Curing Golfers Elbow

Last week we focused on what Tennis elbow was and how we can get it “on the mend”. This week, we are going to take a look at the inverse – golfers elbow and explain how you can treat it. Both these elbow problems occur frequently to baseball players due to overuse, strain, and the repetitive motions found in pitching and batting.

What is Golfer Elbow?

Golfer’s Elbow, known as Epicondylitis, causes the inner side of the elbow joint to feel tender and painful – you are more prone to this condition when involved in throwing motions (or playing golf), yet those with manual occupations can also be affected.

The affected tendon is the common flexor tendon which attaches the flexor muscles of the forearm to the inner side of the elbow. These muscles have a myriad of responsibilities from throwing to allowing your fingers to curl up. Golfers elbow occurs due to microscopic tears that cause the tendon to degenerate. The condition becomes chronic or long-lasting if the tendon that attaches to the bone calcifies – and in rare cases, larger tears can develop causing more issues. The vast majority of cases, however, are not serious and can be self-managed.

Symptoms include pain and tenderness on the inner side of the elbow. Pain is usually felt just over the bone and is triggered by gripping, squeezing, or pulling. The symptoms are extremely telling which means no extra investigation is usually required.

How Can You Manage the Symptoms?

If the elbow is sore after physical activity, apply ice for 15 minutes every few hours. We highly recommend you follow our tips on PRICE that can be found by clicking this link.

Most cases of Golfer’s Elbow can be managed just by modifying activities. That may mean, depending on the severity of pain, you must stop playing and or training until your physician or physio gives you the go-ahead to get back on the field. A small number of more severe cases may require a steroid injection. In very rare cases surgery may be necessary.

Anatomically guided Corticosteroid injections can also be a solution. This involves steroids being injected around the tendon and its insertion into the bone. Although this is minimally invasive, there are risks and possible side-effects you should consider with your physician. 

If you have suffered from Golfer’s elbow, please contact us at Mount Sinai Department of Rehabilitative Medicine for a bespoke rehab plan. Contact our switchboard on: (212) 241-6321

The PRICE We Pay for Playing Sports

Injuries can occur during sports even if we take all the preventative steps to shield ourselves from them. There are some steps we can take to minimize damage to an injury by following 5 steps after the impact and throughout rehabilitation – this procedure is an acronym: PRICE or RICE. Please note, this process works for relatively small tears and sprains - if you have sustained a serious injury you will need to go to the accident and emergency.

Protection

The P in Price stands for protection. After suffering a strain or localized damage during a sporting bout make sure you protect the area afterwards. Ensure no more harm comes to it and begin your recovery process immediately.

Protection usually becomes more relevant when the pain has ceased to be noticeable, but the area is still sensitive to damage. It is easy to forget about and therefore easily damaged again. Make sure to protect sensitive areas.

You can purchase area specific padding to protect damaged areas – for example – if you cycle to work and are recovering from serious knee damage – you should make sure you have a knee pad.

Rest

The R in Price stands for Rest. After sustaining damage to a ligament or joint you will need to stop aggravating the area - it is important to avoid activities that cause pain. Ideally, lie down in a comfortable position to minimize bleeding, swelling and further damage. Rest may also include the use of crutches, a protective brace, or tape/sling.

You should look to rest the damaged area as soon as possible after damage has occurred.

Ice

The I in Price stands for Ice. You should ice the injured area for 10-20 minutes every 2 hours. Use an ice pack or a makeshift “crushed-ice-in-tea-towel” to help reduce inflammation of the damaged area. Do not ice an area for extremely long lengths of time as inappropriate icing can sometimes make an injury worse rather than better.

The sooner after the impact you begin icing the better (and faster) your recovery will be.

Compression

The C in PRICE stands for Compression. After the incident you can use compression bandages to minimize swelling. If on applying compression you experience a change of colour, pins and needles, or any colour change in your extremities then the bandage is too tight, and you or the physio will need to loosen it. Ensure you remove the band before you go to sleep.

Elevation

The C in PRICE stands for Elevation. Immediately after the area has been iced and compressed you should raise the injured area above your heart – reducing blood flow to the damaged area – which minimizes bleeding and swelling. Ideally, you should elevate the limb whilst undergoing the rest of the procedure – but this can be tricky and prove to be more trouble than it’s worth.

You can continue to elevate the area in your day-to-day life to aid the limb in recovering.

PRICE is a reactionary therapy which seeks to minimize damage after impact or damage on small tears and sprains. As aforementioned, it is not a method to deal with serious damage such as a broken arm.

If you have suffered from a sports-related injury or would like to discuss a bespoke plan, please contact us at Mount Sinai Department of Rehabilitative Medicine. Contact our switchboard on: (212) 241-6321