WHAT IS GOLFERS ELBOW?
Golfers elbow is an overload injury affecting the common wrist flexor tendon. This tendon connects the wrist flexor muscles (on the front of our forearm) with the elbow. Despite the name, it is not specific to golfers. Golfers elbow is common in weightlifters, CrossFiters, hockey players, tradies, office workers, hairdressers, the list goes on!
WHAT CAUSES GOLFERS ELBOW?
Golfers elbow will generally come about when there is some sort of overload of the arm. This may be taking up a new sport or new form of exercise, it may be performing an increased amount of either paid work or house work, or it may be from a general increase in activity levels over time. Common contributing factors include having poor grip strength or weakness around the hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder.
HOW LONG DOES GOLFERS ELBOW LAST?
Golfers elbow can be quite a stubborn and persistent injury to treat. It will often last for several months, if not more than a year. It is vital that golfers elbow is addressed as early as possible to minimise the risk of symptoms becoming chronic.
HOW TO TREAT GOLFERS ELBOW?
In the short term, golfers elbow will response well to activity modification (doing less of the things that hurt), but not to complete rest. A golfers elbow brace (this is the same as a tennis elbow brace) can be super effective in minimising symptoms felt with tasks that involve gripping, pushing and pulling. Manual therapy techniques such as massage and dry needling can also help. In the long term, strength based rehab exercises should be prioritised to increase the capacity of the elbow to tolerate load and to allow for the tendon to adapt and recover.
Chris Bryceson
B. Health Sciences (Physio), APAM
CB Physiotherapy