Soft tissue injuries (tendons, muscles, ligaments), bone injuries (fractures or osteoarthritis), and nerve injuries are the three types of elbow injuries that commonly affect either the inner or outer elbow.
Tennis elbow is characterized by a loss of grip strength and a painful soreness or burning sensation on the outside of the elbow.
Tennis elbow can develop even if you don’t play tennis. Many people are surprised to learn that they can get the same injury from a variety of activities that strain the tendons in the same way (for example, doing yard work, swimming, or even typing).
Only 10-20% of tennis elbow cases necessitate medical attention. Surgery is rarely considered in the treatment of this condition, except in the following cases:
Patients who have not responded well to non-surgical treatments, patients who take longer than 6 months to recover without surgery, or patients who are experiencing a serious barrier to their way of life may require surgery.
People who have a chronic tennis elbow disorder are more likely to have other issues, such as impinge lateral plica and residual cartilage damage. Inappropriate treatments, such as the overuse of steroid injections, which has resulted in structural issues within the tendons, can also play a role in determining whether surgery is necessary.
Modern minimally invasive surgery techniques minimize the disruption to surrounding muscle tissue, allowing patients undergoing the procedure to quickly recover. We can clearly and fully explore associated lesions that are the possible cause of lateral pain in the elbow joint, and these lesions can be removed in the same procedure. Because of these benefits, I often recommend arthroscopic surgery to my patients for the treatment of chronic lateral elbow pain.
The elbow has a lot of moving parts, and if any one of these is injured it can lead to some serious issues. We’ve put together this blog post with the most common elbow injuries you should be aware of. If you want more information on how to prevent or treat an injury, contact us!
Dr. Chen sees patients at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Center for Sports Medicine in Walnut Creek, California. He is a board certified Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Doctor that specializes in the non-operative medical treatment of a wide variety of various musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Chen graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine and went on to complete Pediatric residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey (Rutgers), then went on to fellowship training in Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, one of the perennially top ranked children’s hospitals in the nation. There he provided sideline coverage for NCAA Division I athletics at the University of Cincinnati and Miami University (OH). Since graduating, Dr. Chen has continued his love of sports coverage by volunteering for the San Francisco Marathon, the San Francisco Giant Race, and as the team physician for Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. Being a part of The Center for Sports Medicine allows Dr. Chen quick access to a multidisciplinary team of orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists, physiatrists, and physical therapists to return you to your highest functional level quickly and safely. Click here to contact us for your next appointment!