I had what was considered grade 3 tennis elbow (grade 4 is the worst and requires surgery). Like everyone out there, I tried EVERYTHING! From steroid shots to prolotherapy to physiotherapy (from one of India’s best). While I did get some relief, the weakness (and pain) in the elbow joint persisted. I was sure that if I tried to lift anything (even a light object), the pain would return.

Finally, I went to an orthopedic (who happens to be a friend of my father’s). He first explained why this was happening. Overuse. He then explained that every muscle in the hand and the wrist is connected to this same elbow joint. Which is why, when one develops tennis elbow – any movement from the hand-up hurts like hell. His advice was simple – give the elbow complete rest. By complete – he meant complete. Put it in a sling for a week and do not use it at all! Alternatively, if this was unacceptable, I could wear a special elbow brace. This would let me carry on mild daily activities (like computer keyboard) – but, instead of the elbow joint, the brace would absorb the impact.

On Surgery

An interesting thing the orthopedic told me was that surgery simply detaches the muscles from the elbow joint. Therefore – the pain goes away. Not an ideal solution.

On Prolotherapy

I know there are people who swear by this alternative treatment – but I have to say, it did not work for me. It seemed to numb the pain for a while (that was just the ultrasound gel). However, the next day onwards, I could sense no improvement. It is supposed to take a week to 2 weeks. Two weeks down the road, still no improvement. And since this was out of pocket, I felt a good $500 go down the drain for zero relief.

Anuj holds professional certifications in Google Cloud, AWS as well as certifications in Docker and App Performance Tools such as New Relic. He specializes in Cloud Security, Data Encryption and Container Technologies.

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Anuj Varma – who has written posts on Anuj Varma, Hands-On Technology Architect, Clean Air Activist.

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