What’s the difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow?
4 min read
Asked by: Fred Fields
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 can you tell the difference between tennis and golfers 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.
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.
How do you know if you have golfers elbow?
Golfer’s elbow
- Pain and tenderness. Usually felt on the inner side of your elbow, the pain sometimes extends along the inner side of your forearm. …
- Stiffness. Your elbow may feel stiff, and making a fist might hurt.
- Weakness. You may have weakness in your hands and wrists.
- Numbness or tingling.
What is the fastest way to fix golfers elbow?
Try the following:
- Rest. Put your golf game or other repetitive activities on hold until the pain is gone. …
- 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. …
- Use a brace. …
- 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.
Where does it hurt when you have tennis elbow?
The muscles and tendons become sore from excessive strain. Symptoms include pain, burning, or an ache along the outside of the forearm and elbow. It gets worse and may spread down to the wrist if the person continues the activity that causes the condition. The grip may become weak.
Will golfers elbow go away 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.
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.
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.
Is Deep heat good for golfers elbow?
Heat actually promotes the flow of blood in your body by relaxing and expanding your muscles. That extra blood flow will help strengthen the healing process and promote an elbow that is relatively free of pain in a short period of time.
Is it OK to lift weights with golfers elbow?
What exercises should you avoid with golfer’s elbow? While rehabbing, try not to aggravate your injury with movements that involve engaging the muscles in your forearm. Golfer’s elbow exercises to avoid include: Heavy lifting, especially in a palm-up position.
Do braces work for golfers elbow?
If you have medial epicondylitis, better known as golfer’s elbow, wearing a special brace around your forearm can help with symptoms.
Would a compression sleeve help with golfers elbow?
These products also can help disperse forces in the elbow and forearm that aggravate the area. In the short-term, braces and compression sleeves can help alleviate tennis elbow pain. But once the brace or compression sleeve is removed, and movement resumes, discomfort returns.
Is ice or heat better for golfers elbow?
Apply ice or heat therapy.
Brown explains that if the pain is occurring within the first 72 hours, ice therapy (such as an ice pack) could help alleviate pain from the affected area. However, if the pain is chronic and recurring, heat therapy (such as a heating pad), would be the preferred method.
