Tennis and golfer’s elbow

What happens in tennis and golfer’s elbow?

Tennis elbow is the painful inflammation where the tendons of the forearm extensor muscles attach to the outer side of the upper arm bone. It is often set off by unaccustomed, strenuous physical activity.

Symptoms

In golfer’s elbow the pain comes from inflammation where the tendons of the forearm muscles attach on the inner side of the upper arm bone.

Burning and pain in the forearm

A chronically raised tension in the muscles that extend the wrist and fingers

A weak grip

Even a cup of coffee cannot be lifted because of the pain

Pain at the bony prominence of the elbow

The permanently raised pull of the muscles on the periosteum sets off a state of irritation

Never played either sport and still in pain?

Our patients very often report pain at the elbow that came on without any injury. Asked more closely, they frequently turn out to have overloaded it – through unaccustomed decorating work, through their job, through more sport than usual, or through a demanding weekend of gardening. So what is known as tennis or golfer’s elbow does not necessarily have anything to do with those sports, although it can arise from them too. The pain is caused by inflammation from overloading the muscles and tendon attachments of the forearm. The inflammation can progress and become chronic and can go on to damage the tendon.

Treatment options for tennis and golfer’s elbow

Treatment starts where the symptoms arise: at the permanently raised tension of the forearm muscles and at the irritated tendon attachment. Stretching exercises, a brace with a massage pad and anti-inflammatory measures take the load off the attachment and settle the symptoms in most cases.

If the pain persists despite consistent conservative treatment, a procedure at the tendon attachment becomes an option. The methods we use for that are set out in the overview below.