Do you suffer from tennis elbow? Then you know how debilitating it can be. Have you had a steroid injection that didn’t work? Are you wearing a brace that doesn’t work or only works a little bit while wearing it? Ironically, tennis elbow (or lateral epicondylitis) is not an inflammatory condition at all. While you may get temporary relief with anti-inflammatory drugs, this low-level chronic inflammation is not the main problem. The tendon is actually abnormal and degenerated! That’s right. The architecture within the tendon is altered due to chronic overuse. It may feel like an acute injury to you, but that process has been going on for a long time. How do we know this? At Performance we will look at the structure of the tendon via a diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound. Once the proper diagnosis is made, treatment options are offered. These treatments vary from physical therapy and manual techniques such as Graston therapy to more invasive options like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and percutaneous tenotomy (Tenex). If you’re suffering from tennis elbow, stop the band-aid fixes and get it healed properly at Performance Pain & Sports Medicine!
