Tennis Elbow and Prednisone

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Although tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a common pain, in players, any body routine involving repeated arm and elbow movements can be painful. These exercises can cause tiny tears in your forearm tendons, and inflammation can cause pain in the elbow, which can be radiated through the forearm to the wrist. Prednisone is a corticosteroid that reduces tendon inflammation and helps relieve pain. Doctors usually retain prednisone in the treatment of severe cases, and prednisone is usually only one element of the treatment plan.

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class="article-image inner caption-block"> Although the initial symptoms are mild, tennis elbow pain will soon become severe. (Image: marcovarro/istock/getty image s)

Characteristics and symptoms of tennis elbow

Tennis elbow is caused by inflammation of tendons connecting forearm muscles and elbow joints &&s lateral epicondyle, a bone knob located just above the elbow joint. This condition is usually caused by tearing your radial extensor brevis, a forearm muscle that helps you maintain wrist stability during tennis racket swinging and other activities. When you first touch the tennis elbow, you may feel only slight discomfort, which will soon develop into severe pain. This situation often leads to wrist weakness, making it difficult for you to grasp the object firmly. < p > < H3 > prednisone for tennis elbow < / H3 > < p > Doctors keep prednisone for severe tennis elbow. Kerryn Phelps and Craig point out in their book General Practice: Comprehensive Therapy that prednisone is the most commonly used corticosteroid therapy, and doctors usually prescribe pills rather than injections. New medical and health information websites show that you may not have any improvement before taking prednisone for a full week, while complete remission of tennis elbow symptoms may take 12 months.

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Potential side effects

prednisone may raise your blood pressure and trigger sudden changes in your mood. Most corticosteroids cause water retention, but prednisone does not trigger significant salt corticosteroid activity, which involves maintaining your body's electrolytes and is a catalyst for water retention, so it is usually not a side effect affecting prednisone users. Long-term use of prednisone can have serious side effects, including bone degradation leading to osteoporosis, and may lead to diabetes by disrupting glucose metabolism in humans.

adjuvant therapy

Your doctor may advise you to take a few weeks off to limit your physical strength and recreational activities. Most patients receive physiotherapy. If you injure your elbow while playing tennis, consult your instructor to make sure your swing is correct. If you don't respond positively to treatment after 6 to 12 months, your doctor may recommend an operation. Most operations for tennis elbow injuries are outpatient. Surgeons can usually repair your injuries through arthroscopic surgery. This is a minimally invasive operation involving very small incisions.

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