Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow Treatment in Eatontown, NJ

Does This Sound Like Your Elbow Pain?

Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow cause pain where the forearm tendons attach to the elbow. Most people recognize several of these:

• Pain on the outside of the elbow (tennis elbow) or the inside of the elbow (golfer’s elbow)
• Pain when gripping, lifting a coffee cup, shaking hands, or turning a doorknob
• Weak grip, or dropping things more often than you used to
• An ache that spreads down the forearm after work or activity
• Pain that has lasted for months despite rest, a brace, or an injection

If that last point describes you, you’re the kind of patient shockwave therapy is most often used for.

Tennis Elbow vs. Golfer’s Elbow

Both conditions involve the same kind of tendon problem. The difference is which side of the elbow is affected.

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

Pain on the outside of the elbow, where the tendons that extend your wrist and fingers attach. It’s aggravated by gripping, lifting with your palm facing down, and repetitive wrist movement. It is far more common than golfer’s elbow.

Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

Pain on the inside of the elbow, where the tendons that flex your wrist and fingers attach. It’s aggravated by gripping, lifting with your palm facing up, and forceful wrist bending.

Despite the names, most people who develop either one don’t play tennis or golf. Work and everyday hand use are the usual causes.

Why Elbow Tendon Pain Becomes Chronic

These conditions are often called “-itis,” which suggests inflammation. When the pain lasts beyond a few months, though, the tendon usually shows degeneration and failed repair rather than ongoing inflammation. That’s why many specialists now call it tendinopathy.

The tendon can’t rebuild itself while the same gripping and lifting keep loading it every day. Rest and a brace may calm it down, but the pain often returns once normal use resumes.

Who Tends to Develop It

• Tradespeople: carpenters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and painters
• People who type, use a mouse, or do repetitive hand work for hours a day
• Warehouse, kitchen, and assembly workers who grip and lift all day
• Racquet sport players, golfers, and people who lift weights
• Adults roughly 35 to 55 years old

How Shockwave Therapy Helps Chronic Elbow Pain

Shockwave therapy has been studied for chronic tennis elbow for over two decades. It’s typically considered when elbow pain hasn’t improved after several months of rest, bracing, and exercise.

Shockwave therapy delivers focused acoustic energy into the painful tendon attachment. The goal is to restart the stalled healing process by stimulating local circulation and tissue remodeling, not simply to mask the pain.

Because it’s non-surgical and involves no injections, it gives people another option before turning to repeated cortisone shots or surgery.

Adding Class IV Laser

Class IV laser therapy can be added to your shockwave sessions. Instead of mechanical energy, it uses therapeutic light to support cellular activity and tissue recovery in the treated area. Tennis elbow is one of the conditions where laser therapy has been studied most. Dr. Kovacs will tell you whether adding laser makes sense for your case.

What About Cortisone Shots?

A cortisone injection is often the first treatment offered for tennis elbow, and it can bring quick relief. Research has shown, however, that the pain frequently returns, and that people who receive injections can have higher recurrence rates over the following year than people who don’t.

Shockwave therapy works differently. Rather than suppressing the pain, it aims to stimulate the tendon’s own repair. That makes it a reasonable option for people whose pain came back after an injection, or who would prefer to avoid one.

Your First Visit: Evaluation Comes First

Not all elbow pain comes from the tendon. Before recommending treatment, Dr. Kovacs will:

• Review your work, activities, and what you’ve already tried
• Examine the elbow, forearm, wrist, and grip strength
• Check your neck, since a pinched nerve in the neck can cause pain felt at the elbow
• Rule out nerve irritation at the elbow, joint problems, and ligament injuries
• Decide whether imaging is needed before treatment begins

If shockwave therapy isn’t the right choice for you, you’ll hear that directly, along with what we’d recommend instead. We see patients from Eatontown and across Monmouth County, including Long Branch, Red Bank, Tinton Falls, and Oceanport.

What Treatment Looks Like

1. Short sessionsThe shockwave portion takes only a few minutes, with a few more added when laser is included.
2. A series, not a single visitMost patients are treated over several sessions, commonly spaced about a week apart. Your plan depends on how long you’ve had symptoms and how you respond.
3. Gradual improvementChange usually builds over weeks as the tendon responds, and it often continues after your last session.
4. Keep workingMost people return to work and normal activities the same day. Some feel temporary soreness at the elbow afterward.
5. Load management mattersSimple changes to how you grip, lift, and set up your workstation help the tendon recover, and we’ll show you which ones matter most in your case.

When Shockwave Isn’t the Right Fit

Shockwave therapy may not be appropriate if you:

• Are pregnant
• Have a bleeding disorder or take blood-thinning medication
• Have an infection, open wound, or tumor in the treatment area
• Recently had a cortisone injection in the elbow
• Have elbow pain caused by a pinched nerve, fracture, or joint problem rather than the tendon

These are reviewed during your evaluation. Some are temporary, such as a recent injection, and simply mean waiting before treatment starts.

Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow Treatment FAQs

Related Conditions

• Rotator Cuff & Shoulder Pain Shoulder pain with reaching, lifting, or sleeping on your side
• Neck, Back & Muscle Pain Trigger points and chronic muscle pain in the neck, back, and jaw
• All Conditions We Treat See every condition treated with shockwave therapy