tennis elbow for over two years, HELP!!!

[weak704]

my mom was diagnosed with tennis elbow december of 07, and it keeps getting worse. I have taken her to at least 6 different doctors and they all tell her the same physical therapy bull**** that only makes it worse. We've tried a cortosone shoot(she had a really wierd reaction to it, it looks and feels like the cortosone is destroying her tissue, when you touch her arm it feels like a chicken wing bone with skin wraped around it), she's tried ultra sonic treatment, accupuncture, physical therapy, all sorts of inflammitory medications, resting it in a sling sort of thing for almost two months only taking out to excercise it.

She's at the point now where the pain has spread all the way down to the tips of her fingers, she sits around and cries because of the pain and she is a tough woman. I have to help her put her cloth on because she reaally is in ridiclous pain. Pretty much she cant do ANYTHING anymore because the pain has gotten so bad.

Do any of you guys know some sort of specialist in the Southeast or a doctor that uses alternative methods?? I dont care about the money, I just want her to get better. Ive been researching every possible method on tennis elbow for the last couple of months and nothing works.

Thanks for any help guys

[DaddyR]

When she had it in a sling why on earth did she exercise it? In my experience, you reach a point where complete rest of the affected arm until it heals completely is often the only way to beat it.

[weak704]

When she had it in a sling why on earth did she exercise it? In my experience, you reach a point where complete rest of the affected arm until it heals completely is often the only way to beat it.

ok that's what I was thinking too, but every doctor said she has to excercise the arm, so everyday she did 30 very very light wrist curls and stretched a little bit. If she completley rests the arm it should prob be in an extended position correct??

[mike73tobuild]

I had the same problem but I had a cortisone shot also. I still had the pain for a while after but it did go away. I dont know if oyu have taken her to a sports therapist or not, or maybe even try orthopedic and maybe get some MRI to actually see what is going on inside. It maybe more than just tennis elbow as you said cartilage can build up or scar tissue can increase from the cortisone shot (reacts differently to different people). If you have done all the above not sure what to do next, maybe therapy is the only solution.

[BrotherWolf]

my mom was diagnosed with tennis elbow december of 07, and it keeps getting worse. I have taken her to at least 6 different doctors and they all tell her the same physical therapy bull**** that only makes it worse. We've tried a cortosone shoot(she had a really wierd reaction to it, it looks and feels like the cortosone is destroying her tissue, when you touch her arm it feels like a chicken wing bone with skin wraped around it), she's tried ultra sonic treatment, accupuncture, physical therapy, all sorts of inflammitory medications, resting it in a sling sort of thing for almost two months only taking out to excercise it.

She's at the point now where the pain has spread all the way down to the tips of her fingers, she sits around and cries because of the pain and she is a tough woman. I have to help her put her cloth on because she reaally is in ridiclous pain. Pretty much she cant do ANYTHING anymore because the pain has gotten so bad.

Do any of you guys know some sort of specialist in the Southeast or a doctor that uses alternative methods?? I dont care about the money, I just want her to get better. Ive been researching every possible method on tennis elbow for the last couple of months and nothing works.

Thanks for any help guys

The first thing she should do is quit taking cortisone shots , it does eat the tissue
both sick and healthy..that' not a weird reaction .

She needs to see a specialist ASAP and find out if she has tendinitis or tendonosis, the second
is a chronic condition and might never go away completely, but what you describe might require surgery

She needs an MRI I am surprised in 2 years no one told her to get one yet

[BrotherWolf]

ok that's what I was thinking too, but every doctor said she has to excercise the arm, so everyday she did 30 very very light wrist curls and stretched a little bit. If she completley rests the arm it should prob be in an extended position correct??

tendinitis occurs because of poor blood circulation in those areas like wrist, knees, elbows etc.. therapy is essential to get better, moving , massaging , brings fresh blood
rest must be used with therapy.. your only way to help her is to find a real specialist
I don't know were you live but go to your hospital and find a specialist if your doctor can't refer you to one

[psychowolverine]

Ive been dealing with tennis elbow for a long time... have had it come and go, but the only way I could get it to go away was with cortizone shots. Ice and antiinflammatories never worked. For the most part exercising is not the way to go especially if the pain persists and gets worse. Stretching is ok. Cortizone only works if you give the area the time to heal.

To me her pain has reached a point that she may very well need surgery to fix the problem. It should have never reached the point she is currently in.

ok that's what I was thinking too, but every doctor said she has to excercise the arm, so everyday she did 30 very very light wrist curls and stretched a little bit. If she completley rests the arm it should prob be in an extended position correct??

resting it in the bent position is better because it heals in the stretched position. If it heals in the retracted position it will not be a good feeling when she does bend her elbow.

What does she do that this set in on her elbow?

[apmark]

Check out sastm.com

Works great for chronic tendonitis. Click tab for our network and then list of practitioners. If none are in your area, check for "The Graston Technique" (same guy, earlier version) or Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization. Good luck!

[weak704]

guys thank you very very much for all your responses, she's had two x rays, Ive been wanting to get her an MRI but their $1500, so for now I'll track down a specialist and if there still aren't any positive results its def an MRI and surgery.

Once again thank you for all your help.

[Patrick2004]

You may want to have your mom read this book. "Healing Back Pain" by John Sarno.

This book totally changed my life. I was completely incapacitated from bilateral tennis elbow for over 2 years. Eventually I had to take 3 weeks off of work to rest it and the pain only got worse. I tried 2 orthopaedists, physical therapy, natural medicine, a gluten free diet, massage, chiropractic, supplements (fish oil, glucosamine, Vitamins C, D,and E, magnesium, and calcium. I tried everything I could think of and read everything I could read because my career would have been finished if the pain persisted at the level that it was. The pain was a 10/10 most days and I was always getting pissed off at my wife and coworkers for no reason. I couldn't think about anything else, I was obsessed. The pain began to migrate to my knees, back, neck, and ankles. I was going downhill fast at age 30 and otherwise completely healthy.

AFTER READING THE BOOK MY PAIN WAS REDUCED 50% IN A WEEK. I was stunned. It's been 3 months and the pain is virtually gone. You would not believe how excited I am. I feel like I have to spread the word!

The premise of the book is basically that there is nothing structurally wrong with the elbow/back/whatever, resume normal activity. Its fear and anxiety that produce muscle tension that eventually causes localized oxygen deprivation that causes intense pain.

If you think about it, it makes complete sense. What happens when you have tennis elbow and go to the doctor? The doctor says rest, splint it, take NSAIDs, and stop everything you like doing (golf or sports or surfing the web) its going to take 3 weeks to heal. If you move it, you're going to re-injure it because it micro-tears, and its going to take another 3 weeks. If after a few months the pain is there, you may need cortisone shots or surgery. Ok, if you're like me, basically you sit around all day and think (scared to death) that you might need shots and surgery and this damn elbow is going to take over your life. You can't do anything to take your mind off it, because that will hurt the elbow. So you stew and stew and the pain gets worse and worse.

If that sounds familiar READ HEALING BACK PAIN by John Sarno. The man is a genius! I know it's called "Healing Back Pain," but it also discusses other conditions, including tennis elbow.

I also found this youtube video very helpful: "507 The Magic of John Sarno and Gay Hendricks in Healing the Body" It's a story told by a physician.

[Aenidh]

So, was there ever a resolution to this? I have had tennis elbow for two years. I do not know what caused it. I do not lift weights. I have been to three orthopedic surgeons, wore arm braces, switched temporarily to part-time work, switched to remote work so I can use voice controls to do my job, had two EMGs, went through 12 weeks of physical therapy, and even followed my last doctor's advice to "wait for a year" to see if it heals on its own. Well it hasn't, and now my insurance company denied my doctor's request for an MRI because they say it is "not medically necessary". It has progressed to the point where I sometimes get such painful cramps (in my hands) that I double over in pain and cannot even talk. I am getting to the point where I sometimes wish they would just remove my arms and replace them with fake ones. If anyone has any help, then I would appreciate it!

[Payton1221]

So, was there ever a resolution to this? I have had tennis elbow for two years. I do not know what caused it. I do not lift weights. I have been to three orthopedic surgeons, wore arm braces, switched temporarily to part-time work, switched to remote work so I can use voice controls to do my job, had two EMGs, went through 12 weeks of physical therapy, and even followed my last doctor's advice to "wait for a year" to see if it heals on its own. Well it hasn't, and now my insurance company denied my doctor's request for an MRI because they say it is "not medically necessary". It has progressed to the point where I sometimes get such painful cramps (in my hands) that I double over in pain and cannot even talk. I am getting to the point where I sometimes wish they would just remove my arms and replace them with fake ones. If anyone has any help, then I would appreciate it!

I realize your new, but before responding to posts be sure to check the date on the post. In this instance, the thread died 10 years ago before another first time poster resurrected it eight years ago.

[Aenidh]

I realize your new, but before responding to posts be sure to check the date on the post. In this instance, the thread died 10 years ago before another first time poster resurrected it eight years ago.

It is possible, however, that the OP did not actually die from his tennis elbow and still uses this forum. Maybe somebody else knows!

[supramax]

So, was there ever a resolution to this? I have had tennis elbow for two years. I do not know what caused it. I do not lift weights. I have been to three orthopedic surgeons, wore arm braces, switched temporarily to part-time work, switched to remote work so I can use voice controls to do my job, had two EMGs, went through 12 weeks of physical therapy, and even followed my last doctor's advice to "wait for a year" to see if it heals on its own. Well it hasn't, and now my insurance company denied my doctor's request for an MRI because they say it is "not medically necessary". It has progressed to the point where I sometimes get such painful cramps (in my hands) that I double over in pain and cannot even talk. I am getting to the point where I sometimes wish they would just remove my arms and replace them with fake ones. If anyone has any help, then I would appreciate it!