Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow: Prevention and Recovery
Understanding lateral and medial epicondylitis, and effective strategies for treatment and prevention.
Overcoming Elbow Pain from Overuse Injuries
You reach for your coffee cup and a sharp pain shoots through your elbow. Opening a jar becomes an ordeal. Even shaking hands feels uncomfortable. If your elbow has been bothering you, you might be dealing with tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, two frustratingly common conditions that, despite their names, have nothing to do with whether you play sports.
Understanding these conditions helps you prevent them in the first place and recover more effectively when they occur.
What Is Actually Happening in Your Elbow
Tennis elbow, known medically as lateral epicondylitis, affects the outside of your elbow. It involves the tendons that extend your wrist and fingers, and pain typically flares with gripping, lifting, and twisting motions. Golfer’s elbow, or medial epicondylitis, affects the inside of your elbow and involves the tendons that flex your wrist. Pain shows up with gripping and activities that bend your wrist downward.
Both conditions develop when these tendons become irritated and begin to break down from repetitive stress.
The Real Causes May Surprise You
Despite the sporty names, most cases have nothing to do with tennis or golf. The most common culprits include repetitive computer mouse and keyboard use, manual labor like painting, plumbing, or carpentry, gardening and yard work, cooking and food preparation, and yes, sometimes racquet sports or golf, usually due to improper technique.
Recognizing the Problem
You might notice pain at the elbow that radiates into your forearm. Grip strength often weakens noticeably. Specific movements become painful, like lifting a coffee cup, turning doorknobs, or shaking hands. The bony bump on the affected side of your elbow feels tender to touch. Typically, symptoms worsen with activity and improve with rest.
Finding Lasting Relief
Rehabilitation usually begins with load management: modify aggravating tasks without unnecessarily stopping all activity. A progressive exercise program can rebuild the forearm tendon’s capacity; eccentric exercise is one option rather than a uniquely superior method. Manual therapy may provide short-term symptom relief for some people, while exercise and task changes build longer-term tolerance.
Acupuncture or dry needling may be considered for short-term pain relief, but evidence is mixed and these treatments have not been shown to heal the tendon through reduced inflammation or improved circulation.
Home care may include brief ice for comfort, a trial of a counterforce brace, ergonomic changes, and breaks from repetitive gripping. A brace should not cause numbness or increased pain.
Preventing Future Problems
- Strengthen your forearm muscles before they become problematic
- Use proper technique in sports and manual activities
- Take breaks during repetitive tasks
- Stretch regularly after activities involving gripping
- Address early warning signs before they become chronic
What to Expect from Recovery
Recovery time varies from weeks to many months, especially when symptoms have been present for a long time. Seek prompt assessment after trauma, for deformity, inability to move the elbow, marked weakness, persistent numbness, or a red, hot, swollen joint with fever.
Schedule an assessment at Health Craft Clinic for a personalized loading plan.