Golfer’s Elbow
Golfer’s elbow is a form of tendonitis that causes pain and inflammation in the tendons that connect the forearm to the elbow. The pain centers on the bony bump on the inside of your elbow and may radiate into the forearm. It usually gets better with rest. The medical term is medial epicondylitis.
Golfer’s elbow isn’t as well-known as tennis elbow. While both are forms of elbow tendinitis, tennis elbow stems from damage to tendons on the outside of the elbow, while golfer's elbow is caused by tendons on the inside. Golfer’s elbow is less common.
Golfer’s Elbow Symptoms
With golfer’s elbow, the pain you have can happen suddenly or with time. If you have golfer’s elbow, you might have:
Stiffness in your elbow
Tenderness and pain, usually on the inner side of your elbow or the inner side of your forearm, but you could have pain with certain movements, like making a fist or swinging a golf club
Tingling or numbness in your fingers (usually the ring and little fingers)
Weakness in your hands and wrists
Golfer’s Elbow Causes
Golfer’s elbow is usually caused by overusing the muscles in your forearm, which lets you grip, rotate your arm, and flex your wrist. Repetitive flexing, gripping, or swinging can cause pulls or tiny tears in the tendons.
Despite the name, this condition doesn’t just affect golfers. Any hand, wrist, or forearm motions that you do often can lead to golfer’s elbow. Things that can lead to golfer’s elbow besides golfing include:
Sports that use a racket, like tennis. Not using the right techniques when playing or using them incorrectly can hurt your tendon. If you’re using a racket that’s too light or too heavy, that can also cause golfer’s elbow.
Sports that rely on lots of throwing movements, like archery, baseball, bowling, football, javelin throwing, and softball. Pitching a ball incorrectly for example, can lead to golfer’s elbow, too. In fact, it's sometimes called pitcher’s elbow.
Repetitive movements. If you’re a carpenter, painter, plumber, or you work in construction, you can get golfer’s elbow. Lots of forceful, repeating motions can cause it.
Weight training. If you don’t use the right technique for lifting weights, you can overwork your elbow’s tendons and muscles.
People may also get it from using tools like screwdrivers and hammers, raking, or painting.