Tennis and Golfer's elbow - what are the treatment options

Tennis and Golfer's elbow is usually characterised by pain on the outside or inside of the elbow respectively. Usually these symptoms subside after a few months, but sometimes they can persist,

The list of treatment options is extensive, but research is limited on many. These options include:-

# Stretching and strengthening exercises

# Manual therapy

# Pain killers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

# Steroid injections

# Ultrasound therapy

Studies have shown that pain reduces with stretching and strengthening exercises, and time to recovery is also reduced. Pain killers and anti-inflammatories are seen to be useful near the onset of symptoms and are not advised for long-term use. Steroid injections appear to yield mixed results, but those who have had multiple injections reports more pain months later. There is encouraging research for platelet-rich plasma therapy but more research is needed.