Tennis elbow is a painful, nagging condition that doesn't just affect tennis players. But now there is a new surgical procedure that offers instant relief.
Fifty-eight year-old Bruce Roser of San Antonio doesn't play tennis, but repeated use of his elbow has wreaked havoc on his tendons, causing tennis elbow.
"For the last six, seven years, it's been off and on, off and on. It will come. It will go. But for the last couple of months, anytime I lift up anything I'll get a stabbing pain. It's annoying. It's painful at times," he said.
Roser is opting for a new procedure called "FAST" -- Focused Aspiration of Soft Tissue. Working through a tiny cut, the doctor inserts a hollow probe. Using ultrasound guidance and ultrasonic energy, he zaps the dead tendon tissue, which is liquefied and sucked out. This speeds the body's healing process.
"It appears as though patients get an immediate relief of pain that continues to improve for up to three months," said Dr. Bernard Morrey, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Texas San Antonio.
The whole procedure is conducted under a local anesthetic and takes about 15 minutes. Roser can't wait to get back to golfing.
"I'm looking forward to playing again -- that would be nice," he said.
"It's safe, well-tolerated, rapid recovery and effective, based on what we know so far today," Dr. Morrey said.
Tennis elbow accounts for about 2-million doctor visits a year in the U.S.
Wendy Rigby - CBS News
