Elbow Ligament Tear

[pats300zx1]

Hey All....I have been suffering with Golfers Elbow for about 3 months now and after 6 weeks of PT my doc decided to order an MRI. Prior to the MRI I noticed that my Pronator Teres muscle was inflamed and I had medial elbow pain. I had my MRI today and got the results and it appears I have a full thickness tear of the central aspect of my radial collateral ligament from my lateral epicondyle. It also appears that I have a intramuscular edema of my pronator teres.

Has anyone had a similar elbow injury to their RCL and if so did you require surgery etc. If surgery was performed what was the recovery? Clearly this is not going to heal on it's own and I have been dealing with it for over 4 months now (no tennis). It looks like my winter tennis is a wash for now . I am just looking to get some input from tennis players that may/may not of had a similar injury. I will be meeting with my doc this week to discuss options.

TIA

 

[sovertennis]

I'm not clear on the injury you're describing. Is it the inside the (ie golfer's elbow) or outside (tennis elbow) part of your elbow for which you're contemplating surgery? I've had both sides of my right elbow repaired surgically. The golfer's elbow procedure was more complicated than the tennis elbow repair and required at least 3-4 months of recovery before I could play tennis, albeit sparingly; the TE surgery was simpler and I was back to normal playing in a month. Both were successful.

 

[cortado]

I'm not clear on the injury you're describing. Is it the inside the (ie golfer's elbow) or outside (tennis elbow) part of your elbow for which you're contemplating surgery? I've had both sides of my right elbow repaired surgically. The golfer's elbow procedure was more complicated than the tennis elbow repair and required at least 3-4 months of recovery before I could play tennis, albeit sparingly; the TE surgery was simpler and I was back to normal playing in a month. Both were successful.

Wow, what kind of playing are you doing that required surgery on both sides of the elbow?

 

[cortado]

Hey All....I have been suffering with Golfers Elbow for about 3 months now and after 6 weeks of PT my doc decided to order an MRI. Prior to the MRI I noticed that my Pronator Teres muscle was inflamed and I had medial elbow pain. I had my MRI today and got the results and it appears I have a full thickness tear of the central aspect of my radial collateral ligament from my lateral epicondyle. It also appears that I have a intramuscular edema of my pronator teres.

Has anyone had a similar elbow injury to their RCL and if so did you require surgery etc. If surgery was performed what was the recovery? Clearly this is not going to heal on it's own and I have been dealing with it for over 4 months now (no tennis). It looks like my winter tennis is a wash for now . I am just looking to get some input from tennis players that may/may not of had a similar injury. I will be meeting with my doc this week to discuss options.

TIA

Ligament tears do not always require surgery.
Make sure to read all available info and get 2nd/3rd/4th opinions if necessary.
Surgery is not without risk.

 

[pats300zx1]

The tear is of the radial collateral ligament (LCL) from the lateral epicondyle (MRI says focal full thickness tear central aspect). I also have a minor tear (less than 50%) of the extensor tendon (partial low grade tear). I also have swelling of my pronator teres. I am meeting with my ortho surgeon on Wednesday to discuss options. Ironically this started as a golfers elbow issue but this may be a partial injury from tennis elbow I had 2 years ago that just compounded itself.

Just wanted to get opinions from forum member who may/may not have had similar injuries and how they were resolved.

 

[pats300zx1]

I'm not clear on the injury you're describing. Is it the inside the (ie golfer's elbow) or outside (tennis elbow) part of your elbow for which you're contemplating surgery? I've had both sides of my right elbow repaired surgically. The golfer's elbow procedure was more complicated than the tennis elbow repair and required at least 3-4 months of recovery before I could play tennis, albeit sparingly; the TE surgery was simpler and I was back to normal playing in a month. Both were successful.

The tear is of the radial collateral ligament (LCL) from the lateral epicondyle (MRI says focal full thickness tear central aspect). I also have a minor tear (less than 50%) of the extensor tendon (partial low grade tear). I also have swelling of my pronator teres. I am meeting with my ortho surgeon on Wednesday to discuss options. Ironically this started as a golfers elbow issue but this may be a partial injury from tennis elbow I had 2 years ago that just compounded itself.

Just wanted to get opinions from forum member who may/may not have had similar injuries and how they were resolved.

 

[sovertennis]

Wow, what kind of playing are you doing that required surgery on both sides of the elbow?

The GE came about after I returned to playing after years away, perhaps due to improper form; the TE probably resulted from a stiff racket strung with a full bed of poly, strung too tightly.

In both cases, I had ligament tears, which to my knowledge do not heal. If I wanted to continue playing tennis (as well as avoid general pain in routine aspects of my life), surgery became the solution (after cortisone injections, PT and rest all failed). This, of course, is not the correct path for everyone, but it worked out successfully for me.

 

[pats300zx1]

The GE came about after I returned to playing after years away, perhaps due to improper form; the TE probably resulted from a stiff racket strung with a full bed of poly, strung too tightly.

In both cases, I had ligament tears, which to my knowledge do not heal. If I wanted to continue playing tennis (as well as avoid general pain in routine aspects of my life), surgery became the solution (after cortisone injections, PT and rest all failed). This, of course, is not the correct path for everyone, but it worked out successfully for me.

I really appreciate your input. My guess is that the LCL tear stems from a bout with TE that I had about 2 years ago. My TE was also due to playing with a Babolat PD and poly. I have since switched to a Clash 100 and multis.

I went to my Ortho based on a sudden onset of GE in the same arm. Cortisone shot and 6 weeks of PT, Graston, and dry needling didn't rectify it so he ordered the MRI. I am only 58, active, and hope to plan to continue to play tennis. I am prepared for a long rehab and just want it to heal properly so I can continue to play tennis.

 

[sovertennis]

As I recall, I was in my late 50's when I had the TE surgery and, as I mentioned earlier, was back to playing within a month. Now, in my mid 60's, I have had no recurrence of either GE or TE. The only time my elbow feels any discomfort is when my racket needs restringing.