Tennis Elbow

Tennis Elbow is an injury caused by the inflammation of the muscle attached to the elbow’s lateral side, with the pain spreading to the forearm and the hand. The patient will have trouble in performing grasping or gripping actions and also an onset of weakness.

Treatment

Non-Surgical Methods

Non-surgical treatment has had success in 80% to 90% of patients suffering from Tennis Elbow. The different non-surgical treatment options are:

• Rest: Giving proper rest to the arm is the first step towards recovery. The patient is recommended to stay away from sports or strenuous activity.
  Icing the Elbow: is recommended to be done for 20 to 30 minutes at intervals of 3-4 hours for two to three
• days. This will help reduce the pain and the swelling.
• Brace: is recommended by doctors to relieve the symptoms of Tennis Elbow by providing support to the injured tendon.
  Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): like Ibuprofen etc., can help reduce the pain and swelling.
• Steroid Injections: like cortisone can also help as anti-inflammatory medicines and help relieve the symptoms.
• Physical Therapy: is usually recommended with exercises for muscle strengthening and to reduce stiffness and increase flexibility.
• Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy: some doctors recommend this therapy where sound waves are applied to the elbow causing micro-traumas that enhances the natural healing process. This has proved effective for some patients.

Surgical Methods

The doctors will recommend surgical treatments when the symptoms are persistent. Some of the surgical options used for treating Tennis Elbow are:

Elbow Arthroscopy

This is a minimal invasive surgical procedure performed to diagnose and also treat injuries to the elbow joint like Tennis Elbow.

The procedure involves the doctor in creating couple of incisions and inserting the tiny camera called the Arthroscope, which will act as a visual aid for the doctors in performing the procedure. Arthroscopic tennis elbow treatment involves debridement of Extensor Carpiradialis Brevis (ECRB) tendon from inside the joint capsule. Unlike the open procedure where complete extensor origin is detached . 

Stem Cell Treatment

This is an alternative treatment method compared to the traditional approaches. This treatment option makes use of stem cells, which have the following distinct properties:

• Divide and multiply themselves
• Transform to a different type of cell.

These properties have proved advantageous since these stem cells when placed near damaged ECRB tendon . The procedure is normally a same-day procedure, where the stem cells are harvested and then reinjected.

The doctors will take the stem cell sample usually from the bone marrow or venous blood  through a needle. This sample is processed in the laboratory and then re-injected along to the damaged area. This procedure is usually done using advanced imaging guidance techniques like Real Time Fluoroscopy or Muscoskeletal Ultrasound. The patient usually recovers quickly.