Connect
Tennis elbow - suggestions?
I was diagnosed with tennis elbow by my hand doc about two months ago. I had a corticosteroid injection which helped for a while. I was in a two day golf tournament yesterday and was in terrible pain. I could not quit, as it is a team game, and wouldn’t be right to do so. My pain is now from scapula down to my wrist, and it hurts no matter position. Does anyone have any suggestions for pain relief? I read on the Mayo site that they have some type of ultrasound needling that they can do for tennis elbow that seems effective. Anyone try that?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bones, Joints & Muscles Support Group.
Connect
@gtokaren Wow, tough spot - I know that pain well, am maxed out on cortisone injections for the joint.
One thing that can help is Kinetic Taping with Kinesio, Rock or one of the other brands - there are YouTube videos for "Taping Tennis Elbow."
I tried ultrasound one time - my body did not like it and reacted with muscle spasms, I had some temporary relief from TENS stimulation but am looking for something more permanent. Next week I see an elbow doc (it's what he does!) to talk about PRP (plasma rich protein) which was suggested to me by 2 different orthos and my PT - we'll see what he says. I also have bone spurs that may need to be removed.
Thank you Sue. The ultrasound I saw was at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. I’m let to believe it’s very recent and uses a probe of some sort. It says it was very effective, more so than PRP. But, given that Phoenix is a 6-hour drive away, I may go the PRP route first. This is not only painful, but extremely disappointing, as golf season is something I always look forward to. Now, I can’t really play without pain, and lots of it! Thanks for the PT taping video suggestion. I have been using the tape, but will look into the best way to do it. Hope you feel better soon. I feel your pain!
I suffered from golf for two years with bilateral epicondylitis before
being diagnosed with psoriatic Enthesitis. I never had radiating pain
of an entire arm.
Consider getting reexamined and ask to check for nerve entrapment.
I was able to golf by using ice packs before and afterwards for two days.
Elbow freezer gel packs are available online for convenience.
The strap for tennis elbow applied above or below my elbow for golf felt helpful. I used voltaren gel topical regularly.
I also took NSAIDS before and after. Ultrasound can be used to visualize
tendon inflammation. I golf without trouble now on Humira controlling
psoriatic arthritis.
Thank you for this information. I do use ice, KT tape, Voltaren, and the two-day tournament; on 2nd day I took 3 200MG Ibuprofen. It was almost unbearable, but I persevered. The ultrasound I mentioned in the original post is really new, and involves some type of wires that penetrate the skin as treatment, with high success rate. It’s not just the visualization ultrasound.
I have suffered golfers and tennis elbow off and on for years. It finally got so bad I had to see an ortho. He said the only way to relieve it was:
1. Stop golf for two months
2. Go to an arm/hand PT
3. Stop gripping the club so hard
I did all three of these and I continue to do the therapy exercise, which consist mostly of strengthening and stretching the forearms. I am now 99% pain free. Once in a while when I practice putting for long periods it will bother me a little. Long story short. Weak forearms cause the body to compensate by putting more work to the tendons and ligaments of the elbow. A tight grip on clubs/putter ruins my golf game too. So fixing it improved it all. Good luck. Two months off golf was tough as I play at least twice a week.
Have they done any scans to see if you have a bone spur in your elbow exacerbating the pain? I have at least two which may be complicating healing, and will be discussing this with the elbow guy next week...
I went to my hand doc, and he assessed the issue based on where the pain was when I moved my wrist and elbow. No xray or scans. He then injected the elbow with corticosteroid and it felt better immediately, but only lasted for two weeks. I’m going to go back to him after I come back from vacation. I’ll ask him for a script for PT as well. I have until 1st week in November to get this right as we are going to a “golf camp” in Sedona for a week. 😬
My elbow was so painful from a lifting injury. After wearing a tight brace below the elbow for months…
I tried an amazing “cure”. First, fill a deep bowl with ice water. Second, turn tap onto hot water. Third, put elbow into alternating hot and cold water at least 10 min. It was only needs a couple of times and boy how surprising because it worked! Good luck!
I cannot wait to try this! We are away now, but when I return home next week!