Understanding the Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options Available for Tennis Elbow

Generally, tennis elbow is not necessarily a condition that affects tennis players but is a concern that affects your elbow tendons. Overuse or repetitive motions can result in an inflammation of your elbow tendons resulting in tennis elbow. Therefore, Houston tennis elbow is managed by a group of specialists who enables you to find relief, especially if this condition prevents you from performing your daily activities.

What Are the Symptoms of Tennis Elbow?

When you are suffering from tennis elbow, you might have some sores extending from the outer part of the elbow to the hand. The pain might reach your wrist, making it quite challenging to hold items and perform simple tasks. And with time, you might end up feeling some weakness in your elbow, wrist, or forearm.

What Causes Tennis Elbows?

In most cases, you can end up having this condition if you are straining your forearm by repeating the same motion over and over or overusing this part of your hand. It can end up causing small tears to the tendons that connect your elbow and surrounding muscles. This condition derives its name from the repetitive backhand strokes that tennis players usually use, which strain the hand muscles and results from other activities like using certain tools.

How Is Tennis Elbow Diagnosed?

The health care provider starts by performing a physical examination that usually involves moving your wrist and forearm in certain ways and directions. Doing so helps determine how much the injury has affected your range of motion and the severity of your pain. But in some cases, when the doctor might require more information to help him come up with a diagnosis, he might order some imaging tests like x-rays.

How Is Tennis Elbow Treated?

Most health care providers usually recommend nonsurgical forms of treatment for this condition before opting for any surgery. They may include physical therapy exercises to improve your range of motion by strengthening your muscles and a counterforce brace used to ease tension on your affected tendons, causing pain relief and nonprescription pain relievers, rest when at home, and ice packs. However, if these measures fail to provide you with relief from your symptoms, the doctor may now consider surgery.

What Kinds of Surgical Operations Are Available for Tennis Elbows?

Typically, the doctor recommends a minimally invasive procedure because the recovery time is short, and there are lower risks of bleeding, infection, and other complications. These procedures include the Tenex Health TX procedure, which uses ultrasound technology for eliminating damaged tissue, elbow arthroscopy, which involves making a small incision and placing a camera and surgical instruments inside to carry out repairs and open repairs for more severe cases of tennis elbow.

Therefore, suppose you or someone close to you is suffering from tennis elbow, which is hence affecting how they are performing their daily activities; call or consult J. Michael Bennett, MD, PA, for more information on various nonsurgical and surgical treatment options available. However, the specialist starts by using nonsurgical methods of treatment to provide relief before proceeding to surgical methods of treatment.