What Is Golf Elbow?
Suffering from a sport-related injury is never fun. It’s not so much the pain but having to sit in the clubhouse rather than walking the course. The elbow injury affects golfers, tennis players, baseball pitchers, javelin throwers, and other athletes who hold a tight grip on something in their sport.
What is Golf Elbow?
This is a sports injury that causes pain on the inner side of the elbow, where the forearm muscle tendons attach to the bone on the inside of the elbow. It can result in pain spreading into the wrist and forearm, and it occurs on the inside of the elbow, not the outside. This injury develops from constant use of players’ wrists and clenching of their fingers.
Do You Have Golf Elbow?
If you are experiencing any, many, or all of the following symptoms, you may have golf elbow and should see a medical professional.
- Stiffness in the elbow and pain in making a fist.
- Pain and tenderness on the inner side of the elbow.
- Weakness in your hands and wrists.
- Numbness or tingling in the fingers.
Symptoms can worsen when swinging a golf club or tennis racket, a strong squeeze of a ball, turning a doorknob, lifting weights, or even shaking hands. Seek medical advice if you think you are suffering from this injury.
Exercises to Help Golf Elbow
Recovery from golf elbow can vary from a few days to weeks, depending on the amount of rest and restraint from risky movements a player endures. A few exercises sufferers can participate in (on advice from a medical professional) are:
- Wrist flexion
- Wrist extension
- Hand walks
- Wrist rotation
- Wrist extension
- Forearm flexion and extension
- Wrist flexion curl
- Wrist extension curl
Avoiding Golf Elbow
You can avoid golf elbow by maintaining strong wrists and forearms with a strength-training program. Squeezing a tennis ball while watching TV, increasing the grip size of your golf clubs or tennis racket, and switching to more flexible golf club shafts are all methods of avoiding golf elbow. This injury affects more people than you might think and is quite a common sports injury. Luckily, it is nothing that can’t be treated with a few simple exercises and rest. Should you find yourself suffering, seek the advice of a medical professional, follow their instructions, and you’ll be back on the course before you know it, ready for another round.
Want to help others avoid golf elbow, and show them how to stay fit and healthy while playing the game of golf?
Check out Keiser University’s College of Golf & Sport Management Associate of Science in Health and Human Performance program! We offer flexible start dates, so what are you waiting for? Contact us today to get started on your career in the golf industry.
