What is the difference between golfers and tennis elbow?

Asked by: David Gaines

In laymen’s terms, tennis elbow is inflammation on the end of the outer elbow, and golfer’s elbow is inflammation on the end of the inner elbow. Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis affects the outer or lateral side of your elbow. These are the muscles you use to bend your wrist backward and straighten your fingers.

How do I know if I have tennis or golfer’s elbow?

Tennis elbow presents with pain and tenderness experienced on the outside of your elbow, while golfer’s elbow can be felt on the inside of your elbow and down your arm. Golfer’s elbow can also cause numbness or tingling in your fingers.

What does golfers elbow pain feel like?

Usually felt on the inner side of your elbow, the pain sometimes extends along the inner side of your forearm. Pain typically worsens with certain movements. Stiffness. Your elbow may feel stiff, and making a fist might hurt.

Can you have tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow at the same time?

It is possible to get both Tennis and Golfer’s elbow at the same time. Left alone the symptoms from “epicondylitis” will often resolve or become dramatically worse over time. Unfortunately, the timeframe to recovery is often some months, recovery is not universal and may only be partial.

How do you treat tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow?

Cold: The elbow is regularly cooled with ice packs. Massages: A massage technique called “transverse friction massage” is often used to treat tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. It is applied to the tendons and the muscles, using the tips of one or two fingers. Surgery: Different surgical approaches are used.

What is the fastest way to fix golfers elbow?

Try the following:

1. Rest. Put your golf game or other repetitive activities on hold until the pain is gone. …
2. Ice the affected area. Apply ice packs to your elbow for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three to four times a day for several days. …
3. Use a brace. …
4. Stretch and strengthen the affected area.

What happens if golfers elbow goes untreated?

When you repeatedly use your wrist and arm to bend, grasp or twist things, your tendons develop tiny tears that can cause wrist, elbow and forearm pain. Left untreated, golfer’s elbow could cause permanent damage like limiting your elbow’s range of motion, causing chronic pain and weakening your grip.

What can be mistaken for golfers elbow?

Both tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow can cause severe discomfort as you use your hands to grasp, lift or twist objects. They also have similar causes, effects and treatments, but they impact different areas of the elbow — either the inner area or the outer area.

Will golfers elbow heal on its own?

Most of the time, golfer’s elbow will go away without any special treatment. But you should manage it like any other overuse injury: Apply ice to your elbow for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times per day. Rest the injured elbow from aggravating activities.

Where is golfer’s elbow pain felt?

Medial epicondylitis is also known as golfer’s elbow, baseball elbow, suitcase elbow, or forehand tennis elbow. It’s characterized by pain from the elbow to the wrist on the inside (medial side) of the elbow. The pain is caused by damage to the tendons that bend the wrist toward the palm.

How can I get rid of tennis elbow fast?

Your doctor may recommend the following self-care measures:

1. Rest. Avoid activities that aggravate your elbow pain.
2. Pain relievers. Try over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or naproxen (Aleve).
3. Ice. Apply ice or a cold pack for 15 minutes three to four times a day.
4. Technique.

How long does Golfers elbow take to heal?

The good news is that golfer’s elbow often heals on its own. Since it is a repetitive strain injury, the main factor affecting your healing is time away from the repetitive motion that caused the problem. How much time? Six weeks or so seems to be adequate.

Does tennis elbow ever go away?

What is the prognosis (outlook) for people who have tennis elbow? Approximately 95% of people with tennis elbow get better with nonsurgical treatments. Afterward, they can resume activities. It may take six to 18 months for symptoms to go away.

Does squeezing a ball help tennis elbow?

There are many treatment options for tennis elbow, but the best place to start is with strengthening and stretching exercises. The following exercises focus on slow, deliberate motions. Squeezing a stress ball can improve grip strength. Eventually, you can graduate to using a hand grip strengthener.

Is heat or cold better for tennis elbow?

Although applying cold to your elbow will help alleviate some pain, heat is better for the long-term care of tennis elbow. Why? Heat actually promotes the flow of blood in your body by relaxing and expanding your muscles.