Tennis elbow is one of the most frequent injuries to the arms. The tennis elbow gets irritated or swollen outside the elbow. Traditional methods include rest, ice, painkillers, and analgesic medications. Also, there’re support devices, physiotherapy, physical exercise, and injections. Shockwave treatment for tennis elbow is one of the most effective therapy options.
How to Tell Whether You Have Tennis Elbow Symptoms?
The most common symptom of the injury is pain on the outside of the elbow. Pain can increase as a result of:
- Make a fist or grab anything;
- Pull something up, especially the palm down;
- Give each other a shake or open the door;
- Raise your hand or keep your wrist straight.
Other symptoms associated with tennis elbow injury include stiffness and weakness.
How Shockwaves For Tennis Elbow Help
The procedure goes the following way. The special equipment sends waves from the skin to the injured area. There, you can get ESWT for tennis elbow within one or more sessions.
The specialist can do the procedure under local anesthesia. He or she makes a decision based on the presence of high-energy waves. The reason for this is that they can be painful. Yet, the local anesthetic can poorly influence the end result.
Effectiveness of Shockwaves For Tennis Elbow
Several studies approved the efficiency of therapy for tennis elbow. But, there’re no conclusions due to the limited number of studies conducted. It’s still effective though. The reason for this is that it has a longer effect compared to other conventional methods.
How Well Does It Work?
The therapy is effective in reducing pain. It proves that the method significantly improves pain scores in studies. You can notice a significant improvement between 3 and 12 weeks after treatment. Its maintenance keeps at 1 year of follow-up. Three months is the reported time as most, though not all, shock wave therapy effects will appear.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for tennis elbow is yet recognized in medical circles. It may be news even for your doctor. According to recent studies, it can decrease the intensity of hurt. Besides, the therapy enhances everyday activity in new patients.
Possible Risks
If your doctor proposed this procedure to you, he or she would have to tell you that the authority has decided that. While the procedure is secure, there are uncertainties about its proper operation.
Your doctor should explain in detail what the procedure involves. Discuss the advantages and potential risks with your medical specialist. The authorities also agreed that they need further information about this procedure. So, your doctor may ask you about your experience with this method. As a result, you may help gather more information on that procedure.
So, before resorting to this type of therapy for tennis elbow, consult your doctor. First, you should gather all the needed information. It’s worth weighing all pros and cons. Only then, if necessary, start the treatment.
