Tennis Elbow vs. Golfer’s Elbow: What Racket Athletes Need to Know
What is medial & lateral epicondylitis?
Epicondylitis is a fancy word for elbow pain. It can occur on the inside or outside of the elbow, categorizing it as medial or lateral epicondylitis.
What causes epicondylitis?
Epicondylitis is caused by the overuse of muscles and/or tendons in the forearm subsequently causing pain and irritation. The overuse can be a result of repetitive movements required in sports like tennis, pickleball, or golf. Overuse can happen gradually over time, or acutely after an intense racket sport session.
Poor mechanics can also lead to overuse. If the body is compensating due to fatigue, weakness, or hasn’t fully recovered from the last workout then overuse can result.
As a golf or rack sport enthusiast, knowing how and why epicondylitis happens can help you recognize when to implement strengthening and rest strategies to keep your longevity in the sport.
What’s the Difference?
Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow): Pain on the outside of the elbow, common in tennis players, rock climbers, and activities that require repetitive gripping or extending the wrist.
Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow): Pain on the inside of the elbow, common in golfers, and those using repetitive wrist flexion.
Both of these conditions can affect more than just the sport they are named after. Activities of daily life can be affected such as cooking and cleaning that require gripping and wrist motion. Other sports like skiing and hiking also require gripping onto poles. So just stopping golf or tennis won’t necessarily solve the problem.
How to Prevent & Manage Epicondylitis
Recognizing early signs of pain is important to be able to modify activity and implement strategies to get back to playing pain free! If you start to notice tension, pain, or irritation at your elbows, consider the following advice:
Modify Activity & Load
Proper warm-ups and cooldowns specific for the elbow and your sport help your body prepare for the workload ahead, and prevent stiffness after your workout.
Adequate rest and recovery time between training sessions allows the body to repair micro tears to muscle as you build strength.
Strength & Stability Training
Consider exercises to build endurance in forearm muscles, and stability in the shoulder. This will give your body the proper strength required for your sport and decrease the body’s need to compensate. When the body compensates, our movement mechanics break down putting us at higher risk for injury.
Core stability is important for your body to have a strong foundation to move from and have support for primary muscles use in your swing.
Manual Therapy & Recovery Techniques
Soft tissue work can be done by self-massage to the injured muscles.
Stretching and mobility drills for the forearm and wrist can help relieve tension in the elbow.
When to Seek Professional Help for Your Elbow Pain
If you have tried some techniques on your own and haven’t has success, it may be time to consult with a physical therapist. A physical therapist will do a full assessment to determine the root cause of the symptoms and address their findings. Their treatment approach may include the following:
Movement re-education for poor mechanics
Exercise prescription tailored to weakness found on evaluation
A return to sports plan if pain has sidelined you. (For more information on how to return to activity after injury check out: Tips for safely returning to activity after injury.)
Manual Therapy
Soft tissue work, muscle scraping, nerve flossing, cupping, and/or dry needling
Discuss the use of wearing a brace short term
Keep Moving Without Pain
It is important to take care of small issues before they become bigger problems. The earlier you take care of the problem, the less likely you are to sit out your sport!
How you can work with me
If you are local to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and would like to work with me, book a free discovery call!
