Tennis Elbow · Lateral Epicondylitis

Brace the elbow today. Heal the tendon for good.

A counterforce lateral epicondyle brace unloads the painful tendon so you can use your arm now. But a brace manages symptoms — it doesn’t rebuild tissue. At FIT we pair the brace with high-dose PRP and a fascia-focused physical therapy program to actually resolve chronic tennis elbow.

· Counterforce brace for immediate relief
· High-dose PRP for the tendon itself
· Shockwave · TECAR · daily red light
· New Orleans — The Fascia Institute

What’s Actually Wrong

Tennis elbow isn’t inflammation — it’s a tendon that failed to heal.

Lateral epicondylitis — tennis elbow — is pain on the bony bump on the outside of the elbow, where the wrist-extensor tendons (chiefly the extensor carpi radialis brevis) attach. Despite the “-itis” in its name, decades of tissue studies show the problem is rarely active inflammation. It’s angiofibroblastic tendinosis: micro-tears and disorganized, poorly vascularized collagen that the body never finished repairing.

“That’s why rest and anti-inflammatories so often disappoint. You can’t calm down a fire that isn’t burning — you have to rebuild the tendon.”

This matters for how you treat it. A brace and activity modification take the load off so the area stops getting re-injured — necessary, but not enough on its own. To resolve chronic cases you have to restart healing in the tendon. That is where high-dose PRP and our physical therapy modalities come in. For an independent overview of the condition, see the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ patient guide on tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis).

Step One — Unload the Tendon

The lateral epicondyle brace, and how to wear it.

A counterforce strap is the simplest, fastest way to reduce pain — and we recommend one for nearly every patient while the tendon is being treated.

How a counterforce brace works

The brace sits about two finger-widths below the elbow crease, over the muscle belly — not on the bony bump itself. By applying gentle compression across the forearm extensors, it creates a new “anchor point,” so the pull of gripping and lifting is absorbed by the strap instead of being transmitted straight into the injured tendon attachment. Less load on the damaged fibers means less pain and fewer re-injury cycles while healing proceeds.

·Placement: 1–2 finger-widths distal to the lateral epicondyle, over the muscle — never on the bone.
·Tightness: snug enough to feel support when you make a fist, loose enough to keep blood flow and comfort.
·When to wear it: during gripping, lifting, typing, racquet sports, and manual work — remove at rest and overnight.
·What it won’t do: a brace protects the tendon — it does not regenerate it. Lasting relief comes from treating the tissue.

This is an affiliate link. The Fascia Institute may receive a small commission on purchases made through this link, at no additional cost to you. We recommend this product based on clinical merit, not compensation.

Step Two — The Definitive Treatment

High-dose PRP — restarting healing in the tendon.

Platelet-rich plasma is the most evidence-backed injectable option for chronic lateral epicondylitis — and dose matters.

PRP is made from your own blood. We draw a sample, concentrate the platelets, and inject that concentrate precisely into the diseased tendon under ultrasound guidance. Platelets release a cascade of growth factors — PDGF, TGF-β, VEGF, and others — that recruit repair cells, build new blood vessels, and lay down organized collagen. In effect, PRP converts a stalled, chronic tendinosis back into an active healing wound that your body can finish repairing.

“For tennis elbow, the data favor a high-dose, leukocyte-rich preparation — not a thin, watered-down sample. Concentration is part of the prescription.”

Not all PRP is equal. Low-platelet, low-volume preparations frequently underperform in studies, while concentrated high-dose PRP has shown durable improvement in pain and function for chronic tennis elbow. A double-blind, multicenter randomized controlled trial of 230 patients found high-dose PRP produced significantly better pain relief and success rates than a control injection at 24 weeks (Mishra et al., American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014). That is why we standardize on a concentrated protocol rather than a generic injection.

At The Fascia Institute, PRP for the elbow is performed as part of our orthobiologics & regenerative injection program, always under ultrasound guidance and always paired with the rehab and home-care plan below — because a single injection works best when the tendon is also being loaded, stimulated, and protected correctly.

Step Three — FIT Therapeutics Physical Therapy

The rehab that makes PRP hold.

Our physical therapy program drives blood flow, collagen remodeling, and pain relief between and after injections — three modalities working toward one healed tendon.

In Clinic

Shockwave Therapy.

Focused acoustic waves create a controlled micro-stimulus in the degenerated tendon, triggering new blood-vessel growth and collagen turnover. For chronic tennis elbow, shockwave is one of the best-studied ways to “wake up” a tendon that has stopped healing — and it pairs naturally with PRP.

In Clinic

TECAR Therapy.

TECAR uses radiofrequency energy to generate deep, gentle heat right inside the tissue — boosting circulation, oxygen delivery, and metabolism in the elbow tendons. It eases pain quickly and primes the area for hands-on therapy and loading, accelerating the recovery PRP sets in motion.

At Home, Daily

Red Light Therapy.

We send most elbow patients home with a daily red & near-infrared light protocol. A few minutes a day over the lateral epicondyle supports mitochondrial energy production, reduces pain, and keeps the healing signal active between visits — turning recovery into something you work on every day, not just in clinic.

Every plan is guided by a hands-on exam and, where helpful, fascial mapping to find every contributing tissue — because outer-elbow pain is sometimes driven by the forearm fascia and shoulder mechanics, not the tendon alone. See the full range of services at The Fascia Institute.

Frequently Asked

Quick answers about tennis elbow.

A counterforce brace reliably reduces pain and protects the tendon during activity, and for mild, recent cases that — plus activity modification and loading exercises — can be enough. But for chronic tendinosis (pain lasting months), a brace manages symptoms without rebuilding the damaged tissue. That’s why we pair it with high-dose PRP and our physical therapy modalities to actually resolve the problem.

About one to two finger-widths below the elbow crease, over the muscle belly of the forearm extensors — not on the bony bump (the lateral epicondyle) itself. Tighten it enough that you feel support when you clench your fist, but never so tight that your hand tingles or goes cold. Wear it for gripping, lifting, and racquet or manual work; take it off at rest and overnight.

Studies of PRP for tennis elbow show that concentration matters. Thin, low-platelet preparations often perform no better than control injections, while concentrated, leukocyte-rich PRP has produced durable pain and function gains in randomized trials. We standardize on a high-dose protocol delivered under ultrasound guidance so the tendon receives a meaningful biologic stimulus.

PRP is a healing process, not an instant painkiller — most patients notice steady improvement over 6 to 12 weeks as the tendon remodels. Many do well with a single well-placed, concentrated injection; some chronic or severe cases benefit from a second. Your plan is individualized after an ultrasound exam, and the brace plus rehab modalities run alongside to protect and accelerate the result.

These modalities do something the injection can’t: they keep blood flow, collagen remodeling, and pain control active in the weeks between and after treatment. Shockwave and TECAR are in-clinic; daily home red light keeps the healing signal going every day. Used together with PRP and the brace, they consistently produce faster, more complete recovery than any single treatment alone.

No. Despite the name, most lateral epicondylitis we treat comes from everyday repetitive gripping — computer and trades work, lifting, gardening, cooking, instrument playing — not from tennis. The treatment approach is the same regardless of how the tendon was overloaded.

Ready to Fix It For Good?

Brace it today. Heal it with PRP and FIT Therapeutics.

Start with the brace for immediate relief, then come see us in New Orleans for an ultrasound exam, high-dose PRP, and a shockwave, TECAR, and daily red-light program built around your elbow.

This page is for general education and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. PRP and physical therapy outcomes vary by patient, severity, and chronicity; results are not guaranteed. The Amazon link above is an affiliate link — The Fascia Institute may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you, and recommends products on clinical merit. Always consult a qualified clinician before beginning treatment. The Fascia Institute and Treatment Center®, New Orleans, LA.