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.

How to stretch your wrist flexors

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.

 

Related Posts

  • Tension headache

    Is your headache a tension headache?

    Tension headaches last at least 30 minutes but they can last much longer, sometimes for several days. Common symptoms of tension headaches include: pain on both sides of [...]

  • Pro’s and Con’s of our Shoulder Joint Design

    While sometimes it may not feel like it, your shoulders are the most flexible joint in your body.  The joint is formed by the union of the humerus, scapula (or shoulder blade) and the clavicle (or collarbone).  While we normally think of it as a single joint, it is actually three joints

    1. glenohumeral joint
    2. sternoclavicular joint
    3. acromioclavicular joint.
    These three joints work together to allow the arm both to circumduct in a large circle and to rotate around its axis at the shoulder.  As with most joints it is stabilised by ligaments.  However the shoulder joint is unique in that it is strengthened posteriorly and superiorly by the rotator cuff muscles, which act as "active and relaxable ligaments".  Unlike most joints which have a high degree of passive stability the shoulder joint depends largely on the active stability of the rotator cuff muscles. As soon as you move your arm joint stability is provided by the rotator cuff muscles alone.  The muscular action of the joint is more complex to move the joint in numerous directions. This design of the shoulder joint makes it the most flexible joint giving us a high degree of mobility & power.  This great range of movement comes at the cost of reduced stability.  A key benefit of the design is it does reduce the risk of arthritis in the shoulder when compared to other joints. Given the additional importance of muscles in shoulder's design when in the gym, it is important to:
    • Work all joint articulations - if it moves that way, strengthen it.
    • If you do a pushing exercise, counter it with a pulling exercise.
    • Always use proper exercise form - control the resistance.
    And don't neglect the smaller stabilizing shoulder muscles that make up the rotator cuff. Spend time fortifying them via internal and external rotation exercises with the upper arm at various positions.

  • How to build confidence

    Confidence, some people are born with it & some are not.  I fell into the latter category. Looking back on my life, my confidence grew slowly over time.  [...]