Epicondylitis is more commonly known as "golfer's elbow", but this does not mean that only golfers suffer from this disease. Although they are the most vulnerable to this disease. Treatment of epicondylitis of the elbow joint can be conservative and operative. More on that below.
What leads to epicondylitis
Any repetitive movement can lead to a disease: it can be throws, the use of certain types of tools, playing sports, it can also be a consequence of an elbow injury. Epicondylitis develops due to excessive stress on the joints and muscles. Some types of certain activities can cause inflammation in the area of attachment of the muscle to the epicondyle, and not necessarily the presence of sports activities.
Symptoms of epicondylitis of the elbow joint
Golfer's elbow symptoms are pain at the medial epicondyle that may radiate down the forearm. Pain is aggravated by bending the wrist or fingers. Atclenching your hand into a fist or carrying objects, you may feel as if your grip strength has decreased. The symptoms are sometimes very similar to the so-called tunnel syndrome, which can lead the treatment of epicondylitis of the elbow in the wrong direction. Therefore, it is important not to make a diagnosis on your own, but to consult a specialist.
Epicondylitis of the elbow joint: treatment
Exercise is what can help you fight disease. However, you should not self-medicate - you need to see a doctor. He will carefully examine the problem area and, possibly, prescribe special tests that will help clarify the diagnosis. Treatment of epicondylitis of the elbow joint may require fluoroscopic examination to exclude bone pathology or the consequences of an injury that the patient may have forgotten about. The picture may also show the presence or absence of excess calcium, which can lead to a prolonged inflammatory process in this area.
Conservative treatment of epicondylitis of the elbow joint
In tendon inflammation, conservative treatment is effective only within 4-6 weeks from the onset of symptoms. In such cases, treatment will take about a month. With chronic inflammation that has arisen due to the lack of timely treatment, it may take about six months to fully recover. However, it should be understood that in especially advanced cases, complete recovery is impossible in principle, especially if the factor that led to the onset of the disease is not eliminated. Therapy involves taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or injections of steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The latter expose the patient to some risk, which is to reduce the strength of the tendons.
Physiotherapeutic procedures are also prescribed - extracorporeal shock wave therapy, which improves blood microcirculation, which helps to eliminate inflammation. These procedures have contraindications - the presence of oncological diseases.
Surgical treatment
When conventional treatment fails, a doctor may prescribe surgery to remove the scar tissue that causes epicondylitis of the elbow. Treatment (ointments, physiotherapy, medicines) after the operation takes some time, but it can lead to a full recovery.
