Tennis Elbow Treatment in Lexington, KY
Elbow pain that flares every time you grip, lift, or shake hands. Most of our patients have never played a set in their lives.
What is tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an overuse injury of the tendon that anchors your forearm muscles to the bony bump on the outside of the elbow. Every grip, twist, and lift pulls on that anchor point. Under repetitive load the tendon develops small degenerative tears, and in chronic cases the body stops repairing them, leaving a tendon that hurts with every handshake but never quite heals.
Who actually gets it?
Racquet sports cause a minority of cases. The usual patients grip for a living or a hobby: tradespeople, mechanics, gardeners, weightlifters, line cooks, and desk workers logging heavy mouse-and-keyboard hours. If turning a doorknob, holding a coffee pot, or lifting a grocery bag lights up the outside of your elbow, the label fits regardless of your backhand.
How do we treat tennis elbow?
- Shockwave therapy restarts the stalled repair process in the tendon. Published results for tennis elbow include a 77 percent success rate in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research (2005).
- Class IV laser settles the inflammation around the tendon and supports cellular repair between sessions.
- Progressive loading through corrective exercise rebuilds the tendon's capacity so it can handle your work again without re-tearing.
Frequently asked questions
I don't play tennis. Why do I have tennis elbow?
Most cases never touched a racquet. Tennis elbow is an overuse injury of the forearm tendons that grip and lift, so carpenters, mechanics, gardeners, desk workers with heavy mouse use, and anyone who grips repetitively are the usual patients.
What is actually damaged in tennis elbow?
The tendon that anchors your forearm extensor muscles to the outside of the elbow develops small degenerative tears from repetitive load. In chronic cases the healing response stalls, which is why the pain can persist for months despite rest.
How well does shockwave therapy work for tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is one of shockwave's best-studied targets: the Journal of Orthopaedic Research (2005) recorded a 77 percent success rate with radial shockwave. Treatment runs as a short weekly series, and your grip strength and pain are tracked objectively.
What is the difference between tennis elbow and golfer's elbow?
Location. Tennis elbow is tendon pain on the outside of the elbow; golfer's elbow is the same kind of problem on the inside. We examine and treat both, with the same toolkit matched to the diagnosis.
Should I wear a brace or just rest it?
A counterforce brace can reduce strain during unavoidable work, and short-term load reduction helps, but neither fixes stalled tendon healing. They buy comfort while actual treatment, shockwave, laser, and progressive loading, repairs the tissue.
Gripping through the pain isn't a plan.
A short evaluation tells us whether shockwave is the right tool for your elbow. New patients are welcome.