Summary:
The video explains a lateral epicondylar tear complex, highlighting a hypoechoic area at the tendon’s attachment to the bone, specifically involving the wrist extensor tendon group. Current preferred treatment for a tear of this size is platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which promotes tendon strengthening. Prolotherapy may be used for smaller tears or tendinopathy, while steroid injections—though effective for short-term pain relief—carry risks of inhibiting long-term healing and weakening tissue. Modern approaches focus on regenerative treatments like PRP to improve long-term tendon health.

Transcript:

Hello its Dr Shaun Lehman. I just wanna show you a lateral epicondylar tear complex. You can see right here the hypoechoic area here as well. Top of the tendon is right here, And as it attaches to the bone, right there.

So this tendon group is the extensor, the wrist extensor tendon group. So lots of different muscles that combine to go into this tendon origin here as it attaches to the bone.

The preferred treatment these days, my research, many feel would be platelet rich plasma for a tear this size, and and I would agree with that.

PRP for significant tears are are are definitely a good option. Prolotherapy is an option for smaller tears or more of a tendinopathy where maybe the tendon is thickened and has micro issues, but not not as large tears as these. However, it can still can still work.

And, of course, the classic treatment, has been through the years, a steroid shot. The criticism there now is that some of the research is showing that it can inhibit long term healing and possibly lead to a tendon rupture and weakening of the tissue. Although, you know, classically, it can help with the pain usually for a short period of time, and then it’s at risk of coming back. However, there are some cases that have long term benefit worse than the past. But, the modern approach, many feel, many doctors feel and researchers feel feel would be to try to do something that doesn’t, weaken the the tendon over over time, but to, hopefully, an attempt to strengthen the tendon such as, PRP and and and treatment such as that.

Thank you.