How Does A Non-Golfer Get Golfer’s Elbow?

Table of Contents

Related Articles

Golfer’s elbow refers to a painful condition of the inner side of the elbow. The cause of the pain is usually overuse of the forearm muscles attached to the elbow. These muscles work to bend the wrist and rotate the forearm. Despite the name, it also afflicts non-golfers.

Golfer's Elbow
Anatomy of Golfer’s Elbow

Any repetitive wrist flexion activity (bending towards the palm side of your hand) can lead to the development of the golfer’s elbow; activities such as golf, tennis, badminton, or games that involve repetitive throwings such as cricket and netball.

Symptoms Of Golfer’s Elbow

The main symptom of a golfer’s elbow is pain on the inside of the elbow. In addition,

  • The pain is felt either on or around the bony part and sometimes spreads down the forearm.
  • The pain is usually worse with wrist bending or grasping/lifting activities. Sometimes fully straightening the elbow is difficult because of pain.
  • There may be a tingling sensation, or numbness on the inside of the forearm and the last 2 fingers, and is usually worse with or after activities.
  • Over time, grip strength weakens.

Treatment For Golfer’s Elbow

The management of the golfer’s elbow starts with pain control, followed by soft tissue therapy, conditioning of the affected muscles and followed by correction of technical faults.

Pain Control & Soft Tissue Therapy

This is the first stage. Before we proceed with the other stages of treatment, the pain needs to be under control. The initial pain and inflammation control is usually achieved by rest, icing, and the use of anti-inflammatory medication (see RICER). This happens within the first 1-2 weeks. Physiotherapy treatments such as ultrasound, myofascial release & taping are helpful too.

Conditioning Of The Affected Muscles

When pain and inflammation are under control, the stiff muscles need to be released by heat treatment, massage, and stretching exercises. (pictures) Strengthening exercises should start with pain-free movements. Important movements are gripping, bending of the wrist, and turning of the forearm. The good posture of the body and shoulders is important during exercises.

For those who experience tingling or numbness of the forearm and fingers, it is because the nerve passing through the affected muscles is irritated, either by direct compression of the muscles or by the chemicals released from the inflammation of the muscles. In this case, it is necessary to gently mobilize the nerve to assist with better healing (see picture).

Functional Recovery

Technical fault in movements varies depending on the different requirements of the individuals. For example, for those who play racquet sports, good wrist control during strokes are crucial to prevent overuse injury.

A good technique is one in which the wrist stays neutral (bent neither to the palm nor the opposite) during strokes. Return to sports should be paced to the tolerance of the muscles, and improvement of techniques and fitness.

Experiencing Golfer’s elbow or wrist pain? Click here to find out more about physiotherapy for elbow or wrist pain relief and how Core Concepts can help you.