Tennis Elbow Treatment: How Dry Needling Can Help Treat Lateral Epicondylitis

Austin is an active city, there’s no denying that. There are hikers and bikers on the hike-and-bike trail all year long, climbers on the routes at Austin Bouldering Project, and lots and lots of office workers—looking at you The Domain—sitting at their desks typing away at their computers. Hours on end working with our hands can sometimes take its toll. We all try to stay active, but that nagging pain on the outside of the elbow just won’t go away. You know the one. It’s there when you pick up your coffee cup, turn a doorknob, and hell, even when you just want to hit the links at Lions Municipal for some quick nine holes.

It’s Lateral Epicondylitis, a fancy term for tennis elbow. While tennis elbow does occur in the elbow on the outside (lateral side), and is fairly common in tennis players—you guessed it—our clinic sees more dry needling cases of people that spend their days banging away at keyboards and don’t play tennis. The repetitive movements and load put on the tendons attaching to the elbow leads to this overuse condition. If you suffer from tennis elbow, you need to know that this problem can go away.

At Carter Physiotherapy, we recognize that elbow pain can be one of the most annoying injuries that someone can have. You can’t just rest an elbow, you use it all day, every day. Plus, while it doesn’t seem like it with so many other options around town, not all treatments are created equal. Our dry needling services in Austin were selected because we have seen it help our patients, over and over again. When it comes to tennis elbow, dry needling in Austin is one of the best options available.

Tennis Elbow Doesn’t Just “Go Away”

If only this were true. You’ve had it for a while now and it just keeps flaring up. Tried icing it, tried a brace from the pharmacy down the street, maybe even popped a few anti-inflammatories over the last couple of weeks. We hear it all the time, it seems to be the go-to for our patients. Why doesn’t it seem to go away?

The big problem with Lateral Epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is actually the lack of healing or recovery of an overused tendon that has developed micro-tears in the tendon fibers over time. The healing response can become stalled, and the problem will persist, even if inflammation subsides. Essentially, the tendon gets weaker and less organized as repetitive use and stress on the tendon does not allow the healing process to catch up.

The Issue With “Waiting” On Tennis Elbow

Most patients come to the clinic at this point. The pain comes back. It gets a little better and they start working out or get back to “normal” and the pain flares up again. What is frustrating to our team is it should just go away, right? But, the big problem is tennis elbow doesn’t just “go away.” Standard conservative management of “wait and see” or just plain old rest doesn’t seem to work very well for many of our patients. Sure, rest stops more damage from occurring, but if the condition has gone from tendonitis to tendinosis, that just means it needs help to get back on track.

Injury Rehab Is About Restoring Function

Fixing this problem and going back to how things used to be requires something to restart that process and take the stress off the tendon as it heals. Welcome to dry needling in Austin, the ideal solution for this specific tendon issue.

How Dry Needling Helps Tennis Elbow

Dry needling therapy is simple, yet effective. First, we need to clear something up right off the bat, dry needling is not the same as acupuncture. Both are a technique that uses thin needles, but dry needling is strictly a Western medicine-based approach that is grounded in the understanding of anatomy and neurophysiology.

When treating tennis elbow, we insert a very thin filament needle into the muscle tissue and directly into the tendon attachment at the elbow. This serves a couple of important purposes:

1. Release the Muscles: The muscles on the outside of your forearm (the extensors) are shortened and tight, meaning this tendon is constantly being pulled on by the surrounding musculature, contributing to the problem and pain. The needle is targeting “trigger points” or knots of tight muscle fibers in the area. When the needle is inserted into a trigger point, the body initiates a “twitch response.” This is an involuntary deep cramp and release of the muscle. The needle physically releases the tightness in the muscle, taking the load off the injured tendon.
2. Stimulate Healing: This is the part that is most important to kick-starting cases that have gone on for a while. This small micro lesion created by the insertion of the needle signals the body’s immune system to send blood flow, oxygen, and all the cells that are needed for healing (like fibroblasts) to start the process again. It jump starts the stalled healing response, with a message to your body that “Hey, something needs work here!”

When done correctly and on a consistent basis, dry needling in Austin will result in significant improvement in your pain and recovery from tennis elbow.

Dry Needling in Austin: What to Expect

For most new patients, the thought of needles is a little bit scary. It’s okay, that’s normal. We have seen it all before at Carter Physiotherapy and can honestly say the experience and soreness are much less than what you are thinking in your head.

The Sensation

During your treatment session of dry needling, you may not even feel the needle go through the skin (since they are so thin). When the needle reaches the muscle and the trigger point, you will feel a deep ache or cramping sensation. This is great! It means we found it. The “twitch response” will feel a little different to each patient, but it is an involuntary contraction and then a release. It’s not a sharp “poke” like you may have been imagining. More like a dull heavy pressure and then back to nothing.

The Recovery

You might be a little sore after your dry needling therapy experience but don’t worry, this is good. It is totally normal and should subside within 24-48 hours. This is nothing like soreness after a big workout, but some people compare it to this. We suggest drinking plenty of water and moving the arm gently throughout the day. The range of motion of the arm will probably be greatly improved, and most of the original pain should be gone after the soreness subsides. Pretty neat.

The “But” of Dry Needling

While dry needling is extremely effective for this particular condition, it is not a “one and done” fix. While it will most certainly help, the tendon still needs to get stronger to support itself once the pain is gone, so that it can handle the load during regular activity. This is why it is so important that we also prescribe specific exercises to help improve the health of the tendons in the elbow and make them more resilient, helping to avoid this problem from returning in the future.

Dry Needling Therapy: Get Back to “Normal”

There is no reason that you need to have to be limited in your day-to-day because of tennis elbow. If you are a graphic designer in East Austin, you still need to be able to crank out that deadline without being in pain. And if you are one of our avid tennis players and just want to play a little pickleball on South Congress, the elbow has to be there. Don’t let this pain control what you can and can’t do.

By the time you reach out to our clinic, the problem has most likely been ignored for too long already. It has progressed from an acute injury to a chronic state of irritation and irritation is never good for the body’s tissues. Try to address these problems as they arise instead of waiting. At Carter Physiotherapy, we work hard to make your visit with us easy. By helping you find a knowledgeable and understanding doctor to take care of your elbow, we help our patients receive the help they need and get back to living their lives without elbow pain.

Ready to Kickstart Your Recovery?

If you are ready to experience the best dry needling Austin has to offer, contact Carter Physiotherapy today. We have seen a significant number of patients benefit from our dry needling services. Give us a call, or book your appointment online today, and take that first step in the right direction.