Did you know golfer’s elbow affects up to 2% of people1? It’s a painful condition caused by tendons getting inflamed or irritated. This happens when the forearm muscles connect to the elbow’s inside bony part. It can make daily activities and sports hard.
If you play golf, baseball, or do repetitive elbow movements, knowing how to treat golfer’s elbow is key.
Key Takeaways
- Golfer’s elbow is usually diagnosed through a medical history and physical exam1.
- Rest, ice therapy, and stretching/strengthening exercises are common treatment approaches12.
- Medication, such as NSAIDs, can help relieve pain, but steroid injections may have limited long-term effectiveness2.
- Surgery is rarely needed, with minimally invasive options like the TENEX procedure emerging1.
- Seeking a sports medicine specialist is recommended if initial treatment does not improve symptoms1.
Understanding golfer’s elbow can help you manage elbow pain. We’ll look into causes, symptoms, and treatments. This way, you can ease your elbow pain and get back to full strength.
Understanding Golfer’s Elbow Tendonitis
Golfer’s elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis, is a type of tendinitis. It affects the tendons connecting the forearm muscles to the bony prominence on the inner side of the elbow3. This injury is caused by repeated muscle contractions in the forearm. It’s common in sports like golf, tennis, baseball, and weightlifting3.
What is Golfer’s Elbow Tendonitis?
Golfer’s elbow is an overuse injury. It involves the tendons attaching the forearm muscles to the bone on the inside of the elbow joint4. Medial epicondylitis, the technical term, is caused by tendon overuse. This happens through repetitive wrist flexion, forearm pronation, or gripping activities4.
Common Symptoms and Causes
Common symptoms include pain and tenderness on the inner elbow. You might also find it hard to grip objects and have less strength in your forearm and wrist4. The condition is usually caused by activities that involve bending, twisting, or gripping motions of the elbow and wrist3.
It’s not just for golfers. It can also affect those who play racket sports, engage in throwing sports, weight training, and forceful, repetitive occupational movements3.
Risk factors include being aged 40 or older, performing at least two hours of repetitive activity daily, being obese, and being a smoker3. Golfer’s Elbow is less common than Tennis Elbow. It affects both men and women equally, with the most common age group being 40-60 years old5.
To prevent golfer’s elbow, strengthen your forearm muscles and stretch before activity. Fix your form to avoid muscle overload. Use the right equipment and lift properly to reduce elbow force. Rest at the first sign of elbow pain3. If conservative treatments don’t work in 6 to 12 months, about 10% of cases may need surgery. But research shows only about 3% of patients need surgery after therapeutic injections4.
An analysis from 2007 to 2014 showed an increase in medial epicondylitis cases in the USA. It affected thousands of individuals during that time4.
Understanding the causes, symptoms, and risk factors of golfer’s elbow tendonitis is key. Seeking professional medical advice can help you find the right treatment plan for this common overuse injury3.
How do you treat golfer’s elbow tendonitis?
If you’re dealing with golfer’s elbow tendonitis, there are many ways to treat it. The first step is often rest and ice therapy6. Stay away from activities that make it worse and use ice packs on your elbow for 15-20 minutes, several times a day. This can help lessen the pain and swelling7.
Rest and Ice Therapy
Resting the area and using over-the-counter meds like ibuprofen or naproxen can also help6. Cold therapy is advised, with ice applied for 10 to 15 minutes every 2 to 3 hours to reduce swelling7.
Medication and Injections
Corticosteroid injections might be used to cut down inflammation. But, they don’t offer long-term benefits and could harm the healing process6. A newer option is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. It involves injecting a solution made from your own blood platelets into the injured area to help it heal6.
If your symptoms don’t get better or get worse in six weeks, see a healthcare professional6. Getting a quick diagnosis and the right treatment is crucial for managing golfer’s elbow tendonitis and getting back to your usual activities8.
Physical Therapy and Exercises
Physical therapy and exercises are key to treating golfer’s elbow tendonitis9. Stretching and strengthening exercises, like eccentric exercises, help the muscles heal faster9. These exercises should get harder over time to work best9. Manual therapy, like active and passive exercises, can also be part of treatment10.
Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
Therapeutic exercises for epicondylitis should last 6 to 12 weeks9. Do wrist extension and flexion stretches five times, four times a day9. Start with 1 lb dumbbells and go up to 3 lbs for strengthening9.
Do 30 reps of strengthening exercises daily, 5 to 7 days a week9. Stress ball squeeze and finger stretches should be done 10 times a day, 5 to 7 days a week9.
Slowly getting back to normal activities while keeping up with exercises is crucial for recovery10. Exercises like eccentric/concentric wrist flexion and hammer pronation/supination are often used109.
Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) and medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow) are common from overuse910. Most golfer’s elbow comes from overuse, not sports10. Physical therapy can treat golfer’s elbow without surgery or injections, and it’s often better than other treatments10.
Techniques like spinal manipulation and movement with mobilization help treat golfer’s elbow10. Studies have looked into who gets tennis and golfer’s elbow and why10.
Alternative Treatments and Therapies
While physical therapy and exercises are key, some other treatments can help too11. Wearing braces or bandages around the elbow or forearm can ease tendon strain11. They offer extra support11. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) uses sound waves to warm and improve blood flow. It’s shown promise, but more research is needed11.
Acupuncture and Massage
Acupuncture and certain massage techniques, like transverse friction massage, might help with golfer’s elbow11. Though the proof is limited, they could ease pain and aid healing11. It’s wise to talk to a skilled practitioner to see if these could be good additions to your treatment11.
Combining rest, medication, physical therapy, and maybe alternative therapies might work best for golfer’s elbow12. Be patient and work with your healthcare provider to find the best plan for you12.
Conclusion
Golfer’s elbow tendonitis is a common injury that can hurt a lot and make daily tasks hard13. It affects 10% to 20% of all cases and is found in 0.4% of people13. But, there’s good news: there are effective treatments14.
Knowing what causes it, like too much use or stress on the tendons14, helps a lot. Recognizing symptoms early lets you take action to manage it.
Rest, ice, over-the-counter meds, and physical therapy can help a lot14. For severe cases, you might need braces, bandages, or injections14. But, with rest and therapy, most people get better in a few months15.
Following a good treatment plan and making lifestyle changes can help a lot14. This way, you can manage golfer’s elbow and go back to your daily life with little trouble13. Early action and treatment are crucial for a good recovery.