Is your inner elbow troubling you?
Pain or discomfort around your inner elbow is commonly known as Golfer’s elbow and also may be called Medial Epicondylitis. It is a repetitive strain injury caused by overuse of the forearm muscles i.e gripping, lifting and activities that involve repetitive forward bending of the wrist which may cause inflammation of your inner elbow.
With golfer’s elbow you may experience any or all of the following:
- Inner elbow pain on gripping, lifting or bending the wrist forward
- Inner elbow pain on opening jars/twisting movements of the wrist
- Localised tenderness on the inside of the elbow
- Stiffness on bending or straightening the elbow joint, particularly first thing in the morning
- Occasionally mild swelling and heat can be present
If your inner elbow is inflamed i.e. swollen or feels hot or is red then it will benefit from being iced. Apply ice packs to your elbow for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three to four times while it is inflamed.
Based on my experience in clinic I have found that massage may assist you if you have Golfer’s elbow by releasing the tension in your forearms and increasing the flexibility of your forearms and increasing your pain free range of movement.
Equally important is making changes to your lifestyle by reducing aggravating activities to helping your recovery. To prevent a recurrence of golfers elbow it is important to stretch and strengthen your wrist flexors. To strengthen your wrist flexors, simply squeeze your hand for 10 seconds, release and then repeat ten times.
To stretch your wrist flexors extend your arm in front of you with your palm up, bend your wrist, pointing your hand towards the floor. With your other hand, gently bend your wrist farther until you feel a mild to moderate stretch in your forearm. Hold for a 30 to 60 seconds.
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