Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylalgia) usually resolves within a year or two, and loading exercises speed recovery. A major review in The Lancet (Coombes, 2010) found cortisone helped in the short term but led to worse results at 6 to 12 months than doing nothing. Several trials found PRP gave better 1-year results than cortisone (Peerbooms, 2010; Mishra, 2014).
Treatment
- Reduce gripping and lifting with the palm down
- Wrist extensor strengthening, isometric holds on painful days
- A counterforce brace
- Shockwave for some
- PRP for pain lasting beyond 3 to 6 months
- Avoid repeated cortisone
Surgery is a last resort for pain lasting well over a year despite full rehab.
Tendon pain for more than 3 months? Get the free guide and a doctor review of your scan.
Symptoms
- Pain on the outer elbow, sometimes spreading down the forearm
- Pain gripping, lifting a kettle or shaking hands
- Weak grip
Who gets it
Despite the name, most people with tennis elbow do not play tennis. Typists, tradespeople, gardeners and people aged 35 to 55 are commonly affected.
Treatment options
- Stem cell injection: a Korean study found tendon defects shrank and pain improved over a year
- PRP: trials found better 1-year results than cortisone
- Wrist extensor loading exercises
- Counterforce brace
- Avoid repeated cortisone
Tendon pain for more than 3 months? Get the free guide and a doctor review of your scan.
A simple exercise
Hold a light weight with the palm down, forearm resting on a table. Lift the wrist slowly, then lower over 3 to 4 seconds. 3 sets of 15, once a day, increasing the weight over weeks.
Recovery time
Many cases improve within 6 to 12 months; regenerative treatment is often chosen when pain lasts beyond 3 to 6 months.
