Tennis Elbow Surgery

Tennis elbow surgery is the very last treatment you should try.  Only after trying all other methods of treating your tennis elbow should you resort to surgery.  I cannot stress highly enough the with rest, icing, trigger points, and the various home remedies presented here there is a high likelihood that you will be able to cure your tennis elbow without surgery.

Your doctor should wait at least 6 months after you have been trying non-invasive treatments before recommending surgery.  Cortisone injections should also be tried prior to a full surgical intervention.

That being said, if the worst happens and you have debilitating pain that will not go away, you should look into surgery.  These days there are two kinds of tennis elbow surgery, one where an incision is made behind the elbow joint and the other being arthroscopic surgery.

When you go in for surgery, the surgeons will take several actions when opperating.  They will (1) remove you inflamed tendon and replace it with a new, artificial tendon, (2) clean out and remove any scar tissue formed in the inflamed area, and/or (3) drilling a small hole in the bone near the inflammation to increase blood supply to the region.

You will not need to stay in the hospital overnight and it should take you 3-6 weeks to initially recover from the operation.  3-6 months after the operation is when you should expect to be able to begin playing again. 

This is the last step in treatment, and is effective in approximately 80% of cases.  I will say it again, try EVERYTHIG ELSE before resorting to surgery.  The recovery time is extreme and you will be out of commission for a while.  You will also need to stretch you elbow to restore your range of motion, and probably see a physical therapist for your rehabilitation and recovery.  If you are having tennis elbow surgery, I hope it works out for the best.

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