“Golfer’s elbow is an overuse injury involving the tendons that attach the muscles of the forearm to the bone on the inside of the elbow joint,” explained Dr. Angelo. An overuse injury results from repeated stress on a specific part of the body, often from doing too much too soon without adequate rest. “The repeated, strenuous arm movements involved in golf, especially flexing your wrist and rotating your forearm, put strain on the tendons and can lead to injury,” said Dr. Angelo, who enjoys playing golf in her spare time. 

Parten regularly treats people who developed golfer’s elbow after ramping up play too quickly after they retire. “They go from playing one day a week to playing five days a week before their body has had a chance to adjust, and that can lead to injury,” she said.

Read the full article at essential.golf.

Tiana S. Woolridge, MD, MPH, sports medicine physician at HSS, shares how to protect your muscles and joints.

Compared with contact sports like soccer and basketball, recreational tennis poses a fairly low risk of acute injury, said Dr. Woolridge.

Even so, games like tennis and pickleball are full of repetitive and high-impact movements, such as lunging for balls and swinging the racket, and that can put a lot of stress on the body.

Dr. Woolridge explained that shoulder-strengthening exercises, like scapular rows and shoulder extensions with a resistance band, should be a staple in every tennis player’s routine. 

These exercises can also ward off tennis elbow, as can wrist-strengthening drills like wrist curl flexion and extension exercises. For both drills, work up to 30 reps and then add a light dumbbell of no more than five pounds.

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"In severe cases, patients can begin to experience weakness in the muscles of the forearm, as the nerve responsible for radial tunnel syndrome is damaged from chronic or severe compression," says Carl M. Cirino, MD, sports medicine surgeon at HSS. 

It's important to get the right diagnosis. Sometimes, people who are misdiagnosed with tennis elbow get a counterforce brace or tennis elbow strap that puts pressure on their forearm. "This is exactly the opposite of what we want for a patient with radial tunnel syndrome," says Dr. Cirino. This type of brace could worsen your symptoms.

Read the full article at webmd.com. 

Both tennis and golf elbow are overuse injuries that stem from damage to the muscles and tendons running from the wrist to the elbow. If used too much, and if you do not have enough strength in your shoulder muscles and core, microscopic tears can develop in the tendon where it attaches to the elbow, causing both pain and inflammation.

Managing the condition when it starts can shorten the time it takes to overcome the pain. “It can be a stubborn injury,” said Dr. Goolsby.

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Dr. Altchek explained elbow injuries are categorized into three problem areas: tendon injuries, bony problems and ligament injuries. Tennis elbow is an injury to the extensor group tendon, originating at the outer part of the elbow extending through the forearm. Discomfort arises when extending the wrist against resistance and resolves in two to 12 months. Treatment involves ice, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and avoiding aggravating activities.

Elbows can develop “bone spurs” as a result of degeneration from osteoarthritis. In younger individuals, it can result from the repetitive overload of throwing or racquet sports. Most spurs occur in the back of the elbow, and limit ability to extend the elbow fully. Spurs can be easily removed with minor arthroscopic surgery.

According to Dr. Altchek, the most common elbow ligament injury is the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on the inside of the elbow. Causes include trauma, or aggressive throwing, as seen in baseball pitchers. In athletes, this usually requires Tommy John surgery. Injuries also occur at the outside of the elbow, generally because of trauma or degeneration from tennis elbow. This injury can create significant disability and requires surgery.

This article appeared in the print edition on February 21, 2021.