Tennis Elbow--Rob Gray, MD
Tennis Elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis is a very common condition that affects millions of Americans each year. Therapy is the mainstay of treatment, but when it doesn't work patients are often in continued pain for up to a year before open surgery is offered.
The Tenex ultrasound procedure is a minimally invasive option for patients who have failed at least 2 months of physical or occupational therapy. Patients tend to have a much more accelerated recovery than the 9-13 months as is common.
Steroid injections have been shown to provide limited relief and to lengthen the overall course of symptoms. Platelet rich Plasma (PRP) has increasingly promising results and is a good augment to Tenex.
Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
I am pleased to announce that I am one of the first Orthopaedic Surgeons in Chicago and in the North Shore to provide the Tenex procedure for Lateral and Medial Epicondylitis (Tennis and Golfer's Elbow).
Tenex is an ultrasound-guided minimally invasive procedure developed at Mayo Clinic during my fellowship in 2010-2011. It is a comparatively new procedure, but based on technology used successfully by ophthalmologists for years to treat cataracts. Tenex is done in under 10 minutes and under local anesthesia (more sedation is required for hips and knees) and does not require open surgery or stitches.
While therapy remains the primary treatment and provides relief for most patients, some patients do not respond. Early results show excellent outcomes and Tenex compares favorably with steroid injections and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. And, unlike PRP injections, the Tenex procedure is covered by nearly all insurance plans.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections remain an option and I am pleased to be able to provide them on a cash-pay basis. For tennis elbow, we typically use PRP as an adjuvant to Tenex within the first two weeks following the procedure to speed and augment healing.
Read more about the procedure and see a video at http://tenexhealth.com.
Call 847.866.7846 or visit us at www.northshore.org to schedule an appointment