Elbow Surgery and Tennis Elbow Care in Nashville
Elbow pain that will not quit. Pain that grabs you when you lift a coffee mug. A sudden pop during a bench press. A pitcher’s elbow that no longer snaps the way it used to. These are the reasons patients come to Dr. Damon Petty for tennis elbow surgery and broader elbow care.
Dr. Petty is a Nashville orthopedic surgeon with 25+ years of experience, dual board certification in Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, and a sports medicine fellowship under Drs. James R. Andrews and William Clancy. He treats tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis, golfer’s elbow, and the full range of elbow injuries for athletes and active adults across Middle Tennessee.
Most elbow pain improves without surgery. When it does not, Dr. Petty performs the full range of elbow surgery options, from a small arthroscopic release for tennis elbow to reconstructive work for throwing athletes. Every surgery is done by Dr. Petty himself at Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance in Nashville. Every conservative treatment decision is made with you, not for you.
What Tennis Elbow is, and Why it Hurts
Tennis elbow, known clinically as lateral epicondylitis, is an overuse injury of the tendon that attaches your forearm extensor muscles to the outside of your elbow. Small tears accumulate in that tendon over months or years. The tissue stops healing the way it should, and the tendon becomes weak, painful, and sore to the touch.
You do not need to play tennis to get tennis elbow. Painters, carpenters, hairstylists, pickleball players, and anyone who grips and twists day after day can develop it. The pain usually sits on the bony bump on the outside of your elbow. It travels down the forearm when you pick up a grocery bag, shake hands, or squeeze a coffee cup. Grip strength drops. A dull ache can interrupt sleep.
The mirror condition is golfer’s elbow, which affects the inside of the elbow (medial epicondylitis) and the flexor tendon group. Both follow the same pattern, and both usually respond to the same first steps. When they do not, both can be treated with targeted elbow surgery.
Your Tennis Elbow Treatment Options
When conservative treatment works, and when you need surgery.
This is a shared decision. Dr. Petty will walk you through what he sees on imaging, what each option offers, and what he would recommend if you were a member of his family. His motto, posted on his practice site, is “Always do what in your heart is best for your patient.”
Surgical Options and Types of Tennis Elbow Surgery Dr. Petty Performs
Two surgical approaches for tennis elbow are mainstream, and Dr. Petty performs both. The best choice depends on where the damage sits, how severe it is, and whether anything else is going on inside the elbow joint.
Every elbow surgery is outpatient. You go home the same day.
Anesthesia is usually a regional block combined with sedation, so your arm is numb and you are comfortable.
Elbow Arthroscopy For More Than Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is the biggest driver of elbow arthroscopy in Dr. Petty’s practice, but it is not the only one. He has years of experience with elbow arthroscopy for a range of challenging elbow disorders, and his complication rate sits well below what is reported in the medical literature.
Conditions he routinely treats arthroscopically include:
Elbow arthroscopy is technically demanding because the nerves around the elbow run close to the working portals. Dr. Petty trained in the same environment that produced many of the leading elbow arthroscopists of the last generation: Cleveland Clinic residency, followed by fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham under Drs. James R. Andrews and William Clancy.
Throwing-athlete Elbow Injuries And Tommy John surgery
If you throw a baseball for a living, or you coach someone who does, Dr. Petty’s background is an unusually strong fit. He served as Head Orthopedic Surgeon for the Nashville Sounds during their Pittsburgh Pirates affiliation. He has treated players from the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, and Kansas City Royals. He has published research in the American Journal of Sports Medicine on elbow and shoulder injuries in throwing athletes. His TOA bio lists him as “Nashville’s Baseball Doctor.”
For many throwing athletes, elbow pain comes from the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), not the extensor tendon. UCL reconstruction, commonly called Tommy John surgery, has its own page on this site. Dr. Petty performs UCL reconstruction and uses internal bracing techniques when indicated. Treatment planning for a throwing athlete is different from treatment planning for a weekend tennis player, and Dr. Petty has seen enough of both to tailor the recovery pathway accordingly.
Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis) Surgery
Golfer’s elbow is the same mechanism as tennis elbow on the opposite side of the joint. The flexor tendon group and its muscle attachments at the medial epicondyle develop microtears and chronic tendinosis. The flexor muscle group is what bends your wrist and fingers, which is why gripping and wrist flexion aggravate golfer’s elbow. You feel it on the inside of your elbow, and it radiates down the inner forearm.
Conservative treatment for golfer’s elbow mirrors tennis elbow: rest, physical therapy, counterforce bracing, and ultrasound-guided PRP when indicated. Arthroscopic and open surgery follow the same principles. Dr. Petty debrides the unhealthy portion of the flexor tendon and its connected muscle origin, then reattaches healthy tendon to bone. One added nuance on the medial side: the ulnar nerve runs close by, and careful technique protects it during golfer’s elbow surgery. Rehabilitation after golfer’s elbow surgery mirrors the tennis elbow rehabilitation plan.
Other Elbow Conditions Dr. Petty Repairs
Elbow surgery is broader than tennis elbow alone. Other conditions Dr. Petty treats surgically at TOA:
Recovery After Elbow Surgery:
Tennis Elbow Surgery Recovery Timeline
Recovery depends on which procedure you had, how much tendon needed repair, and how much lifting and gripping your daily life requires. The typical tennis elbow surgery recovery for Dr. Petty’s patients looks like this:
Published success rates for tennis elbow surgery sit between 80 and 90 percent of patients reporting significant pain relief and improved function. Dr. Petty’s outcomes for elbow arthroscopy track at or above those numbers, with a complication rate far below what is reported in the medical literature for these procedures. Recovery is the reason patients notice the difference.
Recovery done well reduces scar tissue, protects grip strength, and gets you back to your sport.
Physical therapy and rehabilitation are not optional. The strength and motion you rebuild in the months after surgery are what keep the problem from coming back. Dr. Petty coordinates closely with physical therapists across Middle Tennessee and can refer you to a therapist near your home or office. A typical recovery plan runs from the first post-op visit through the three- to six-month mark.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Petty as Their Elbow Surgeon in Nashville
Dr. Damon H. Petty is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist with 25+ years of experience treating knee, shoulder, elbow, and hip injuries in Nashville. He holds dual board certification in Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, which very few Nashville orthopedic surgeons can claim at the same time.
His training is a short list of the most competitive programs in the country:
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Harvard University, BA with honors
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University of Virginia School of Medicine, MD
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Cleveland Clinic, five-year orthopedic residency
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Sports Medicine Fellowship under Drs. James R. Andrews and William Clancy, American Sports Medicine Institute, Birmingham, AL
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Invitation-only member of the American Sports Medicine Fellowship Society
He was Head Orthopedic Team Physician for the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2026 (Vanderbilt University has assumed the role for the 2026-27 season). He has been team physician for Tennessee State University for the last 15 years. He served as Head Orthopedic Surgeon for the Nashville Sounds during their Pittsburgh Pirates affiliation and has treated players from the NY Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, and Kansas City Royals. He has published research on throwing-athlete elbow and shoulder injuries in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Across Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance, Dr. Petty’s profile carries a 4.7 out of 5.0 rating across 1,033 reviews. Every elbow surgery is performed by Dr. Petty, never delegated. Every PRP injection is placed by him, under ultrasound guidance, not handed off to a PA or NP.
Patient Experiences
“Dr Petty did a partial shoulder replacement for me several Yrs back. He was the first and only Orthopedic I thought of when I began having an elbow issue. I would give 10 stars instead of 5 if it were allowable.”
— Mike Beckman
“Exceptional experience. Dr Petty lived up to his reputation. Clearly knowledgable but he listens, too.”
— Jeff Freas
“Dr Damon Petty is the best! He’s genuine. He’s honest and he’s skilled.”
— Gary VanAtta
"Dr Petty is a wonderful doctor. He is brilliant in diagnosing your issue and knowing what to do. If there are options, he explains those. He is very calm, kind and listens. He repaired my meniscus, repaired my college baseball player son’s shoulder, then he patiently dealt with my 89 yr old mother when she broke her shoulder/arm. I highly recommend for his skills and overall how he cares for his patients!"
— Janice Goodwin
Frequently Asked Questions About Elbow Surgery
Schedule a Consultation
Schedule online through the TOA physician portal. Most patients receive an initial response within 24 to 48 business hours.
We serve patients from Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Lebanon, and the greater Middle Tennessee area. Dr. Petty also sees patients who travel for world-class care, some from over 500 miles away, including recent patients from Kansas City, drawn by his specific expertise and reputation.
