Before going for a surgery which is risky and expensive you should really consider trying this tennis elbow treatment. There is a good chance you won’t need any surgery after that.
Tennis elbow is a very painful condition with shooting pain that begins in the elbow and then radiates through the shoulder and neck. Surgery is a viable option for this condition if the pain becomes unbearable, and fortunately, surgery has been very successful in many cases.
Tennis elbow surgery options
Before considering surgery, your doctor will ensure that you have undergone conservative treatment for the past six months.
There are two kinds of surgeries that are commonly done as a tennis elbow treatment. They are:
- The first aggressive surgery: Here, the doctor will make a cut of about 3-4 cm in the arm. After this, he will trim the tendon sheaths and close the incision.
- The second aggressive surgery: Here, the doctor will cut the arm open and remove the affected tendon from the bone by using a scalpel.
Both kinds of tennis elbow surgery are done on an outpatient basis, so the patient can go home the day of the surgery with his/her arm in a sling, depending on the severity of the problem. The elbow should be kept elevated and compressed to avoid inflammation, as excessive dryness or moisture will attack and weaken the scar tissues during the healing process. For best results, patients must follow the doctor’s advice and consult him/her periodically, particularly when the pain worsens.
Risks involved
The risks of invasive surgery include infection, nerve damage, bleeding, difficulty in extending or straightening the affected arm, having a painful or an ugly scar on the skin, and constant pain in the wrist or arm.
The treatment may not always improve the patient’s condition. The doctor can see if the surgery has treated the problem only after 4 weeks post-surgery. About 10-14 days after the surgery, the sutures are removed, and patients are told not to drive for a week from that day.
Recovering from tennis elbow surgery
The recovery period varies from one patient to another but does not exceed four to six weeks. Considering that the tendons take some time to heal, patients must not put pressure on the elbow during the healing process since doing so could result in permanent damage. Do simple exercises at home or at work for pain relief.
