Golfer’s Elbow by Richard Grier

Are you an avid golfer or even just taken up the sport and you're getting some elbow pain?
Golfer’s Elbow is the basic name given to Medial Epicondylitis, a condition which causes pain on the inside of the elbow but can spread to the forearm and wrist overtime.

Medial epicondylitis means inflammation of the site at which some of our wrist flexor muscles attach, overuse of these muscles can lead to inflammation of this area. if the wrist flexors are weak it can increase the chance of developing medial epicondylitis.

Who can get it?

Anyone can get medial epicondylitis but it is prevalent in golfers, baseball players, tennis players and labourers, all of the above have high repetitions of wrist flexion at heavy loads.

Why am I at risk?

You may have just started a new activity and which your body has not experienced before, sudden onset of activity can increase the likelihood of developing a chronic condition like medial epicondylitis. You may be weak in certain areas of the wrist, forearm or shoulder which puts extra load on the point of pain.

What can I do?

Step one is to manage your pain, decrease your activity and ice your elbow, Anti-inflammatories may also help you.
Step two come see us for an exact diagnosis of your injury and best advice, we can identify the root cause and best treatment/ rehab for you. more often than not the pain is due to overly tight forearm muscles which are also tight.

Treatment?

Dry needling and soft tissue release of the forearm can have great effects at relieving you of tightness and pain. Shockwave therapy, exclusively available in our Galway City clinic can be used directly on the site of pain at the inside of the elbow and is proven to help decrease pain and inflammation around the area. if you are keen to continue your daily activity you may find that an elbow brace can help your pain by off loading the tendon. In extreme cases a corticosteroid injection may be used to settle inflammation.

By Richard Grier, Athletic Therapist