach. Pain might radiate to the upper and/or lower arm and will likely be worse when:
You may also develop weakness in the elbow joint.
When you first develop tennis elbow symptoms, rest the arm and avoid activities that cause pain. Ice packs reduce swelling, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications should manage the pain.
If your symptoms are mild and you look after the elbow, it might heal without further treatment. However, if your condition doesn’t improve significantly, visit Breakthrough Regenerative Orthopedics.
The experienced orthopedists complete a thorough evaluation and may use diagnostic imaging technologies like ultrasound to examine the tissues in detail. They then design a personalized rehabilitation plan for you, beginning with conservative treatments like physical therapy.
If your symptoms don’t improve within a few weeks, your provider might suggest steroid injections into the joint. Steroids like cortisone are powerful anti-inflammatories that reduce inflammation and pain, often for several months. Breakthrough Regenerative Orthopedics also specializes in noninvasive and biological treatments that help injured tissues to heal.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, microfragmented adipose tissue grafts (MFAT), and bone marrow aspirate and bone marrow concentrate (BMA and BMC) all contain cells harvested from your body. PRP is from blood, MFAT from fat stores, and BMA and BMC are from inside your bones. They all help to stimulate and speed up the body’s natural healing.
Extracorporeal pulse activation therapy (EPAT) and focused shockwave therapy (FSW) have similar effects on healing but use pressure waves to trigger tissue repair.
Call Breakthrough Regenerative Orthopedics to learn more about effective, nonsurgical tennis elbow treatment, or book an appointment online today.