Alabama is widely known for its golf courses designed to accommodate players of all levels, as well as avid fans. Unfortunately, lots of golf typically means lots of opportunity to develop a common golf-related problem called golfer’s elbow — or medically, medial epicondylitis.
Pain along the inside of the elbow can make gripping a club uncomfortable and even affect everyday activities, like lifting a coffee cup, buttoning a shirt, or shaking hands.
At Powell Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Thomas E. Powell, MD, and his team are skilled at diagnosing and treating golfer’s elbow, helping patients overcome their injuries and relieve their symptoms, whether they injured their elbow during golf play or as a result of another overuse injury. Here’s why prompt treatment is so important.
To understand why golfer’s elbow happens, you need to know a bit about elbow anatomy. Your elbow joint is a hinge joint that forms where the upper arm bone (humerus) meets the lower arm bones (radius and ulna). Elbow movement is facilitated by tendons that join to bony prominences called the epicondyles.
Your elbow contains lateral tendons that join to the outer side of the joint, and medial tendons that join to the inner side of the joint. Medial epicondylitis happens when the median tendons become irritated and inflamed, particularly near or at their junction with the epicondyle.
The medial tendons help control wrist flexion and forearm movement, each of which is critical to gripping and swinging a golf club. Overuse, improper technique, and sudden increases in activity can wind up overloading these tendons.
Over time, small tears develop, leading to pain, stiffness, and weakness in your forearm and wrist. It’s important to know that although medial epicondylitis is referred to as golfer’s elbow, other repetitive activities can cause similar symptoms, too.
Like other overuse and repetitive use injuries, golfer’s elbow responds best to early treatment, not only to relieve painful symptoms, but to prevent the underlying problem from getting worse. Ignoring symptoms can lead to larger tears and other joint damage that in turn increase the risk of developing permanent loss of joint function.
In most cases, initial treatment focuses on reducing pain and inflammation with rest, activity modification, application of ice, and over-the-counter medicines designed to relieve pain and inflammation.
Physical therapy is often a key part of recovery, too, especially to help regain function so you can get back to the game you love. Stretching and strengthening exercises help improve flexibility, restore muscle balance, and reduce joint strain during movement.
In more advanced cases, we may recommend bracing, injections, or even minimally-invasive treatments to repair and restore the joint and the tissues that support it.
Preventing golfer’s elbow involves addressing both physical conditioning and technique. Strengthening the forearm, wrist, and shoulder muscles can improve overall arm stability, distributing forces more evenly during a golf swing.
Proper warm-up before playing is also critical, preparing muscles and tendons for activity and reducing injury risk. As sports medicine specialists, we can help you improve your game and your swing with exercises and guidance tailored specifically to your needs.
Golfing is a great way to combine exercise with time in the great outdoors. With proper and prompt treatment, we can help you relieve golfer’s elbow and prevent it from happening in the future. To learn more, request an appointment online or over the phone with Powell Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, today.
