Golfer’s Elbow
Golfer’s Elbow Treatment in Spartanburg, Duncan, and Greenville, SC
What is Golfer’s Elbow?
Golfer’s elbow is a disease that causes pain where the tendons of your forearm muscles connect to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. You might feel pain in your hand and wrist as well.
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are similar. Golfer’s elbow can happen to golfers, tennis players, and other people who use their arms or fingers a lot, not necessarily just in athletes.
Golfer’s Elbow Symptoms
Golfer’s elbow is known to have these symptoms:
- Pain and tenderness
- Stiffness
- Weakness
- Numbness and/or tingling
What Causes Golfer’s Elbow?
Golfer’s elbow, also called medial epicondylitis, happens when the muscles and tendons that move your wrist and fingers get damaged. Most of the time, the damage is caused by too much continuous stress, especially forceful wrist and finger movements. Golfer’s elbow can also be caused by the wrong way to lift, throw, or hit, as well as by not warming up enough or not being in good shape.
Golfer’s elbow can be caused by many hobbies and jobs besides golf, such as:
- Racket sports
- Throwing sports
- Weight lifting
- Forceful and repetitive occupational movements like in construction, plumbing, and carpentry
Golfer’s Elbow Treatment
The first step in treatment is to stop doing things that hurt and use ice to help ease the pain. Here are the most common forms of treatment for golfer’s elbow:
- Medication – You can take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen
- RICE therapy – Rest, ice, compression, and elevation
- Bracing – A brace on the affected arm may reduce tendon and muscle strain
- Physical therapy – Activities that stretch and build muscle. It has been shown to work best to gradually load the tendon with specific strength-training exercises. Other things can help in physical or occupational therapy
- Surgery – Elbow surgery is rarely needed. But if your signs and symptoms don’t get better after six to twelve months of careful treatment, surgery might be a choice
What is the Difference Between Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow?
Like golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow is caused by using your wrist and arm over and over to throw, lift, or pound. The difference is that tennis elbow makes your arm hurt on the outside, whereas golfer’s elbow mostly affects the inside of the elbow.
How to Prevent Golfer’s Elbow
If you got golfer’s elbow from playing sports, you can avoid getting hurt again by paying extra attention to your wrist and forearm as you warm up. You can also try changing your sports gear and how you play.
For example, if you play tennis, try holding your racquet with a bigger grip or letting the strings on your racquet open up. Talk to your tennis coach about how to improve your serve and forehand so that you put less stress on your wrist.
If you got golfer’s elbow at work, a brace might help by giving your wrist more support while your muscles heal. You could also take breaks where you can gently stretch your arm or just rest it.