Tennis and Golfers Elbow - A Quick Guide to Tendinitis

Tennis and Golfers Elbow - A Quick Guide to Tendinitis

Tendinitis can come in many forms and at many joints. "Golfers elbow" (medial epicondylitis) and "Tennis elbow" (lateral epicondylitis) are examples of tendonitis or tendinosis at the medial and lateral elbow respectively. Both are usually from overuse. Golfers' elbow named so from people overstressing the flexor muscles in your forearm, such as from a golf swing and tennis elbow named so from overstressing the zextensor muscles in your elbow, such as from a backhand. Although, you should know that it is definitely not only tennis players and golfers who end up with either of these issues. It is also common in painters, carpenters, plumbers and really anyone who does repetitive movements with their hand, wrist or arm. Tendinitis in the knee is also common in people who do a lot of jumping or a lot of squatting or stair climbing, causing tendonitis or tendinosis in the patella tendon of the knee.

When you over-stress a muscle, you end up over-stressing the tendon that attaches that muscle to the bone. When this happens over time that muscle gets tight and continues to stress and pull at that tendon's attachment to the bone. At first you can get acute inflammation in that tendon (tendinitis), however since usually we don't immediately stop the action when we start to feel the discomfort, over time this can develop into chronic inflammation and scar tissue can begin to build up in this area (tendinosis).

With any type of overuse or repetitive injury typically you will begin to feel pain right at that area when you activate that muscle or stress that tendon, you may also have pain when you stretch that muscle or tendon, and it is also usually tender to touch or massage. With medial and lateral epicondylitis it is also common to have pain with gripping and twisting objects.

So what do you do about it? If you catch it early enough, the first and most important thing to do is to stop aggravating it.... Rest! Avoid whatever activities seem to annoy it, whether its tennis, golf, typing, squatting, going up and down stairs or just a certain way you reach over and over again at work. You need to rest that muscle or tendon. Along with resting it you can massage right over the muscles and tendons every day, which can help to loosen the muscle and massaging over the tendon can help to break up any scar tissue or adhesions that have formed. After this you should ice the area. An ice pack will work, or an even better way to control it is to do an ice massage to that area. (Fill a paper Dixie cup with water and freeze it, then you can massage the ice over that area for 1-2 minutes, or whatever you can tolerate). It is important to decrease the inflammation. If ice and rest do not work on their own, then a NSAID may help such as ibuprofen.

It is also important to gently stretch that muscle. (Gently stretch that muscle and hold it for 10-15 seconds; Repeat 5-10x depending on discomfort level). For those with golfers' or tennis elbow, remember that it is actually an overuse injury to your wrist muscles, which are in your forearm. So it is important to stretch your wrist, versus your elbow. You can follow the link for pictures and specific directions for these stretches.

You may also have seen the straps people wear for tendinitis. Most commonly they are worn for lateral epicondylitis or "tennis elbow" and for patella tendinitis. These straps do provide relief for many people by changing the stress on the tendon and taking some pressure of the muscle and tendon, especially when they are trying to return to the sport or activity that originally caused the inflammation.

If the pain persists you should see your primary care or orthopedic doctor. Physical therapy can be a great help as they have modalities that can decrease the inflammation such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation and iontophoresis. A physical therapist will also typically perform some massage and stretching to the appropriate area and teach you the proper way to stretch the area on your own. Your doctor may also recommend a prescription anti-inflammatory medication or cortisone shot.

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