“Tennis elbow can be treated without surgery” say researchers

Tennis elbow is the chronic condition that has an adverse effect on tendons in our elbows when overloaded. This mainly happens through continuous repetitions of heavy loads in the wrist and arm. This chronic painful condition could only be treated by means of surgery. Now through technical innovations, the scientists have found that the tennis elbow condition can now be treated without using surgery.

This condition is also known as lateral epicondylitis. Those who physically engage in activities like sports, typing and knitting are more prone to this type of injury. Researchers found that through transcatheter arterial embolisation (TAE), an image-guided, non-surgical treatment that decreases abnormal blood flow to the injured area to reduce inflammation and pain, the condition may be treated.

“Tennis elbow can be difficult to treat, leaving many patients unable to perform the simplest tasks, such as picking up their children, cooking dinner, or even working on a computer,” said Yuji Okuno, founder of the Okuno Clinic in Japan. It is because of this reason the victims are not getting ready to undergo surgery.

The new treatment can be completed in approximately one hour and requires only a needle hole to access the radial artery in the wrist under local anaesthesia. The treatment is safe and effective and does not require physical therapy, researchers said.