About 95% of patients with tennis elbow will not require operative treatment. It may take up to 4-6 months of conservative treatment to resolve. Having said that, of those patients that I have treated operatively, 100% of those patients symptoms have resolved and they were able to return to full activity. Recovery period varied between 3-6 wks.

Sometimes, if his Lateral Epicondylitis (Tendinous Insertional Inflammation) does not improve with conservative care, surgery may be beneficial. Your treating doctor will go over options.

No. He should try an injection.

No, the majority of the cases resolve with activity modifications, therapy and counterforce bracing. Steroid injection are often used prior to surgery. Typically, the symptoms should be present for 6 months despite these treatments prior to surgery.
Good luck.

Dr. Louden

Not always. Rest, NSAIDS, a wrist brace at night, a tennis elbow strap during the day, topical pain relievers are all a good first step. PT with ultrasound (phonophoresis) or electrical current (iontophoresis) can also help. A cortisone injection or 2 may also help but no more then 2 shots into this location. Time is important-giving these non surgical means a chance to help is a must. If all this fails, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is an excellent alternative to surgery. This may require more then 1 PRP injection. Surgery to release the diseased tendon is the final option. An MRI is sometimes helpful to determine "tendinitis" versus tearing of the common extensor origin, which is a more serious condition then "tennis elbow" aka lateral epicondylitis.

Steven M. DeLuca, DO

Not usually. Most often, it can be relieved with cortisone injections.

Sometimes if surgery is required for this problem, but more than 90% can usually be treated nonoperativly