Golfers elbow

Cause and symptoms

Some of the muscles in the forearm that flex the wrist and fingers are located on the inside of the elbow. Repeated unilateral movements in these muscles can cause overload. This can be, for example, during computer work or leisure activities.

Golfers elbow

Symptoms of golfer's elbow include tenderness and pain on the inside of the elbow. The pain can also radiate down the forearm and hand or up the upper arm and neck.

Local pressure in the muscles and tendons on the inside of the elbow bone causes pain. The pain can feel like a throbbing sensation when you are at rest. Sudden pain can occur with relatively light weight and twisting of the hand, such as when you wring a dishcloth.

What you can do yourself

If you have golfer's elbow, the best thing you can do is to limit the load on the elbow and at the same time increase the strength of the muscles and tendons in the forearm.

You can use an adjustable elbow brace or an elbow strap. The elbow brace can remind you to minimize movement in the elbow joint, and the strap can provide pain relief with a small gel pad placed on top of the painful point on the elbow.

Exercise

It is important that you stay active and start exercising. Exercise is effective in reducing pain and discomfort, as well as preventing new discomfort in the body.

Below you will find a number of exercises to treat and prevent pain in and around the elbow. You can do all the exercises every day and on both arms.

It is important that you start by stretching and massaging the sore forearm muscles. When you can feel that the pain is less, you can do exercises that strengthen the arm muscles.

It is the familiar pain that determines when you can stop doing the exercises. A sign of this could be if you, for example, notice that it hurts less when you wring a cloth. However, it is a good idea to continue doing the exercises as a preventive measure.

Golfer's elbow forearm stretch

Repetitions: 1x30 sec.

How to do it: Stretch one arm out in front of you with the palm pointing upwards. Grasp the fingers of the outstretched arm with the hand of the other arm and slowly bend the fingers and hand towards you until you feel a stretch on the underside of the forearm. Be aware that you keep your elbow straight. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds. Continue to hold the stretch, but now pull your fingers slightly to one side. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds. Continue to hold the stretch, but now pull your fingers to the opposite side. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds before coming back to center and slowly release the stretch completely.

Golfer's elbow massage

Repetitions: 10 repetitions

How to do it: Sit at a table and take a small ball – a tennis ball or preferably smaller. Place the arm that hurts on top of the ball, palm down. Place the hand of the opposite arm on top of the arm with the ball. Use your hand to make small circles with the lower arm so that the ball massages the sore forearm muscles. Make 10 circles and move the ball so that you are massaging the arm in another sore spot. You may also like to massage the particularly sore spot at the elbow.

Golfer's elbow strengt exercise

Repetitions: 3x10 repetitions

How to do it: Sit at a table with your forearm resting on the table and your hand over the edge of the table. The palm should point up towards the ceiling. Hold a small dumbbell 0.5 -1 kg or a small filled water bottle in your hand. Slowly move the hand up without moving the forearm on the table. You should be able to see and feel that you are training the underside of your forearm. Slowly lower the hand back to the starting position.