Elbow pain what kind of doctor

This ongoing activity can cause severe tendon damage and may someday require surgery. If your symptoms don't go away, your doctor may suggest:. Your treatment choices will depend in part on whether elbow pain affects your job or daily life. It also depends on whether you are willing or able to change habits or activities that are causing your elbow pain.

Nonsurgical treatment is usually started if the injury is:. Most cases of tennis elbow respond to rest, ice, rehab exercises, pain medicine, and counterforce braces. This injury does take from 6 months to 12 months to heal.

Patience helps. Surgery is considered as a last resort when all other nonsurgical treatments have failed. You may be referred for surgery if:. In as many as 9 out of 10 people who have tennis elbow, symptoms go away and the people can return to their normal activities whether they have had surgery or not. The best way to prevent tennis elbow is to stretch and strengthen your arm muscles so that they are flexible and strong enough for your activities.

If you feel that certain activities at your job are causing elbow pain or soreness, talk to your human resources department for information on other ways of doing your job. They can help with changes to equipment or other job assignments. Consider taking lessons to learn the proper technique for sports, such as tennis and golf, that require grasping and twisting motions in the arm. Have a sports trainer or a person who is familiar with sports equipment check yours to make sure it suits your level of ability, body size, and body strength.

In daily routines or hobbies, look for activities that use repeated arm movements that strain your fingers, wrist, or forearm, such as in gardening, cooking, or playing musical instruments. Train yourself to use techniques that won't stress your elbow. For example, when you lift objects, lift with the palm of your hand facing upwards.

If you have tennis elbow, follow these simple steps to reduce pain and start tendon healing. A rehab program such as this will prevent further injury by making your arm muscles stronger. Along with tendon rest, people often use medicine to treat tennis elbow.

Medicine can help with pain and relieve or reduce swelling. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , including aspirin such as Bayer , ibuprofen such as Advil , or naproxen such as Aleve , are the most commonly used medicines for treating tennis elbow. NSAIDs are available with or without a prescription. NSAIDs come in pills and in a cream that you rub over the sore area. Acetaminophen such as Tylenol can also help with pain. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.

Your doctor may suggest corticosteroid injections shots if you are still in pain after at least 6 to 8 weeks of tendon rest and rehab. Corticosteroids are a class of powerful anti-inflammatory medicine. Even though inflammation isn't usually present in long-term chronic tennis elbow, corticosteroid shots may ease elbow pain for a short time. But in the long term, having the steroid shot may not help any more than not having it.

But they can reduce pain and give you enough relief to start rehab. Most cases of tennis elbow are treated without surgery. Less than 5 out of cases require surgery.

Your doctor may suggest that you try a corticosteroid injection before you think about surgery. A steroid shot may help ease elbow pain for a short time. But over the long term, having the steroid shot may not help any more than not having it. During surgery, a doctor will most likely cut release the tendon, remove damaged tissue from the tendon, or both. In some cases, tendon tears can be repaired. After surgery, rehab is needed to restore flexibility and strength in the forearm.

Surgery for tennis elbow involves cutting releasing the tendon and removing damaged tissue from the tendon. In some cases, tendon tears are repairable reattached if the repair can be done without overtightening the tendon. These procedures can be done both arthroscopically and through a larger incision open surgery or with a combination of the two techniques. There are different approaches to surgery for tennis elbow, such as where to enter the elbow and what type of reconstruction or repair on the tendon is done.

Surgical technique is determined by the type, location, and severity of the injury and by the doctor's preference and experience. There is no strong medical research that shows that one type of surgery is better than another or that surgery is better than other treatment.

The success of surgery depends in large part on the amount of time and effort you put into a rehab program. Other treatment for tennis elbow pain includes physical rehabilitation rehab , acupuncture, topical nitric oxide, shock wave therapy, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation TENS.

Physical rehab is combined with tendon rest to restore flexibility and build muscle strength. Rehab is needed after surgery too. A physical rehab program not only helps heal injured tendons and muscles but also helps prevent further injury. Physical rehab combined with tendon rest is the main tennis elbow treatment. Corticosteroid shots are only considered if several weeks of rest and rehab have not reduced symptoms.

Surgery may be considered after 6 to 12 months of nonsurgical treatment. If the type of work you do is causing your injury, an occupational therapist may help you change how you are working or the kind of work that you do. Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.

Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Tennis Elbow. Topic Overview What is tennis elbow? What causes tennis elbow? How is tennis elbow diagnosed?

How is it treated? Rest your arm, and avoid any activity that makes the pain worse. As soon as you notice pain, use ice or cold packs for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, several times a day. Always put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. Keep using ice as long as it relieves pain. Or use a warm, moist cloth or take hot baths if they feel good.

Do what works for you. Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen NSAIDs or acetaminophen if you need them. Wear a counterforce brace when you need to grasp or twist something. This is a strap around your forearm worn around your forearm just below the elbow. It may ease the pressure on the tendon and spread force throughout your arm. Other tears can be repaired with medication or a physical therapy program.

More severe cases of UCL tear will require surgery. Tommy John surgery , or UCL reconstruction, is one of the most famous procedures in sports. Repetition and forearm stress can damage your tendon.

Some sports, like tennis, can increase your likelihood of developing tennis elbow. Nonsurgical treatment for tennis elbow is often effective. A sports medicine specialist may recommend rest or limiting certain activities.

Injections and physical therapy are other nonsurgical treatment options for tennis elbow. While rare, some cases of tennis elbow do require surgery. In this circumstance, an elbow specialist creates a small incision and reattaches the tendon. Overuse and repetitive motions may lead to cubital tunnel syndrome.

Pressure on the ulnar nerve is another potential cause for this condition. Sometimes the condition may heal on its own, but you should plan for that to not be the case. If left untreated, cubital tunnel syndrome can cause permanent damage to your elbow. An elbow doctor may be able to treat this condition without surgery.

In more severe cases, your surgeon may need to perform cubital tunnel release surgery. If you have a ganglian cyst, you will have a small bump near your elbow joint. Most of the time, this bump will be painless. Ganglian cysts can go away on their own. David Evanich Brady G. Giesler James R. Heerwagen John C.

McElroy Aaron D. Schrayer Manuj C. Singhal Ian G. Wilkofsky Michael J. Swelling, redness, and warmth around the tendon. If you lose the ability to move the affected area. In some cases, nonsurgical options may be available, including exercise programs, physical therapy, or the use of a splint. In other instances, however, it may be necessary to meet with an elbow surgeon to discuss the possibility of elbow surgery, including cubital tunnel release, arthroscopic surgery, or other surgical methods.

When you have elbow surgery, you should anticipate a recovery time of several months. Typically, it takes three to six months for all pain, swelling, and discomfort to subside, though medications and physical therapy both expedite the process and minimize the pain. Most patients are able to resume their normal activities within two to six weeks. Physical therapy and strength training are recommended for roughly one year following your elbow surgery, as they will help ensure proper healing.

If pain in your elbow joint prevents you from doing your everyday activities, it's time to learn more about the orthopedic solutions that are available to you, surgical and otherwise.

Make an appointment to speak with an orthopedic specialist today and learn more about the treatment options. Our orthopedic doctors are available at our office in St. Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Daniel Smith , Dr.