Golfer’s Elbow
Recognising the Symptoms and Signs
Pain on the inner side of the elbow when gripping?
Golfer’s elbow causes pain on the inner side of your elbow, often stemming from overuse of the gripping and forearm muscles. Don’t let its name fool you – this condition can affect anyone! I specialise in treating this, offering non-surgical solutions and advanced techniques for lasting relief.
Ali Phillips | Hand & Wrist Specialist
Pain on the inside of your elbow?
I'm Ali Phillips. If pain on the inner side of your elbow is making it hard to lift, grip, or throw, you may have Golfer's Elbow. This guide will help you understand this stubborn condition and the modern treatments available to help you heal.
Book a ConsultationWhat is Golfer's Elbow?
Golfer's Elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis, is an overuse injury affecting the tendons that connect your forearm muscles to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. These tendons are responsible for flexing your wrist and fingers.
Repetitive or forceful gripping, throwing, or wrist-flexing can cause tiny tears in these tendons, leading to pain and inflammation. Despite its name, it's common in people who do weightlifting, throwing sports, and manual labour, not just golfers.
What are the symptoms of Golfer's Elbow?
Pain on Inner Elbow
Tenderness and pain centred on the bony bump on the inside of your elbow, which can radiate down the inner forearm.
Pain with Gripping
Pain is often triggered by making a fist, gripping an object, or flexing your wrist downwards.
Numbness or Tingling
Sometimes, the pain can be accompanied by numbness or tingling that radiates into the ring and little fingers.
Tired of Elbow Pain?
If these symptoms are affecting your daily life, a clear diagnosis is the first step towards a solution. Let's find out what's going on and create a plan to get you back to your activities.
Get a Clear DiagnosisHow will I diagnose your elbow pain?
I can usually diagnose Golfer's Elbow by talking to you and examining your arm. A key test is to check for pain when your wrist flexor muscles are under tension. You can try this gently at home, but stop if it causes sharp pain.
1️⃣
Rest your forearm on a table, with your hand hanging off the edge, palm up.
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With your other hand, gently press down on the palm of your affected hand.
3️⃣
Try to bend your wrist upwards against the gentle pressure.
Pain on the inside of your elbow during this movement is a classic sign of Golfer's Elbow. An ultrasound scan in the clinic can confirm the diagnosis instantly.
How can I help you get better?
We'll create a personalised treatment plan together. It's important to know that Golfer's Elbow can be more difficult to treat than Tennis Elbow, but effective options are available.
Rest & Physiotherapy The most important first step is to rest the arm and work with a physiotherapist on specific, pain-free exercises to strengthen and stretch the forearm muscles.
Bracing Wearing a Golfer's Elbow strap or brace can help take the pressure off the affected tendon during activities.
Shockwave Therapy This treatment uses sound waves to stimulate healing in the tendon and can be effective for some people.
Steroid Injections These can provide rapid short-term pain relief, but they don't heal the tendon and the pain often returns. I generally advise against them as a long-term solution.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP): A Natural Healing Approach
For persistent Golfer's Elbow, PRP therapy is an innovative treatment that uses your body's own healing power. However, it's important for patients to know that Golfer's Elbow can be a more stubborn condition to treat than Tennis Elbow, and PRP may be less reliable, sometimes requiring more than one treatment.
Healing, Not Masking: Unlike a steroid injection that just masks the pain, PRP aims to heal the underlying tendon damage. It uses a concentrated dose of your own platelets, which are rich in growth factors that signal your body to repair and regenerate the torn tissue.
The Process is Simple:
- A small sample of your blood is taken, just like a standard blood test.
- The blood is placed in a centrifuge, a machine that spins it at high speed to separate the components.
- We discard the red blood cells and excess plasma, leaving a small, concentrated amount of platelet-rich plasma.
- Using ultrasound guidance for precision, I inject this "liquid gold" directly into the damaged area of the tendon.
What to Expect: The injection can cause some discomfort for a few days to a week or two, and it's absolutely critical that you rest the arm afterwards. Your body needs time to heal, and doing too much too soon will make the treatment less effective. Pain is your guide: if an activity hurts, your body is telling you to stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's a common misconception. It can affect anyone who performs repetitive gripping or wrist-flexing activities, such as those in throwing sports, weightlifting, or manual labour jobs like carpentry.
With adequate rest and avoiding the activities that cause pain, mild cases can sometimes resolve. However, it's often a stubborn condition that requires treatment like physiotherapy or injections to fully heal and prevent it from becoming chronic.
The tendons on the inside of the elbow are structured differently and are under different kinds of strain during daily activities. This can make them more resistant to treatment, and conditions like Golfer's Elbow can sometimes be more persistent and challenging to resolve completely.
While PRP is a very effective treatment for both, it is generally considered to be more reliably successful for tennis elbow. For golfer's elbow, while still a great option, it's important for patients to understand that it may be less predictable, and occasionally more than one injection is needed to achieve the desired result.
Surgery is very rarely needed. It is only considered as a last resort if your symptoms are severe and have not improved after a long period (6-12 months) of dedicated non-surgical treatments, including physiotherapy and injections like PRP.
During the initial painful phase, rest is crucial. After that, specific, pain-free exercises guided by a physiotherapist are a key part of rehabilitation to rebuild strength and prevent the problem from returning.
They are very similar conditions but affect opposite sides of the elbow. Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) causes pain on the inside of the elbow, while tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) causes pain on the outside.
Yes, sometimes the inflammation from golfer's elbow can irritate the nearby ulnar nerve, which can cause a sensation of numbness or tingling in your ring and little fingers. It's important to mention this symptom during your consultation.
Prevention involves warming up properly before activity, using correct form and technique, performing regular strengthening and stretching exercises, and ensuring your equipment (like golf clubs or tools) is the right fit for you.
If your elbow pain is persistent, it's best to see a specialist like me. As a hand and elbow surgeon, I can provide an accurate diagnosis and offer the full range of modern treatments, including advanced regenerative options like PRP.
Test Your Knowledge!
Golfer’s Elbow FAQs
A painful condition caused by overuse and strain of the forearm tendons that attach to the inside (medial) part of the elbow.
No. While a common ailment for golfers, it can arise from various activities involving repetitive hand, wrist, and forearm use (e.g., throwing sports, weightlifting, manual labor).
Pain on the inside of the elbow, sometimes radiating down the forearm. Weakness in grip strength. Pain worsened by gripping, lifting, or flexing the wrist. Stiffness in the elbow. Tingling or numbness in fingers, especially the ring and little finger.
I can diagnose it through a physical examination and discussing your activities. Imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, MRI) is often needed.
Rest: Avoid activities that cause pain. This is crucial for healing!
Ice: Apply ice packs several times a day.
NSAIDs: Over-the-counter pain relievers (ibuprofen, naproxen).
Counterforce Brace: A forearm strap may reduce tendon strain.
Counterforce Brace: A forearm strap may reduce tendon strain.
Physiotherapy: I’ll work with you on specialised exercises to strengthen forearm muscles and support healing. Physio SHOULD NOT HURT!
Corticosteroid Injections: Short-term pain relief, but use with caution and consider other options first. These are going out of fashion+++.
PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Injections: Promote natural healing. I specialise in this treatment.
Very rare! Only if severe pain persists for 6-12 months despite other treatments and significantly impacts your life.
Usually successful in relieving pain, but recovery requires commitment to regaining strength and motion.
Yes, most cases heal with time and conservative measures. This may take weeks or months.
Warm-up and stretch before exercise or demanding activities.
Use proper technique, especially in sports like golf. Let me help refine your form.
Strengthen forearm muscles with exercises. I’ll design a personalised program.
Optimise ergonomics for work tasks. I can provide an assessment
While uncommon, continued strain can increase pain and limit function. Early diagnosis and treatment lead to faster recovery.
Timelines vary. Initial rest with treatment often helps. Complete healing can take from weeks to over a year.
Rest initially, then I’ll guide you through specialised exercises key to recovery.
Specific massage techniques may help. I can recommend a therapist experienced with musculoskeletal injuries.
Ice is best for reducing inflammation early on. Let’s discuss incorporating heat later as part of your recovery plan.
Short-term use can help manage pain, but long-term reliance can weaken muscles. I’ll advise on the right balance.
More research is needed, but options like PRP injections and shockwave therapy can be explored together.
I’m always available to answer your questions and discuss the best options for your situation.
