Mild tennis elbow may heal on its own with adequate and reasonable rest. However, moderate to severe tennis elbow cannot be cured on its own, and needs to be given regular treatment, such as physical therapy, medication, surgery, and so on.
1. Mild tennis elbow: Mild tennis elbow can be relieved in 6 to 8 weeks with sufficient and reasonable rest.
2. Moderate to severe tennis elbow: Most of the tennis elbow can improve the pain symptoms after conservative treatment, and the prognosis is better.
(1) Physical therapy: cold compress, physical therapy, massage, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, pulling therapy and so on.
(2) Drug therapy: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen for analgesia. The use of platelet-rich plasma helps to promote the healing of injured tissues. Injecting hormonal drugs into specific parts of the elbow joint can inhibit the inflammatory response, such as hydrocortisone.
(3) Surgical treatment: If conservative treatment is ineffective or persistent elbow pain, resting pain, which seriously affects daily life, surgical treatment should be considered, including minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, small incision open surgery, percutaneous release surgery, etc.
It should be noted that if tennis elbow is treated, it is often prone to recurrence if the exercise pattern is not improved or the protection is not strengthened. If you are diagnosed with tennis elbow, it is recommended that you consult a doctor in time to avoid delaying your condition. Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor to avoid blind self-medication.