Golfer’s Elbow

There’s a commonly held misconception that golfer’s elbow is exclusive to golfers. Unfortunately, the condition has a farther reach than just that. Golfer’s elbow can affect anyone who partakes in repetitive hand, wrist, or forearm movements.

Other than golf, for example, there are plenty of sports that involve these kinds of movements, including tennis, baseball, and bowling. In fact, another common name for golfer’s elbow is pitcher’s elbow.

Of course, outside of the sports world, there are other facets of life that involve repetitive motions of these body parts. For instance, golfer’s elbow is also known to affect people who regularly use screwdrivers, paintbrushes, and rakes.

Much like its more well-known brother—tennis elbow—golfer’s elbow is a form of tendinitis. Tendinitis is a nasty injury that involves the inflammation or agitation of a tendon (the structure in the body that attaches muscles to bones). Specifically, with golfer’s elbow, the tendons in question are responsible for connecting the elbow to the forearm. The pain from this condition originates from the epicondyles, which are the bony bumps at the bottom of the humerus. Exerting the fingers or twisting the wrist will cause irritation to these structures, which leads to discomfort.

If you suspect that you have golfer’s elbow, then you should contact NJ Spine & Orthopedic at (855) 586-2615. While it may be true that the primary mode of treatment for this condition is pain medication and rest, a trained professional will be able to give you further advice on how to address your injury. For example, there are highly specific strengthening and flexibility exercises for golfer’s elbow that our doctors will be able to prescribe to you.

Golfer’s Elbow Causes & Risk Factors

Being a tendonitis injury, we know that golfer’s elbow occurs due to repetitive strain on certain body parts—in this case, your wrists and fingers. Aside from exerting too much force on these structures on a regular basis, you may also find yourself with golfer’s elbow if you exhibit the following:

• Improper lifting or throwing techniques
• Do not warm up your wrists and fingers appropriately (or at all)
• Exposure to certain stressors on certain structures
• Participation in sports that strain your wrists and fingers, like:
  • Racket sports
  • Football
  • Javelin throwing
  • Baseball and softball
• Work certain jobs, such as construction and carpentry

But, maybe you don’t play sports at all. Sadly, golfer’s elbow may find you at the gym as well. For example, if you like to lift heavy weights, you can easily injure the tendons in question. Especially if you neglect to use proper lifting technique.

For instance, a common mistake made by inexperienced weightlifters is curling the wrists while working out the biceps. This applies unnecessary stress to both the elbow muscles and the adjacent tendons.

Of course, for muscle in your body, you can be guaranteed that there is at least one occupation out there that involves repetitive stress to that specific structure. You use your wrists and fingers to accomplish a lot of different tasks. In other words, golfer’s elbow has a way of finding you even if you don’t exercise or play sports.

Additionally, you may be at a higher risk of developing the condition if:

• You smoke
• Are at least 40
• Are overweight