Hi,if you had elbow surgery for tendonitis or like they say, tennis elbow, please let me know. I would like to hear about the recovery and effectiveness of the surgery. I saw an orthopedic surgeon today for elbow pain that I have had for almost 2 years now, and he said surgery is the way to go. But, I have had seen a physical therapist who told me i dont have tendonitis and should start playing sport again… As the recovery time is 3 to 6 months for the surgery, I’m a little torn between the surgery and basically doing nothing and hoping it will recover by itself. I do have some pain sometimes, but not a lot cause i avoid any strenuous activities as far as i can. Thanks for any help.
Surgery for tendonitis? The need for this is incredibly rare, I don’t know why s/he would recommend it.
I had tennis elbow for about that long, it eventually got better with rest, stretching and strengthening.
never heard of it. seems too minor to justify surgery. mind you, i have tendonitis and it hurts like a bi#$$, but IMO would not accept risks that come with surgery.
I got over mine but it took a few years and I didn’t get surgery. It is slow to heal.
Thanks guys, i decided to wait with the surgery, unless it gets a lot worse. Can any of you please give me some tips on strengthening exercises or stretches? Thanks again!
the first and hardest thing is resting, and in case of ankle tendonitis, even harder, because we usually need to walk, but you gotta let it rest. ice and heat pads help. Then stretching (but not excessively, try gradual). then bodyweight exercise, then weight bearing, to make it stronger.
It might not be relevant, but I had mild carpal-tunnel syndrome a few years back and tried acupuncture. At the time, I thought such things were mostly a load of bollocks and only tried it out of curiosity. It worked. If you can find a Chinese friend to recommend an acupuncturist (is that the right word?), it’s apparently available on your health-insurance card, might be worth a try.
Obviously, you still need to rest it too.
Surgery sounds screwy. Exactly what would they do? There’s nothing to re-jig or remove.
I had tendonitis on my wrist/thumb and it took a long time to get better. Tendonitis usually does simply because of the very poor blood flow. I had one steroid injection, but it only temporarily relieved it. I also tried acupuncture, but it didn’t do anything. Ultimately, I just had to try to be very careful not to aggravate it (and I can still aggravate it these days, so I have to limit the amount of guitar I play, for instance) and it took over a year to recover. That is not uncommon for any kind of tendonitis. Surgery is a very iffy option because there’s always the potential problem of nerve damage, amongst other things.
Great site:
Hi 2, I just had arthroscopic surgery on my elbow 2 weeks ago to relieve a nasty case of tennis (Fencers) elbow that I couldn’t get rid of with conservative means (PT and steroid injections). The biggest problem I’d experienced in my time with post-op “tennis” elbow surgeries is impatience and trying to do too much too soon. These are usually stubborn and difficult diagnoses to manage (as you noted through a poor outcome with conservative approach). If you are not careful you end up right back where they started…
I never heard of it, either, but it would be reasonable if the pain is so excruciating and it lasted for a very long time (at least 6 months). Tennis elbow is basically a field that 90% or so could be dealed with medication and rehabilitation. But sometimes a severely calcified tendon or profound fibrosis that affects the limb function or quality of life may require surgical repair. The point is that a thorough exam should be done first, including ultrasound or MRI, to investigate the cause and ensure the necessity of operation. Besides, the patient’s will should be taken into consideration. After all, a surgery can bring about another damage and create potential ailment in the future. Few could bear a new pain after the old one is totally/partially relieved. So discussion with the doctor about reason of failure by conservative treatment, the success rate of surgery and the possible complications is mandatory.
My personal opinion is, if the pain is still tolerable and the worry about the risk of surgery is impossible to get rid of, then prolonged rehabilitation and proper ergonomic adjustment may ease the pain eventually, even though it takes (a long) time.
I’ve had tendonitis in my shoulder for the past 3 months, or so, and as you’ve all noted it is a bitch.
I’m not sure how I first got it. Perhaps from impulsively doing chinups or dips in the park one day, after having not exercised my arms in ages. For a couple of months I couldn’t sleep on that side (or last night for that matter). Now I sometimes have trouble raising that arm above shoulder height and may encounter a stabbing pain, like a knife, in my shoulder. Strangely enough, I’m slightly comforted to learn it takes so long to recover, because it helps me to believe the diagnosis must be correct and things are proceeding as should be expected.
I finally went to the hospital a few weeks ago and saw a doc who diagnosed tendonitis and adhesive encapsulitis. She also instructed me to do some gentle stretching exercises very regularly and to go back to the hospital twice a week for deep heat treatment. I’m confident the diagnosis and treatment are correct and confident after a few months this damned nuisance will subside, but presently it really sucks. I think the stretching will be very helpful, but if I overdo it I’ll get those knives stabbing in my shoulder, like a very sudden painful muscle cramp, till I can coax it to relax.
And this morning I went in for a sonogram and the doc seemed to clearly see the inflamed and injured areas. He also confirmed that it will likely take several months to heal. As I said, strangely enough those statements are a little comforting, because at least I know what’s the problem, but now it’s that long road of taking it easy and doing gentle therapy for the next few months.
MT: I find this area to be one of the few areas of the Taiwanese health system to be slightly lacking. One a number of occasions, I’ve seen physiotherapists or osteopaths in Australia who have solved problems in a few sessions that have plagued me in Taiwan for months (even with regular treatment in the therapy sections of hospitals here). My experiences here have been that they’ve either prescribed complete rest or they’ve given me a series of largely ineffective treatments (hot packs, electrical pulses, some occasional ultrasound), perhaps because those departments seem to be understaffed. Sure, it was 50NTD a session (plus a doctor’s consultation every couple of weeks), but I spent months and months (and hours at hospitals) making no progress. It cost me significantly more in money, but less in time, in Australia.
Earlier this year, I developed a tendonitis in my left Achilles’. I didn’t even bother seeking out treatment here, but instead tried (fairly irregularly and unsuccessfully) to self massage. The osteopath I saw in Australia recently told me that basically, it had developed from a sprain into tendonitis because there was scar tissue on the tendon (there was actually a small lump/nodule). The first priority was getting rid of the scar tissue, which was done by a combination of massage and anti-inflammatory tablets. In my case, he told me that any stretching would only continue to aggravate the problem (and thus, promote inflammation and the development of scar tissue) until after the scar tissue had been broken down. Stretching and really gentle strengthening exercises were only be performed later.
Maybe that’s completely irrelevant to your situation, but I’d have a look at actual sports medical practitioners if possible, though I don’t fancy your chances in finding those guys around (or cheaply).