How effective is cortisone injection for tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is irritation and change in the tendon attachment on the outer elbow, often aggravated by gripping or repeated wrist movement. Cortisone can reduce local inflammation and pain, which may help you use the arm more comfortably. The effect differs between people and may fade when the tendon is loaded again.

Pain relief is not the same as tendon recovery. Feeling better can make it easy to increase lifting or gripping too quickly, so the injection should be considered alongside load management and progressive strengthening rather than as a stand-alone fix.

Before treatment, discuss the diagnosis, the target of the injection, and whether your work, sport, or daily tasks are repeatedly stressing the tendon. Ask how long to modify gripping and lifting, and when to begin a gradual strengthening programme. A brace, activity changes, physiotherapy, or other pain strategies may be more useful for building durable function.

Tell the clinician about diabetes, medicines that affect bleeding, infection, allergies, and past injection reactions. Follow the aftercare instructions and avoid using early pain relief as permission for sudden heavy activity.

Arrange review if pain is worsening, grip is becoming weaker, elbow movement is restricted, or symptoms are not improving with the agreed plan. Seek prompt advice for increasing redness, warmth, swelling, fever, or discharge after an injection. Emergency help is needed for breathing difficulty or facial swelling.

Ask whether your symptoms fit tennis elbow, what improvement the injection is meant to provide, how to protect the tendon afterward, and which exercises should rebuild grip and wrist capacity. Ask what you should do if relief fades.