EMET Education
Musculoskeletal
Elbow
Lateral epicondylalgia

3D model · Elbow

Lateral Epicondylalgia 3D Model

Show your patient the damaged tendon and exactly where it hurts, then the treatment you recommend. They leave with their model on their phone.

Customize the lesions

Opens in your browser, no sign-up. For primary care and sports medicine physicians, physiatrists, rheumatologists, radiologists, orthopedic and hand surgeons.

The patient understandsTheir lesions, reproduced from their imaging, on a model they handle themselves.
Reassured, ready to decideThey review the proposed procedure at home before giving consent.
Documented informationVisit saved and dated: a record of the information you provided.
In their language🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇷🇺

How it works

In the visit, in three steps

Structured information in a few minutes, which the patient can review at home.

1
Show

Open the model and show the lateral elbow: lateral epicondyle, radial head, extensor carpi radialis brevis and its enthesis, seen from the surface, then from its deep side.
2
Reproduce

Set the stage of the tendinopathy from the exam, ultrasound or MRI, then show the skin as translucent: the painful area appears where it belongs. Then walk through the proposed treatment, step by step.
3
Share

Give the patient the QR code or an image: they find their own case, in their language.

Features

Explain in detail during the visit

Lateral epicondylalgia, also called lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow, is a tendinosis of the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin. Every setting updates the model live: you reproduce the lesion from your patient's workup in front of them, then walk through the treatment you recommend.

The tendon and the pain, in a few clicks

The “Pathology & lesions” panel sets the stage of the tendon and shows where the patient hurts. Each setting changes the model in front of them.

The tendinopathy, in three stages

At the enthesis, over the epicondyle: tendinosis (disorganized fibers, thickened tendon, neovessels), a deep-surface tear, then a partial tear, with the anterior part of the footprint detached. The tendon turns translucent around the enthesis to show its deep surface.

Model panel: the extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon gauge, set to “Deep tear”. — **Tendinosis**

Tendinosis: the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin thickened, dull, dotted with neovessels. — **Tendinosis**

The treatment, step by step

Four procedures, played step by step, continuously or one step at a time: peritendinous injection, intratendinous PRP, arthroscopic or open debridement. After debridement, a timeline shows healing, from surgery to one year.

Peritendinous injection

The needle stops against the tendon, without entering it; the corticosteroid spreads around the enthesis. The painful area fades, the tendon remains damaged.

Injection, step 1: the needle entering from the lateral elbow, stopped against the tendon. — 1Needle in place

Injection, step 2: the bluish corticosteroid spread as a lens over the tendon around its enthesis. — 2Injection

Injection, step 3: the needle removed, the painful area faded on the skin. — 3Needle removed

Intratendinous PRP

From blood draw to injection: the centrifuged blood separates, the PRP is collected from the buffy coat, then injected into the enthesis with a fanning technique.

PRP, step 1: tourniquet on, the needle in the median cubital vein, the syringe filling with blood. — 1Blood draw

PRP, step 2: the tube in the centrifuge, the blood separated into red cells, buffy coat and plasma. — 2Centrifugation

PRP, step 3: a syringe collects the buffy coat and the plasma just above it. — 3PRP preparation

PRP, step 4: the needle in the extensor carpi radialis brevis enthesis, mid-thickness, seen through the translucent tendon. — 4Needle in the tendon

PRP, step 5: five fanning passes, each leaving an amber deposit in the tendon. — 5Fanning injection

PRP, step 6: the needle removed, the PRP distributed through the enthesis. — 6Needle removed

Arthroscopic debridement

A 30° arthroscope through the proximal anteromedial portal, a shaver through the proximal anterolateral portal: the deep surface of the extensor carpi radialis brevis is resected, the superficial layer preserved. Then healing, up to one year.

Arthroscopy, step 1: the 30° arthroscope in place, its cold light on the diseased enthesis. — 1The arthroscope

Arthroscopy, step 2: the shaver window against the deep surface of the tendon. — 2The shaver

Arthroscopy, step 3: the deep surface of the tendon resected in the shaver window, the superficial layer preserved. — 3Debridement

Arthroscopy, step 4: at one year, the defect filled by a smooth scar, seen through the tendon. — 4Healing

Open debridement

The extensor carpi radialis brevis origin exposed, the tendinosis tissue excised; granulation tissue fills the window, then matures into scar.

Open surgery, step 1: the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin exposed, its lesion visible. — 1Tendon exposed

Open surgery, step 2: the tendinosis fragment excised, the window open onto the epicondyle. — 2Excision

Open surgery, step 3: the window filled by scar tissue, under the timeline. — 3Healing

After the visit

The patient leaves with their 3D model

They scan the QR code: the model, their findings and the proposed treatment follow them on their phone, in their language.

The model, exactly as you set it

At the end of the visit, the Consultation panel shows the anatomical findings, the proposed treatment and a QR code. The patient scans it and finds the model on their phone exactly as you set it, in their language.

Their lesions, and the proposed treatment to replay step by step.
Their anatomical findings and the explanatory card.
No identifying data in the link.

Patient view on a phone: the elbow after intratendinous PRP, and the “The proposed treatment” panel open, with the “Replay” button. — What the patient sees after scanning the QR code

Every structure explains itself on tap

Tap the tendon, the epicondyle, the radial head or an instrument: its name and an explanation appear.

One explanation per structure: bones, tendon, lesions, instruments, injected product.
Written for the patient, in their language.
They can reread it on their own, on the tablet or at home.

Explanation bubble “Extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon, deep-surface tear” shown after tapping the extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon. — “What is this?” on tap

They can replay the treatment step by step

From “The proposed treatment,” the patient replays the procedure: each step plays at their own pace, with its explanation, as often as they like.

Patient view on a phone: the intratendinous PRP replayed step by step. — “Replay”: the procedure, step by step

Try it with your next case: the model opens in your browser, nothing to install.

Customize the lesions

Patient information

Quality information, documented

Only 12% of U.S. adults have proficient health literacy (National Assessment of Adult Literacy). A patient who sees their own lesion and the proposed procedure understands them, gives truly informed consent, and approaches treatment with confidence.

For the patient

They see their own lesions, reproduced from their imaging, and how the proposed treatment unfolds. They leave with the same material and can review it at home, with their family, as often as they like, before giving consent.

For the physician

Each visit created with an account keeps a record of the information provided: what was shown, when, and whether the patient reviewed it. The model image, with the anatomical findings, the proposed treatment and the QR code, downloads for the patient's chart and prints. Informed consent, as the Joint Commission puts it, is more than getting a signature.

Saved and datedThe exact state of the model: injuries shown, treatment proposed.
Identical, archivableThe patient receives what you showed; the image goes in the chart and prints.
TrackedEach time the patient opens the link is recorded.
AnonymousThe link given to the patient carries no identifying data.

“Document the informed consent conversation and the patient’s (or surrogate’s) decision in the medical record in some manner.”

AMA Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.1.1, Informed Consent

The model supports the consent conversation and the written consent form; it does not replace them. Data and privacy: legal information (in French).

Questions

Questions from colleagues

Is the model free?

Partly: the model and most of the lesions are free. Treatments (injection, PRP, debridement) and other features are paid options.

Do I need an account?

Not to open the model, set the lesions and walk through the treatment. After about fifteen adjustments, you will be asked to create a free account: it saves your visits, picks them up from one time to the next, and records when the patient opens the link.

What equipment do I need?

Just a web browser, nothing to install: computer, tablet or TV screen in the exam room; the patient opens it on their phone. One click saves an image, without the interface, for the chart.

What happens to patient data?

No patient names are stored. The link given to the patient carries only the state of the model: lesions, treatment, language and visit date. A name written on the image you hand out stays on that image.

Is it a medical device?

No: it is an educational tool. It does not diagnose, does not plan surgery, and does not replace the consent conversation or the written consent form. Among software functions that are not medical devices, the FDA lists those intended for general patient education and interactive anatomy diagrams used for training.

How long does it take in clinic?

Three adjustments and one procedure played: a few minutes, during the visit. The patient reviews it at home, as often as they like.

What about the posterior interosseous nerve?

The same model shows its compression, under the arcade of Frohse or under the edge of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, alone or with lateral epicondylalgia: its painful area appears lower than the tendon's, which helps tell the two apart. Its treatments (injection, hydrodissection, release) are included too.

What if I don't operate?

The model is first a way to explain the lesion and the pain: the stage of the tendon and the painful area can be shown without walking through surgery. Injection and PRP are included, from blood draw to injection, alongside debridement.

Can I embed it on my website?

It is planned for upcoming plans: the model displayed on a practice or hospital website, credited to EMET Education.

Which languages?

English, Spanish, French and Russian. The patient receives the model in the language chosen during the visit, which helps with the roughly 28 million people in the U.S. with limited English proficiency, alongside a qualified interpreter, not instead of one.

Design

Who designed this model

Model designed by Dr. Mikaël Chelli, orthopedic surgeon, based on the reference anatomical descriptions and trials. Updated October 2, 2026.

Nirschl R.P., Pettrone F.A. Tennis elbow. The surgical treatment of lateral epicondylitis. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 1979.
Baker C.L. Jr et al. Arthroscopic classification and treatment of lateral epicondylitis: two-year clinical results. J Shoulder Elbow Surg, 2000.
Cohen M.S. et al. Lateral epicondylitis: anatomic relationships of the extensor tendon origins and implications for arthroscopic treatment. J Shoulder Elbow Surg, 2008.
Coombes B.K., Bisset L., Vicenzino B. Efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injections and other injections for management of tendinopathy: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Lancet, 2010.
Peerbooms J.C. et al. Positive effect of an autologous platelet concentrate in lateral epicondylitis in a double-blind randomized controlled trial: platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroid injection with a 1-year follow-up. Am J Sports Med, 2010.
Mishra A.K. et al. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for chronic tennis elbow: a double-blind, prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial of 230 patients. Am J Sports Med, 2014.

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