What is golfer’s elbow?
Golfer’s elbow is pain on the inner side of the elbow, where the muscles that bend the wrist and grip attach to the bone. The tendon is overloaded, so it becomes sore and less tolerant of strain. The medical name is medial epicondylalgia, or medial elbow tendinopathy.
If the ache is on the outside of the elbow, you are probably looking for tennis elbow. The table below shows the difference at a glance.
| Golfer’s elbow | Tennis elbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it hurts | Inside of the elbow | Outside of the elbow. |
| Tendon involved | Wrist bending and gripping muscles | Wrist lifting muscles. |
| Typical triggers | Chopping, wringing, carrying, golf swing | Mouse work, lifting a kettle, backhand. |
| Tingling in the hand | Possible in the ring and little fingers | Not typical. |
What does it feel like in everyday Ipoh life?
You feel a deep ache on the inside of the elbow when you grip, flex the wrist or twist the forearm. It may spread down the forearm, and your grip can feel weaker.
Work and home give plenty of triggers. Chopping chicken on the stall board for hours loads this tendon. So do tossing a heavy wok, wringing out laundry and carrying a toddler on one forearm.
Sport adds more, from the golf swing at a weekend round to pulling exercises at the gym. Our blog on golf, back and elbow pain looks at the swing in detail.
Who is it most likely to affect?
It appears most in working-age adults who repeat the same grip or wrist-bending movement day after day. The ache usually builds up over weeks.
Cooks, hawkers, mechanics, painters, gym-goers and parents of small children are common cases. It sits alongside other forearm and hand problems on our page on wrist and hand pain.
What does a physiotherapist check first?
We ask where it hurts, what sets it off and what you do all day. Then we press on the elbow, resist the wrist and check the grip.
We check:
- the exact spot, and whether resisted wrist bending reproduces the pain.
- grip strength compared with the other side.
- the ulnar nerve at the inner elbow, and any tingling in the ring and little fingers.
- the neck and shoulder, in case the pain is referred from there.
- how you grip, chop, lift and carry at home and at work.
If a nerve problem looks more likely than a tendon one, we say so and guide you to the right check.
What helps golfer’s elbow?
Gradual loading of the tendon is the approach we rely on. The tendon needs to be used in a controlled way to recover, so we choose exercises that build strength without flaring the pain.
A plan can include:
- gentle wrist holds, called isometric exercises, to calm the pain.
- slow lifting and lowering of a light weight, called eccentric exercise.
- grip and forearm strengthening, built up step by step.
- changes to how you chop, lift and carry.
- hands-on techniques from our manual therapy to ease tight forearm muscles.
Resting completely tends to leave the tendon weaker, so we keep it moving within a comfortable range.
What can I do this week?
Take some load off the tendon, while staying active.
- Carry bags with the palm facing up, close to your body.
- Take short breaks from chopping or repetitive gripping, and shake out the forearm.
- Use a wider, padded handle on knives, tools and cooking utensils.
- Avoid heavy pulling at the gym for now.
- Warm the forearm with a warm towel before activity.
If the elbow pain sharpens for hours after an exercise, stop and ask for advice.
When should I see a doctor first?
Go to the emergency department after a fall or knock if the elbow looks out of shape or will not straighten. Go too if the arm is hot, red and swollen, or if there is a fever.
See a doctor if tingling in the ring and little fingers is constant or the hand grows weak. Also go if the pain wakes you at night. Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Fatimah Hospital and Pantai Hospital Ipoh can assess these.
How do home sessions in Ipoh work?
A physiotherapist comes to your house, watches the tasks that bother your elbow in your own kitchen or workplace, and teaches exercises you can repeat daily. Home visits are available across Ipoh now, and our Canning Garden centre is opening soon.
Prices are quoted on WhatsApp after a short description. See how home physiotherapy works for the steps.