Golfer’s Elbow
This condition is commonly seen in people who perform repetitive tasks with their hands, such as mechanics, homemakers or sportsperson like golfers, tennis, badminton players or bowlers.
Golfer’s Elbow can present in 2 stages:
Early (inflammatory stage)
- Pain comes after repetitive activity, gets better with rest shortly but keeps coming back
Late (degenerative stage)
- Persistent pain during activity/play, usually worse after activity
- Pain during day-to-day activities like opening a jar or brushing teeth
- Eventually severe enough to affect daily activity/playing
Causes
- Overuse of forearm muscles called the wrist flexor-pronator group
- As the tendons of these muscles all connect to a common point in the elbow, the load on this common point becomes tremendous when it undergoes repeated or excessive stress.
- Without sufficient rest or rehabilitation, the tendon loses its ability to tolerate load from daily use, resulting in persistent pain.
Common Signs and Symptoms
- Pain gripping, opening a jar or wringing dry your towel.
- The prominent bony bump located along the inner side of the elbow is usually tender if pressure is applied.
How can a Physiotherapist help?
- Depending on the stage of the disorder, your physiotherapist will customise a programme and guide you in the management of your elbow pain. It is crucial that you follow through the programme for optimal result.
- You may be advised to modify your activities.
- Treatment involves strengthening exercise, massage and ultrasound therapy to facilitate pain relief. Strengthening exercise is the gold standard of physiotherapy treatment for golfer’s elbow.
Tennis’ Elbow
Also known as lateral epicondylitis, this is the most common elbow injury. Although it is a frequent tennis injury, it is more common in people who do not play tennis at all!
Causes
- Overuse from repeated extension of the wrist against resistance, such as in racket sports, sewing, cooking or knitting.
- It can present itself after a sudden bout of exertion such as heavy lifting, or performing hours of unaccustomed activity such as prolonged sewing or use of a new racket.
- The condition can also develop from prolonged usage of computers.
Common Signs and Symptoms:
- Pain at the outer elbow, when gripping or lifting.
- Pain with resisted wrist extension and executing backhand techniques in racket sports.
How can a Physiotherapist help?
- A management plan will be tailored depending on severity and chronicity of the injury. It is important that you follow the management plan in order to achieve optimal results.
- Treatment involves a combination of soft tissue massage, manual therapy and ultrasound therapy to control pain, and exercises to restore flexibility and strength.
- You may also be advised on modifying your activities and on the use of a brace to reduce forces on the wrist extensor tendons.
