Golfer's Elbow - what it is

'Golfer's Elbow' or Medial Epicondylitis, is a musculoskeletal condition which causes pain on the inside of the elbow.

This pain usually starts around the bony bump which is where the muscles that bend your wrist and fingers come from, and can progress into the forearm muscles. The pain is due to damage to the tendons which attach the muscles to the bone. This damage can be degenerative, in that it can occur over several years, or due to a sudden injury. However is more often due to a change in load to the tendons, for example you decide to take up a new hobby or sport which involves more gripping or wrist bending, and this overloads the tendons. 

Golfer's Elbow is often confused with Tennis Elbow. Tennis Elbow is a very similar condition, which occurs on the outside of the elbow. Both conditions can be see together, and they are not limited to playing golf or tennis.

Golfer's elbow is most often seen in working aged people who have work tasks or hobbies which involve repetitive or prolonged clenching of the fist (gripping) and bending and straightening of the wrist. Some activities which can cause Golfer's Elbow include; painting, hammering, using power tools, playing tennis and golf, even knitting.

Symptoms include;

• pain on the inside of the elbow,
• tenderness in the forearm muscles (particularly on gripping, but sometimes even during light everyday activities like turning a door knob or shaking hands)
  
• weakness in gripping
• sometimes people get pins & needles or tingling in the little & ring fingers and little finger side of the hand.
  

If you think you have Golfer's Elbow, come and see us. We won't give you 'passive' treatments week after week. We will educate you how to manage the symptoms yourself, so that you can spend your time doing the things you enjoy pain free.