Tennis & Golf Elbow

Many of my patients are taking advantage of the warm weather and spending increased time outdoors. It’s no surprise that some of my patients are making appointments based on sprains, strains and tennis and/or golf elbow. These issues crop up after too much exertion on weaker muscle groups.

Tennis/golf elbow does affect roughly 40 percent of all players, but the condition is not limited to those who spend time on the court or golf course. Manual workers, those who use a keyboard frequently or those who conduct repetitive tasks with their hands are all at risk for developing the condition.

Pain stemming from tennis/golf elbow is not always felt in the patient’s elbow, which can lead to confusing and misappropriated resources when treating the condition.

Many of my patients complain of neck stiffness or nerve irritation, but largely the symptoms for tennis and golf elbow include tenderness over the bony epicondyle and trigger points in the wrist/forearm muscles. Keep in mind that referred pain can also mask a cervical neck issue. The most common neck joint that refers to your lateral elbow is C5/6, which transmit their pain signals along the radial nerve. It’s important to remember that the radial nerve can also be a source of referred pain from reduced neural mobility.

Minimizing pain while rebuilding muscle strength should be the source of progress in regards to treating tennis/golf elbow. In recent years, there has been ample evidence shown that tennis/golf elbow is not a product of inflammation from overused tendons as previously thought. Part of the treatment plan includes educating the patient about the root causes of tennis/golf elbow so that the patient whose lifestyle or daily habits include risk for a chronic condition can augment activities to be better protected long term.

“Muscle activation facilitates healing - that’s how the healing begins. Stillness is the true enemy,” states Gary Reinl, author of Iced!

The Illusionary Treatment Option, says of muscle stimulation or as some call it, active recovery.

Reinl, a sports medicine consultant, relies on electrotherapeutic stimulation treatments to proactively support injuries like tennis or golf elbow while maximizing treatment outcomes.

“Activity recovery is the answer (ARITA) — controlled movement can help solve the problem and that’s where muscle stimulation comes in,” Reinl says. “Inactivity and over-icing will shut off the signals that alert to potentially harmful movements and put patients at the risk of more damage."

"Activity heals - inactivity creates more problems."