Testimonials

Tennis Elbow (Female / 50‘s)

Symptoms before treatment

The treatment for tennis elbow has evolved into a less burdensome intra-arterial therapy that takes about 5 minutes and is less costly than catheter treatment.
The case we want to introduce is a woman in her 50s who loves tennis and used to play almost every day.

She frequently participated in tennis matches and had been experiencing elbow pain for about six months. At work, she experienced pain while typing on a computer, making document preparation painful. Additionally, household chores were difficult, and lifting a frying pan caused pain.

Despite seeing an orthopedic specialist, her pain did not improve with just patches and rehabilitation. One of her tennis practice partners, who had previously received catheter treatment for abnormal（moyamoya） blood vessels at Okuno Clinic, recommended our clinic.

Findings from our doctor

Tenderness was observed on the lateral side of her elbow, specifically at the lateral epicondyle, and a positive middle finger test confirmed the diagnosis of tennis elbow. Ultrasound showed significant swelling in the affected area and an increase in Doppler signals, indicating the involvement of abnormal blood vessels and confirming a severe case of tennis elbow.

We proposed and administered a less burdensome intra-arterial treatment for the elbow. During the treatment, it was confirmed that abnormal blood vessels were present in her painful right elbow, as shown in the photos. The treatment, which involved administering medication to reduce the abnormal blood vessels (moyamoya vessels), took about 5 minutes to complete.

After the treatment

In her case, the pain improved significantly at an early stage. She resumed playing tennis two weeks after the intra-arterial treatment and was able to play without any pain. She was delighted to be able to play without worrying about the pain for the first time in six months. She also experienced only occasional pain while using a mouse at work, which was manageable.

More than a year has passed since the treatment, and she can now play tennis without favoring her elbow, just as she did before developing tennis elbow.

This case demonstrates that intra-arterial treatment for the elbow was effective for a patient with severe tennis elbow, which was deemed almost untreatable by orthopedic specialists.

Intra-arterial treatment for the elbow is cheaper and quicker than catheter treatment, so those who have been struggling to find effective treatments for tennis elbow may find this option worth considering.