Surgery is usually regarded as a “last resort” in the treatment of Tennis elbow – But there comes a time when a small percentage of elbow pain sufferers end up needing to resort to it.
If you feel like you’re getting to the end of your rope and starting to ask your self whether a surgical procedure might be the way to go (there are several different types) this video by surgeon, John T Knight, M.D., of the Wrist and Hand Institute may help you understand what’s involved:
“Pain at the outside or lateral side of the elbow is generally associated with Tennis elbow, also known as Lateral Epicondylitis. Overuse of the elbow can cause the muscles to tear away from the bone slightly, and with each tear scar tissue develops, which can lead to irritation and constriction of nerves and tendons in the area.”
Dr Knight uses an animation at the 3:20 min mark to demonstrate what is involved in the typical Tennis Elbow surgery – What’s know as ‘Open’ surgery with a full incision, I believe.
(No actual video footage of a real surgery is shown, however, so don’t worry if you’re squeamish!)
And if you’re currently facing this tough choice, this article of my own may be helpful to you in your decision making process:
Tennis Elbow Surgery: When Is It Time? – (Five Key Considerations)
As well as this one when it comes to the difficult question of whether you can Heal A Tendon Tear Without Surgery (when is the tear too large and other considerations.
I don’t know why Dr. Knight is referring to Tennis Elbow as a type of Tendonitis / inflammatory process in the video, when it’s usually a degenerative process – See this post for more on that: Is Tennis Elbow Tendonitis or TendinOSIS?
He refers to tearing of the tendons as the main injury mechanism involved, which makes perfect sense from a surgeon’s perspective, since it’s the injury sufferers with tears (or significant degeneration) who most often end up needing surgery.
However, fortunately, the vast majority of Lateral Epicondylitis / Epicondylosis sufferers do not experience any significant tearing.
PRP is also mentioned – See my post on that here if you want to consider that alternative before possibly giving in to surgery: Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy: Does It Work?
I had tried a variety of treatments. Bands, exercises, etc. Nothing worked. I found this site and decided to give it a try. In less than a month I was pain free. About a year later my wife was developing symptoms of tennis elbow. Immediately started the program with her and in weeks the pain was gone. Highly recommend.
CK
Thanks so much for sharing your success story, Charles – And that of your wife’s!