Golfer’s elbow not just for golfers
Golfer’s elbow is a condition that causes pain throughout the elbow and the tendons of the forearm. The pain may spread up into the bicep or down into the wrist and hand. Typically the pain is mostly on the outside of the elbow. Although they call this condition golfer’s elbow, it is not limited to just golfers who can suffer from it.
A year or so ago, I had the sweetest 75 year old woman come into the clinic with pain in her elbow. She states it just came out of nowhere. She did not fall, she did not suffer any trauma, but, boy, did her elbow hurt! In her initial consult she confessed she had never been to a chiropractor before, but her daughter recommended she try because the medical doctor wasn’t able to offer any relief. “They told me I had a golfer’s elbow, but I don’t golf!” She was so cute.
I took some time and educated her about how the brain and nerves control EVERYTHING in the body. How the nerve that goes down the arm to the elbow and beyond can get irritated when we do the same movement over and over. She had been a farm girl, hard worker all her life. Recently doing a lot of cleaning and wiping and scrubbing to get her house ready to sell. I explained that “golfer tendonitis” does not just affect golfers. It can also affect her elbow because of the movements she was doing. This made sense to her and she wanted to FIX it!
What is Golfer’s elbow? Typically it’s an overuse injury. There is a small bony bump on the inside of your elbow, and typically the pain starts there. This spot has several ligaments that pass through and can get irritated and inflamed which ultimately causes the pain. The elbow itself can feel very stiff and has difficulty moving which can also travel down to the wrist and hand. Pain is not the only symptom, one could also have tingling or numbness down the arm and into the fingers. Traditionally the numbness will affect the ring and pinky fingers.
Common causes for golfers elbow
Texting too much
Repetitive type motion or stress
Typing at a keyboard
Gripping something for longer periods of time
Rotating your arm continuously
Flexing at the wrist repetitively
Weight training
Sports like tennis, baseball, bowling and you guessed it golf
All these things can cause pulling on the muscle and ligaments that over time will cause tiny tears in the tendons. This is what leads to inflammation and thus pain. The key to preventing this type of injury from occurring is to limit the over use of your dominant arm. Try to use both arms, or modify the task that needs to be done so you are not endlessly doing the repetitive motion that can get you into trouble.
Chiropractic care can help get to the actual root of the problem and relieves the nerves and tendons from there. Chiropractic can balance and align the joints of the neck (which is the source of the nerves down the arm) but also to make sure the shoulder, the elbow and all the wrist bones and joints are in the correct position and all moving without interference to the nervous system.
At Healthmax we pair our adjustments with specific rehabilitation exercises for the neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist when someone is suffering from an elbow tendonitis. For example, after the adjustment we typically do some myofascial release to the upper back and shoulder region, followed up with chest opening and postural exercises to promote more opening of the front of the body. Then specific kinesiology muscle taping with topical pain relief to stabilize and support healing. RockTape is the brand we use at Healthmax, because it has the strongest adhesive so it stays on the body longer than others I have used.
If your or someone you love has pain in the elbow and/or down the arm, let them know that we can help. Let us take a look. We will do a full thorough consultation, exam, x-rays and come up with a plan to help you get the relief you are looking for!