Elbow · Dunwoody, GA
Tennis Elbow Treatment in Dunwoody, GA — No Racquet Required
Tennis elbow doesn't require a tennis racquet. Pickleball, a heavy laptop bag, a weekend of yard work or a long stretch of gripping tools will do it.
Direct answer
What you should know about tennis elbow
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylalgia, is a load-related problem of the tendons on the outside of the elbow that control wrist and finger extension. It commonly affects people who never play tennis. Shockwave research for this condition is mixed, so an honest evaluation and a loading-based plan come first.
What is tennis elbow?
- The wrist extensor tendons attach at the bony point on the outside of the elbow, and repeated gripping and wrist extension loads that attachment.
- Chronic cases involve degenerative tendon change rather than active inflammation, which is why the older term 'epicondylitis' has fallen out of favour.
- Symptoms are often provoked by grip strength demands more than by elbow movement itself.
Common symptoms
- Pain on the outside of the elbow with gripping
- Pain lifting a coffee cup, a kettle or a gallon of milk
- Tenderness pressing the bony point on the outside of the elbow
- Weak grip, especially with the elbow straight
- Discomfort after typing, mouse work or tool use
Possible causes and contributors
- Repetitive gripping at work or in the gym
- Racquet and paddle sports, especially with technique or equipment changes
- A sudden burst of unaccustomed activity — moving, yard work, a project weekend
- Desk setups that keep the forearm loaded all day
- Returning to lifting after time away
Why it may keep coming back
- Grip is unavoidable, so the tendon gets loaded dozens of times a day.
- Rest reduces pain and also reduces tendon capacity.
- Bracing can help symptoms without addressing tendon tolerance.
- Strengthening is often abandoned once pain improves.
Activities commonly affected
When professional evaluation makes sense
- Elbow pain lasting more than six weeks
- Grip weakness affecting work or training
- Symptoms returning each time you resume activity
- Pain spreading into the forearm
Common conservative approaches
- Progressive grip and wrist extensor loading
- Load management at work and in training
- Ergonomic and equipment adjustments
- Manual therapy and neck or shoulder screening
- Bracing during specific tasks when helpful
Signs that need prompt medical attention
- Numbness or tingling into the hand suggesting nerve involvement
- Elbow pain after a fall or direct trauma
- Swelling, warmth or joint locking
- Night pain that is severe and unrelieved by position
If you experience any of these, contact a medical provider or seek emergency care rather than booking a shockwave evaluation.
Where SoftWave may fit
Elbow evidence deserves transparency: a Cochrane review of lateral elbow pain found little or no benefit from the shockwave protocols reviewed, while some later trials report better results. If SoftWave is discussed for your elbow, it should be as a possible addition to a loading program — with realistic expectations.
Where SoftWave may not fit
Nerve-related forearm symptoms, joint pathology and neck-referred arm pain need different management. Given the mixed elbow evidence, a plan built only on shockwave would not be reasonable.
What an evaluation involves
At Compass Family Chiropractic in Dunwoody, the first step is understanding your history: where it hurts, how long, what makes it better or worse, what you have already tried, and what it has stopped you doing. An examination follows to identify the likely tissue or condition involved and whether further testing or referral is appropriate. SoftWave is only discussed if the findings support it.
See how an evaluation worksRelevant research for tennis elbow
Shock wave therapy for lateral elbow pain
Buchbinder R, Green SE, Youd JM, Assendelft WJJ, Barnsley L, Smidt N · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2005
This Cochrane review concluded there was 'platinum level' evidence that shockwave therapy provides little or no benefit for lateral elbow pain across the trials reviewed.
Limitations: Included older devices and protocols and is included here deliberately: the elbow evidence is mixed, and later trials report more favourable results. Elbow pain deserves an honest conversation, not a sales pitch.
Find this study on PubMedA systematic review of shockwave therapies in soft tissue conditions: focusing on the evidence
Speed C · British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014
Concluded that evidence supports shockwave for some soft-tissue conditions — notably calcific shoulder tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis — while remaining inconsistent for others.
Limitations: Highlights variable protocols and study quality; underscores that condition-specific evidence matters more than the general category.
Find this study on PubMed
Verified outcomes
Tennis Elbow outcomes will appear here once verified
This page is built to surface verified outcome data for tennis elbow automatically — baseline and post-treatment measures, timeframe and change. We do not publish invented percentages, invented patient stories or marketing statistics. Until verified data is supplied by the clinic, this space intentionally stays empty.
How our outcomes reporting worksTennis Elbow questions
Related resources
Where treatment happens
SoftWave Therapy Right Here in Dunwoody
SoftWave therapy is provided by Compass Family Chiropractic at their Dunwoody office — not a partner clinic in another city. If you live or work near Dunwoody, Perimeter Center, Brookhaven or Chamblee, treatment happens here.
Compass Family Chiropractic1745 Old Spring House Ln., Ste. 410
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Call or text: (770) 452-0022
See If SoftWave Is Worth Exploring
An evaluation is how you find out what you're actually dealing with — and whether SoftWave belongs in the plan.