Elbow tendinopathies: epicondylitis and epitrochleitis

What is

Tendinopathies in the elbow joint are caused by the deterioration of the tendons that join the different muscles with the bones that form part of this joint. Its development is usually slow and the pain progressive; it is not rare that partial or total tendon ruptures occur, so it is important to act as soon as possible on the factors that lead to the deterioration and subsequent possible rupture of the tendon.

Type

Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)

Epicondylitis or tennis elbow is caused by wear and inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow and are involved in the extension of the wrist and fingers.
This injury is usually caused by overuse of these muscles in racquet sports such as tennis, paddle tennis and squash. This causes pain and tenderness to pressure on the outside of the elbow.

Epitrochleitis (Golfer's Elbow)

Epitrocleitis is the inflammation and degeneration of the tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the inside of the elbow.
It is one of the most common causes of elbow pain and is usually related to activities and sports such as golf, climbing or volleyball.
It is caused by wear and tear of the insertion in the bone of the muscles that allow flexion of the wrist.

Symptoms

Symptoms usually appear gradually, i.e. the pain increases slowly with increasing wear and tear. The pain appears on the outside (epicondylitis) or inside of the elbow (epitrochleitis) and as it progresses, there is a decrease in grip strength.

Approach protocol

Diagnosis and assessment

A correct medical evaluation will be necessary by means of a good anamnesis, physical examination and, if necessary, with the support of imaging tests. Focusing especially on identifying the factors that lead to tendon overload (in this phase the biomechanics and the physical trainer will be fundamental) and assessing whether the injury is exclusively a tendinopathy, if there is a rupture or if there are associated calcifications. This will allow to select the best treatment.

Complementary tests

X-ray and/or MRI.

Treatment

The treatment will depend on the doctor’s diagnosis and the degree of deterioration of the tendon, depending on it may be applied:

Drugs for pain relief
Physiotherapy: methodology based on knowledge and clinical reasoning in which we combine a series of techniques and treatments both manual therapy and invasive techniques, always associated or complementing them with cutting-edge technology that allows us to accelerate the recovery process. Among other high-tech devices include Magnetolith, SIS, focal shock waves, Indiba, among others. This therapeutic combination allows us to activate the patient early to begin with a routine and a process of specific therapeutic exercises that allow us to enhance and strengthen the lost functional patterns.
Interventional treatments:
- Regenerative medicine treatments
  - Platelet-rich plasma: the compound extracted from the patient’s own blood has a concentrate of anti-inflammatory factors and cytokines that make it very useful for this pathology.
  - Cytokine-rich serum: this is a different process to platelet-rich plasma in which a compound rich in anti-inflammatory cytokines is also obtained from the blood.
  - Stem cells: originating from the patient’s bone or fat, they have a regenerative and anti-inflammatory power that makes them a unique treatment for pain relief.
- Hyaluronic acid treatment
- Nerve blocks

Here begins your life without pain

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Maria dolores Gonzalez

Muy buena atenció.

Response from the owner:Gracias maría Dolores por tu confianza en MIVI Salud. Un saludo

Andrea Martín

Response from the owner:Muchas gracias Andrea ! Nos alegra saber que tu experiencia en MIVI Salud fue excelente. Esperamos poder servirle nuevamente en el futuro, siempre que lo necesite. Saludos

Maria Jose Gavira

Response from the owner:Gracias por tu valoración María José! Saludos

mireia lopez gonzalez

Desde que me visito en la unidad del dolor con el Dr. García Andrés he dejado de tener las molestias que tenía en la espalda. Es lo mejor que me ha pasado. He ganado en calidad de vida. 😃

Response from the owner:Gracias Mireia, por compartir tu experiencia en MIVI Salud en ciudad. Nos alegra saber que tuvo una excelente visita con el Dr.García Saludos

Nieves López Angel

Ayuda a tener calidad de vida.
Resaltar la atención tan buena y detalle de cada intervención e informes.

Response from the owner:Muchas gracias Nieves. Te agradecemos que manifiestes públicamente tu opinión pues siempre intentamos cuidaros y atenderos con profesionalidad. Saludos.

Agustina Frecha

Excelente atención tanto por parte de los fisioterapeutas como de las recepcionistas.

Ramon Font

Grans profecionals i molt bona experiència, molt recomenable.

elvira baena padilla

Hola, mi experiencia muy buena. Antonio, el chico que me ha tratado el pié muy atento y profesional. Y en general todo el personal amable y correcto. Muy recomendable.

mari bueno

Response from the owner:Gracias por tu valoración Mari! Un saludo

Tamara Sánchez

Tengo 43 años y llevo con dolor de espalda desde hace 3 años.
He ido a varios médicos y no me daban ninguna solución.
Es un dolor desesperante, diario que no me deja disfrutar de la vida, no puedo coger a mi hija pequeña ni quiero hacer muchas cosas porque con el dolor que tengo no disfruto de nada 😓
He tenido la gran suerte de encontrar al Dr. Duca, que desde la primera visita me trató con una amabilidad, cariño y comprensión que no había encontrado en todos los médicos que me han tratado.
Me dijo que me iba a quitar el dolor. Que soy joven y que no puedo estar así, que merezco estar bien y poder disfrutar de la vida.
Con la primera infiltración que me hizo he mejorado muchísimo y tengo hora para una segunda más.
El Dr. Duca me ha dicho que mejoraré y que si no es con las infiltraciones, hay más opciones.
Gracias a él veo la luz al final del tunel!
Estaré eternamente agradecida por como me está tratando y por todo lo que me está ayudando.
Mil gracias Dr. Duca, ojalá le hubiera conocido antes!
Tamara