This is why I love sweat4health, I learn from people there all the time!!! [email protected] just posted a link to this awesome metastudy on tennis elbow with 2,746 participants in 36 randomized studies.
TLDR: simply doing nothing is what cures tennis elbow
The study showed that none of the 11 nonsurgical treatments, including physical therapy, acupuncture, anti-inflammatory meds, botox injection therapy, ultrasound, or laser therapy performed significantly better than placebo. So if you have tennis elbow, simply stop anything that causes discomfort and wait is what the meta study is telling us.
I have had tennis elbow twice and the above study corresponds to what I experienced. The first time I got physical therapy with ultra sound with cortisone, massage, and ice – it took about 8 weeks to cure. The second time I got tennis elbow, I did nothing … and it went away in about 8 weeks :)
Difference between Golfer’s Elbow and Tennis Elbow
tennis elbow is pain on the outside of the elbow, the part you bang on doorways. Golfer’s elbow is pain on the inside of the elbow. I have had Golfer’s elbow three times and from personal experience I can tell you that Golfer’s elbow is easy and effective to cure with stretches and self massage.
Golfer’s elbow is REALLY painful. So painful in fact that you swear its something that will require surgery to fix. The pain is on the inside of the elbow and radiates down the forearm. Not only is it painful to the touch but it causes weakness in any pulling exercises. Exercises like pullups, chinups, deadlifts, and curls are all very difficult to do with anything but baby weights not only because of the weakness but because of the elbow pain. Squeezing or grasping things is painful too.