Firstly, you do not need to be playing at Wimbledon this fortnight or Stone Tennis Club, at St Andrew’s, Augusta or Stone Driving Range – Tennis and Golfer’s elbow are not caused by only playing those two sports.

Both conditions are caused by repetitive arm and wrist motions – I immediately think of the time my kids are on the PS4 or people constantly swiping through videos on Tik Tok (some new video app so I’m told) or Facebook. How many of us have gone on our phone just to check the weather and found ourselves watching some inane video? 

Now I am not saying any of the above are wrong or shouldn’t be done but the very nature of repetitive motion can cause inflammation in joints and tennis and golfer’s elbow are examples of inflammation in the elbow.

Epicondylitis (Epi – cond – eye’l – eye – tis)

The bony bumps on your elbow are the epicondyles – the one on the outside is the lateral epicondyle and the one on the inside is called the medial epicondyle.

Itis – is inflammation….

So epicondylitis is basically inflammation of the tendon area around the epicondyles of the elbow – with lateral epicondylitis more commonly known as ‘Tennis Elbow’ and medial epicondylitis more commonly known as ‘Golfer’s Elbow’.

Lateral Epicondylitis

Tennis Elbow is when the muscles and tendons on the outside of the elbow and forearm become inflamed usually due to overuse and strain. So jobs with repetitive motions, like sports massage therapists or decorators for example or seasonal jobs like raking the leaves in your garden can give rise to tennis elbow. It is more common in adults between the ages of 30 to 60 but it can affect anyone.

Some of the symptoms might include pain radiating down the outside of the elbow to the wrist and forearm, even into the little finger. It is usually a dull ache or experienced when doing certain activities.

Medial Epicondylitis

Golfer’s Elbow is when the muscles and tendons on the inside of the elbow and forearm are inflamed. This is more commonly caused by twisting and flexing of the wrist which causes the overuse of the forearm muscles. Gardening, golf, and weightlifting are just some of the activities that can give rise to this condition.

Symptoms will include pain on the inside of the elbow when lifting the wrist or hand, pain when twisting the forearm or when making a fist, Potentially some swelling in the area and tenderness when touched and weakness in the hand and wrist when picking things up.

(For a correct diagnosis I would always recommended going to a medical professional)

What can I do?

In essence both conditions are very similar in their causes and symptoms and the treatment would essentially be the same with possibly some slight variations in the exercises given to strengthen the problem area.

Initially rest the elbow and wrist or more importantly try and stop doing the activity that caused it. If it was me I would ice the area and use ibuprofen gel, however please seek medical advice before using any anti inflammatory painkillers. 

• Once the pain and swelling has subsided after 24-48 hours I would then look at using heat packs and ice alternatively to manage the inflammation (ice) but then to increase the circulation (heat) which helps with the healing process.
• Massage therapy in the problematic area and surrounding muscles – massage stimulates the healing process and will relieve some of the pain and discomfort.
• Ask your massage therapist for exercises to gradually strengthen the muscles (assuming they have qualifications in rehab, exercise therapy etc)
• Consider changing technique – for example if it has been caused by golf, it might be technique rather than overuse, I had a problem and found a tweak to my swing relieved a lot of the symptoms (unfortunately, I don’t get to play golf as often as I would like). I would suggest it is the same with tennis, although that is a sport I am not adept at so if any tennis players want to comment then please feel free.
• Taping – the application of K tape is usually quite good as an additional treatment with massage and exercise therapy (I can help with this if needed and show you the best way to tape both lateral and medial).

Should it persist there are always more extreme measures such as cortisone injections and surgery but I personally would try the less aggressive options first.

As with everything I write it is based on my own experiences and opinions and everyone is different. I would suggest you seek medical advice if you are ever concerned about any healthcare issue but I am always happy to advise and point you in the right direction if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading, I am going to pop to the driving range and prepare myself for all the invites of a game of golf 😉

See you soon.

Paul