I have been diagnosed with tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), but why is it not getting better despite ongoing treatment?
Wrist extensors tendon is the most common cause of lateral elbow pain, mostly due to overuse or trauma. However, it is not the only structure that can cause pain. Therefore, it is critical the get an accurate diagnosis as different source of problem might require different tools and management to fix the problem.
Other cause of persistent lateral elbow pain is posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) entrapment. This nerve is a branch of the radial nerve that passes between the supinator muscle, which acts to rotate the forearm. This is associated with radiating pain and tenderness around the nerve at the back of the forearm, and also shows more weakness than a muscle or tendon problem.
Other differential diagnosis includes biceps tendinopathy and radio-capitellar joint. Biceps tendon inserts to the under surface of the radial tuberosity of the radius and can referred pain to the outside part of the elbow. Radio-capitellar joint can also cause pain especially people who had history of trauma, fracture or cartilage wear.
At Chadwick Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists have extensive experiences in treating tennis elbow. We use a variety of treatment tools including dry needling, elbow brace, shockwave, electrotherapy and joint mobilisation with movement etc depending on your condition. Come have a chat with us today and find the best way to relieve your tennis elbow today.