Tennis Elbow vs Golfer's Elbow

What is Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow? These similar conditions are common among athletes and people who work with their hands. Overuse or trauma are common causes. Inappropriate form or insufficient warm-up can increase your risk. If you experience pain when using your forearm muscles, especially when clenching or extending your fingers, it may be one of these conditions.

With proper treatment, you can relieve the symptoms of these disorders and resume your daily activities. On the other hand, ignoring or pushing your symptoms may worsen long-term effects. Over time, you may lose full range of motion, and the pain may become chronic or increase in severity. This is why seeking treatment is so important. Treatment is usually non-invasive and includes basic exercise and over-the-counter medications. However, in extreme cases, surgery may be required.

Is tennis elbow the same as golfer's elbow? While they do have some similarities, they also have some important differences. Knowing which disease you have can help you get the right treatment to relieve it. Here's a look at the identification and treatment of tennis elbow and golfer's elbow.

What is the difference between tennis elbow and golfer's elbow?

Both tennis elbow and golfer's elbow can cause severe discomfort when you grip, lift, or twist objects with your hands. They also have similar causes, effects, and treatments, but they affect different areas of the elbow—inner or outer.

Both conditions involve damage to the tendon in the forearm after overuse or trauma. Tendons connect your forearm muscles to your elbow bone. They work when you grasp, lift or twist objects. A weakened tendon means more pressure and can cause pain. The result could be tennis elbow or golfer's elbow. The technical term for tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis, while the technical name for golfer's elbow is medial epicondylitis.

Tennis Elbow vs Golfer's Elbow: Lateral Epicondylitis vs Medial Epicondylitis

Decoding these technical terms is simple. "Outside" is the medical word for "outside" and "inside" is the medical word for "inside". "Epicondylitis" is inflammation around the epicondyle -- the rough protrusions above the condyles of long bones. In layman's terms, tennis elbow is an inflammation of the end of the outer elbow, and golfer's elbow is an inflammation of the end of the inner elbow.

Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis affects the outside or outside of the elbow. These are the muscles you use to bend your wrist back and straighten your fingers. A golfer's elbow or medial epicondylitis affects the medial or inner side of the elbow. These muscles flex your wrist and make your fingers into a fist. Repetitive strain and overuse can cause both of these injuries.

Do I have tennis elbow or golfer's elbow?

If clenching your hand hurts, you may have golfer's elbow

Since these conditions affect different areas, you can feel the contrast between tennis and golfer's elbow pain. Ask yourself which movements are causing pain. If it hurts to hold your hand, it could be golfer's elbow. If you feel pain when you straighten your fingers, you may have tennis elbow.

Can someone have tennis elbow and golfer's elbow at the same time?

You can experience tennis and golfer's elbow at the same time. Certain activities involve heavy use of the outside and inside of the forearm. This is common among tennis players, golfers and rock climbers, as well as construction workers and plumbers. If you do have both, opening and closing your fingers can cause pain. Any exercise that involves the tendons of the forearm can be uncomfortable.

What is tennis elbow?

Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, involves the extensor carpi radialis brevis, a muscle that is used when extending the wrist. If you have this condition, you may have difficulty lifting, grasping, or grasping objects.

What are the common causes of tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is caused by overuse or trauma. You don't need to be a tennis player to end up with tennis elbow, though. In fact, you don't need to be an athlete at all. Any repetitive grasping or grasping activity can cause this problem. Some examples include:

• cut meat with a knife
  
• Use a hand-held tool such as a screwdriver or hammer
• painting or drawing
• Braided, knitted or crocheted

Any activity that involves grasping and repetitive movements can cause this condition. Also, direct blows or trauma may have the same effect. For example, if you support a heavy fall by flexing your wrist back and extending your fingers, you can suffer from tennis elbow.

Can Golf Cause Tennis Elbow?

Playing golf can cause tennis elbow, and playing tennis can cause golfer's elbow. These movements involve similar movements and activate the same muscles in the forearm. You can suffer any injury from participating in any sport.

Can you play golf with tennis elbow?

Since the two sports involve such similar movements, if you have tennis or golfer's elbows, it's best to take a break from both. Adequate rest and proper treatment can help minimize the long-term effects of sports injuries. Always prioritize your health and well-being.

What are tennis elbow symptoms?

If you have tennis elbow, you will feel pain and tenderness on the outside of your elbow. The pain may pass from the forearm to the hand, and your grip may be weaker than usual. Activities that may aggravate your discomfort include:

• lift object
  
• distorted object
• stretch out your fingers
• make a fist
• touch the outer elbow

What are the long-term effects of tennis elbow?

Without proper treatment, tennis elbow can become more than just uncomfortable. You may lose the full range of motion in your elbows, limiting your daily activities. In this case, you may need surgery to reverse the effects.

What are the common treatments for tennis elbow?

Rest and physical therapy exercises are common tennis or golf elbow treatments. Consult a professional before using any form of treatment. Here are some useful physical therapy exercises:

• Wrist extension: Place your palms face down on a flat surface. Extend your wrist and lift it off the surface. Hold an object to improve your strength.
  
• Wrist Flexion: This exercise is the same as the wrist extension, but with the palm facing up.
• Grip strengthening: To strengthen your grip, squeeze one stress ball at a time for a few seconds.

Continued strengthening and rest can help reduce the effects of tennis elbow. In addition to physical therapy, you may also need:

• Exercise tape: Simple exercise tape can reduce stress on the tendon.
  
• Brace or wrist splint: Your doctor may give you a brace or wrist splint as a stronger way to relieve stress.
• Ice packs: Use an ice pack to reduce pain-causing inflammation. Be sure to use fabric buffers to protect your skin from freezing damage.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs: Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs can help reduce pain. Always stick to the recommended dose. If pain persists, see a doctor.
• Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy: This injection therapy can speed up your body's healing. It involves centrifuging the patient's blood to concentrate the platelets and then reintroducing the now platelet-rich plasma into the blood.

Cortisone injections: If your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend cortisone injections.

Correct form: If bad form caused your condition, you may improve your technique to prevent it from happening again. You can change your grip or choose a different size grip.

Proper warm-up and hydration: Be sure to stretch before engaging in repetitive activities. Always stay hydrated. Proper preparation can reduce the likelihood of injury.

Surgery: In the most severe cases, you may need surgery to reverse the effects of tennis elbow.

What is a golfer's elbow?

Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, originates on the inside of the elbow rather than the outside. This is a common golf injury, but it also affects non-athletes.

What are the common causes of golfer's elbow?

Tennis elbow has much the same cause as golfer's elbow. Like tennis elbow, golfer's elbow is also caused by overuse or trauma. Sports related to gripping or throwing, such as baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, or bowling, can put you at risk for golfer's elbow, as do gripping and twisting tools. Any repetitive or vigorous activity involving the wrist or fingers can cause this condition.

What Are Golfer's Elbow Symptoms?

If you have golfer's elbow, you may experience pain in the "fun bone" or the indentation of the elbow. Certain movements, such as clenching your fists, can cause pain. Also, your hands and wrists may feel weak, numb, or tingling.

What are the long-term effects of a golfer's elbow?

What happens if a golfer's elbow goes untreated? The condition may get worse over time. Patients may experience reduced grip strength, chronic pain, or limited range of motion in the elbow. If the pain persists or is severe, it is important to see a golfer's elbow doctor. Give yourself a break - take a break from your activities until you can meet with a healthcare professional.

What are some common golfer's elbow treatments?

Treatment for golfer's elbow is similar to treatment for tennis elbow, but it is slightly different. Your healthcare professional may recommend physical therapy and wrist strengthening exercises, as well as adequate rest. Simple stretch, extension, and flexion can help repair the injury. Exercises may include:

• Isometric Wrist Strengthening: Both flexion and extension exercises are helpful. These include lowering and raising the wrist, palm up or down, resisting with the other hand.
  
• Resistance Wrist Stretch: With your palms facing down and hanging over the edge of a flat surface, you can hold a lightweight dumbbell as you lower and raise your hands.
• Resist wrist flexion: For this exercise, hold a dumbbell with your palms facing up.
• Golfer's Elbow Stretch: Golfer's Elbow Stretch involves extending the arms with the palms up. Then, pull your fingers and wrists toward your body.

While these exercises can help strengthen the tendon and relieve pain, you may need additional treatment. Your healthcare provider may recommend any of the following treatments:

• Sports Tapes: In many cases, healthcare professionals use sports tapes to relieve pressure on the area.
• Braces: Wearing a compression brace on your elbows can relieve some of the stress. This is critical if you plan to continue activities that cause golfer's elbow. You can use the same position for a golfer's elbow brace and tennis elbow brace.
• Ice packs or heating pads: Both ice packs or heating pads can reduce inflammation and pain.
• Anti-inflammatory medications: Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can reduce golfer's elbow pain.
• Platelet-rich plasma therapy. Your doctor may recommend this method, which involves centrifuging your blood and concentrating platelets to promote faster healing.
• Cortisone injection. In severe cases, these can help reduce the impact of a golfer's elbow.
• Correct the form. You may need to change your gripping or motor skills to reduce stress on your tendons. Replacing your equipment, be it tools or golf clubs, will make a difference.
• Proper warm-up and hydration. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially before, during, and after exercise. Include proper stretches in your warm-up routine to strengthen and prepare your body.
• Operation. In extreme cases, surgery may be required.

What can tennis elbow or golfer's elbow be mistaken for?

Elbow holder, yours may not be the same as a tennis or golfer's elbow

Some other conditions have similar symptoms to tennis and golfer's elbow. Elbow or forearm pain can be a sign of a variety of conditions, so it's important to seek a professional diagnosis. You may think you have tennis or golfer's elbow when you actually have one of the following:

• Radial Tunnel Syndrome: Dull, painful pain at the top of the forearm due to excessive pressure on the nerves.
  
• Osteochondritis dissecans: This joint disease tends to develop in young athletes and involves cracks in the cartilage. This is most common among teenage gymnasts.
• Osteoarthritis: This is the most common form of arthritis. It involves cartilage wear and can cause severe pain in the joints.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis: An inflammatory disease, rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints and other tissues of the body.

If you suspect you have tennis elbow or golfer's elbow, talk to your healthcare professional to confirm. You may actually have one of these other conditions that requires different treatment and may be more serious.