Tennis elbow
What is tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow occurs mainly in occupations that make heavy use of the wrist and arm, such as tennis, handball and golf players, and its formal medical name is lateral epicondylitis of the humerus. It is common not only in athletes but also in people who use a computer for long periods and in homemakers who do all the housework. The main cause is partial tearing or degenerative change of the outer tendon that wraps the bone from the elbow to the hand.
Symptoms
- 1
- Elbow pain persists for more than 2 weeks, making daily life difficult.
- 2
- Pain appears mainly on the outer side of the elbow when lifting, pushing or carrying objects.
- 3
- In severe cases, pain appears even during light everyday actions such as shaking hands, turning a key or combing the hair.
Self-diagnosis
- Steroid injection therapy: the most effective treatment for inflammation, the leading cause of pain
- Prolotherapy injection: a treatment that proliferates cells to strengthen ligaments, effective for ligament injury
- DNA injection therapy: induces vigorous cell division and is highly effective for tissue regeneration
Treatment
In the early stages, tennis elbow can be improved with rest or conservative treatment alone. Use of the elbow is reduced for about 4-6 weeks and the elbow is protected with a simple support or brace to minimize pain. Excessive use of the wrist and hand should be avoided, as should movements that strain the elbow, that is, bending, extending or twisting the wrist. A sling around the neck may also be worn for 2-3 days. A warm compress helps when there is persistent dull pain, but if the pain is accompanied by swelling caused by exercise, work or other injury, an ice pack applied for 10 minutes twice a day is beneficial.
When pain persists despite conservative treatment, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) can help improve symptoms. By delivering shockwaves to the damaged tissue, it reduces the inflammatory response and promotes recovery to normal tissue, improving function and pain. It is usually performed 3-5 times at weekly intervals.
- Steroid injection therapy: the most effective treatment for inflammation, the leading cause of pain
- Prolotherapy injection: a treatment that proliferates cells to strengthen ligaments, effective for ligament injury
- DNA injection therapy: induces vigorous cell division and is highly effective for tissue regeneration
If non-surgical treatment is ineffective or the muscle tear is severe, surgery can be considered. In endoscopic joint surgery, a joint endoscope equipped with an ultra-small precision camera and laser surgical instruments is inserted through a fine 2~3 mm incision at the damaged site; the condition of the joint is observed on a monitor while foreign material inside the joint and the damaged cartilage are treated. Because the joint can be viewed magnified on the monitor during surgery, more accurate treatment is possible, the procedure time is relatively short and recovery is also quick, which has the advantage of reducing the burden on the patient.