Read on to learn more about the causes and symptoms of golfer’s elbow, and how it is treated.
What causes golfer’s elbow?
Firstly, you don’t have to be an avid golfer to develop it! It’s an overuse injury caused by any repetitive movement of the wrist, hand and forearm.
Besides overdoing it on the golf course, what are the types of activities that may cause golfer’s elbow?
- Racket sports like tennis or squash – gripping a racket that is too heavy or too light. Make sure you check your technique as well.
- Weight training with poor technique causes you to overwork the tendons and muscles of the arms.
- Ball sports: repeatedly throwing a ball in sports such as bowling, softball and baseball.
- Manual labour: painting, plumbing, and construction work that involves forceful and repetitive movements cause golfer’s elbow. Doing repetitive work using tools like hammers or screwdrivers may also cause it.
- Computer work: frequently typing on a keyboard and using a mouse with a poor ergonomic set up.
What are the symptoms of golfer’s elbow?
There are some common symptoms you may experience if you have golfer’s elbow. It’s worth noting that the pain develops over weeks or months, often starting out as pain in the inner elbow.
You might experience pain and tenderness that radiates from the inside of the elbow down the forearm. Your elbow may be stiff or difficult to move. Although rare, there may be numbness or tingling in your fingers, or weakness in the hand and wrist also.
How is golfer’s elbow treated?
Most of the time this condition is managed at home, following simple steps used to treat tendon injuries:
Rest your arm: this one’s important! You need to give the tendon a break for a few days so that it has a chance to heal. Avoid any activity that makes the pain worse. You can gradually re-introduce these activities once the pain is under control.
