Golfer's Elbow: How Do You Treat And Prevent It?

If you experience tightness, stiffness, or pain in your inner elbow and upper forearm, you could have golfer's elbow. Golfer's elbow can affect anyone, including athletes and workers. The following information about can help you understand more about golfer's elbow, including how to treat and prevent it.

How Does Golfer's Elbow Affect You?

Although your elbow is one of the smallest joints in the human body, inflammation, injury, and other problems can still affect it. One of the problems that can affect your elbow is medial epicondylitis, or golfer's elbow. Golfer's elbow usually occurs in individuals who overuse their forearms, hands, and wrists to play sports, lift weights, or perform repetitive job duties. 

Tendons join, or connect, muscles to bones and joints. The tendons in your elbow allow you to flex, pull, and extend the muscles in your forearm during everyday activities and tasks. If you overexert or overextend your muscles too much, they can make the tendons in your elbow sore. The stress placed on your tendons can eventually damage or tear them. 

The pain and stiffness you feel can become bad enough to limit mobility in your elbow, forearm, and wrist. You'll need to seek orthopedic treatment to heal your injury.

How Do You Treat and Prevent Golfer's Elbow?

An orthopedic doctor will generally want to examine your elbow and forearm before they treat your condition. If the tendon is severely torn, it may require surgical treatment to repair it. If the tendon is only inflamed, a doctor may use anti-inflammatory medication to relieve your symptoms. 

Some orthopedists have their patients undergo physical therapy during their treatment. Physical therapy not only improves movement in your elbow and forearm, it allows the tendon to heal properly. If you lost the ability to flex your forearm, bend your elbow, or move your wrist, physical therapy may be a good treatment option for you.

After you receive treatment and recover from your injury, you'll need to take certain precautions to keep golfer's elbow from returning. An orthopedist may ask you to wear a brace on your elbow, forearm, or wrist during sporting activities. The brace supports the bones in your arm. If you perform repetitive duties at work, a brace may protect your elbow and arm as well. 

If your elbow and forearm continue to bother you, speak to an orthopedist right away. You may need additional treatment to overcome or heal your injury. Contact a clinic, like Northern Care Inc Prosthetics & Orthotics, for more help.