Are you experiencing pain or tenderness on the inside of your elbow? If you answered ‘yes’, you may have an injury called Golfer’s Elbow. Keep reading to find out more about how this injury occurs, the symptoms and what can be done to help you alleviate pain.
What is it?
Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylalgia) is an overuse injury associated with pain or tenderness on the bony surface of the inner elbow (medial epicondyle).
The group of muscles which bend the wrist and fingers all attach to the medial epicondyle (a bony protuberance on the inner side of the elbow) through a common tendon. If there is too much load through this tendon over a period of time, it can become very sore and weak.
What causes it?
You do not have to be a golfer to get this injury, but it is named after those golfers who in particular always take divots out of the grass. Golfer’s Elbow is generally a result of either repetitive, sustained or vigorous activities that involve bending the wrist (wrist flexion) or gripping. Common activities which can lead to Golfer’s elbow include:
- Typing
- Texting
- Stirring
- Badminton
- Weightlifting
- Wood Chopping
- Hammering
Symptoms will generally arise with a relatively sudden increase in activity, or even with a change in sports equipment (for example, new golf clubs) that result in a change in load for the elbow.
Common symptoms
You may experience pain or tenderness at the inner side of the elbow (medial epicondyle), which can even spread down the forearm slightly. This pain may present as an ache or, in worse cases, as a sharp pain.
It is common to feel the pain at rest, and also first thing in the morning upon waking. Symptoms can be aggravated by certain activities like weeding in the garden, picking up a kettle or carrying shopping bags.
How long does it take to get better?
If treatment is commenced in the early stages of the condition, it may resolve in as little as 4 to 6 weeks. If symptoms have persisted or worsened over a period of time before treatment is commenced, recovery may take as long as six months. The sooner we can start you on the path to recovery, the quicker your recovery will likely be.
How do we get it better?
Treatment for Golfer’s Elbow usually includes any combination of soft tissue massage, electrotherapy, acupuncture, and specific exercises to ease the symptoms and strengthen the elbow. Certain activities may need to be modified temporarily or ceased to allow proper recovery, but our aim is to get you back to what you love doing as soon as possible!
Are you experiencing the symptoms of Golfer’s Elbow? Contact BodyViva today, to find out we can help you live a pain-free life.
