Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow

Out of these two sports, it doesn’t matter which you play. If you’re playing with poor form, you can be susceptible to tennis or golfer’s elbow. There are many other sports, hobbies, and professions that can also cause these conditions.  The key is to seek treatment early to prevent it from getting worse when it’ll be more difficult to get rid of.

The cause for tennis and golfer’s elbow is the same; repetitive stress and overuse. When this happens, the tendons of the muscles can pull away from the lining of the bone causing pain and irritation.  This can also create micro tears in the fibers of the tendons causing inflammation.  Once this becomes chronic, the name becomes relevant to signify which muscles are affected.  Below you will read the similarities and differences between these painful afflictions.

Symptoms:

  • Pain at the bony part on the outside of the elbow

  • Pain when twisting and bending of arm and wrist (opening a jar or doorknob)

  • Pain when extending arm

  • Weakened grip

Muscles Affected:

  • Forearm extensor muscles

Overused Muscle Action:

  • Extension of wrist (pulling the hand back ie: hand signal to stop traffic)

  • Gripping and twisting actions

Who Gets It:

  • Tennis players or any sort of racket sport

  • Golfers

  • Carpenters, plumbers, mechanics (people who use hand tools)

  • Painters

  • Butchers or chefs (cutting with knives)

  • Musicians

  • Assembly line workers

Golfer’s Elbow (medial epicondylitis)

Symptoms:

  • Pain or tenderness on the inside of your elbow

  • Pain is worse when gripping things

  • General weakness in the wrist

  • Gets worse over time

Muscles Affected:

  • Forearm flexor muscles

Overused Muscle Action:

  • Flexion of the wrist (bending wrist towards your forearm)

  • Rotating the forearm inwards

  • Gripping things

Who Gets It:

  • Golfers

  • Baseball pitchers

  • Tennis players or any sort of racquet sport

  • Keyboard and mouse users (most office workers)

  • Carpenters

  • Any profession or hobby where grip strength is important

DIY Treatments

Rest -While it should go without saying; if it hurts, don’t do it!

Ice -This will cut down on inflammation which will help to decrease pain

Elbow Brace

The compression gel pad is designed to alleviate your forearm’s stress and fatigue while protecting your tendon from further pain.

Strengthen with Flex Therapy Bars

These help strengthen the forearm muscles to decrease the pull and tension at the elbow.  This can be used for both tennis and golfer’s elbow.  The exercises will be slightly different for each, with easy-to-follow directions included.

Pro-tip: You can also use the flex bar as a mini foam roller for your forearm! ;-)

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