Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow

What are ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘golfer’s elbow‘?

Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are very similar conditions, which occur when the tendons in your elbow are overloaded. The difference between the two conditions is that tennis elbow occurs on the outside and back of your elbow, whereas golfer’s elbow affects the inside of your elbow joint. While the pain is similar, different muscles are affected.

You don’t have to play tennis or golf to suffer from tennis elbow, you may start to feel symptoms if you use your arms a lot for work, for example, a builder. Other ways that tennis or golfer’s elbow can happen include:

Weight training, especially heavy weights that you may not be used to
Repetitive use of hand tools such as shears or screwdrivers
Repeated bending of the elbow

People more likely to develop tennis or golfer’s elbow are:

Between 30 and 50 years old
Play racket sports or golf
People in occupations that require regular movement of the elbow

The pain you experience may vary from mild discomfort to severe, and your elbow may hurt even when you are keeping it still. The main symptoms you may suffer from with tennis/golfer’s elbow include:

Pain when gripping or during twisting movements and weakness
Tenderness either inside (golfers) or inside (tennis) the elbow
Stiffness when trying to move your elbow joint
Tingling in your fingers

Diagnosis

Your consultant will be able to determine whether you have tennis or golfer’s elbow with a simple examination. They will squeeze around your elbow to ascertain where you feel any pain. They may also extend your arm for you and pull your fist downwards to see if you have any discomfort or pain. If you do, it is likely you have tennis or golfer’s elbow. In some cases your doctor may refer you for an x-ray or an MRI to further confirm their diagnosis.

Non-surgical treatment

Most of the time tennis or golfer’s elbow gets better and goes away on its own, and there are things you can do at home to help with your recovery. Over the counter medication such as paracetamol and ibuprofen can help with any pain or swelling, and you should try to avoid using the affected arm as much as possible. A cold compress can help to reduce swelling and you may find it helpful to wear a sling or bandage. If the pain is particularly bad, your doctor may recommend steroid injections, however, these will only offer short term relief and become less effective over time. You may also be referred to a physio who can help you with exercising and rebuilding the strength in your arm.

Your consultant may also recommend some exercises for you to carry out at home that target your elbow and forearm. These include:

Laying your forearm flat against a table and squeezing a tennis ball ten times over
Holding a rolled-up towel in each hand and twisting in opposite directions ten times over
Holding a small 2lb dumbbell in the hand and flexing the wrist upwards

It’s important to check with your consultant before carrying out any exercises, to ensure you do not make the problem worse.

Surgical treatment

If your condition doesn’t get better on its own and home remedies do not help, you may need surgery to fix the problem. To treat tennis or golfer’s elbow we can perform an arthroscopy.

This is a small operation known as ‘keyhole surgery’ and is usually performed under a local anaesthetic taking around 30 minutes to an hour.

A telescopic device the size of a pencil called an arthroscope is inserted into small incisions in your elbow. The images that the arthroscope picks up are displayed on a monitor, so we can see what we need to fix. We can remove any loose bodies and repair the tendon. In most cases you will be able to go home on the same day as your procedure.

Your recovery

You’ll need to wear a sling or a splint on your elbow for approximately a week following surgery. Your surgeon will arrange to see you two weeks following your operation, and will advise on the best route for rehabilitation.

You may need to see a physiotherapist after three weeks who will help you with some gentle exercises to get your elbow moving again. You can take anti-inflammatory for any pain and swelling following surgery, and you can expect to have made a full recovery six weeks after surgery. You will need to take extra care when playing sports, and it is recommended that you avoid these for 6 months.

Whatever your hand or wrist condition is, we can help.

Mr Randeep Mohil provides clinics across Lancashire and Cheshire.

Please call us on 01625 466158 or email info@northwesthandsurgeon.co.uk

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Lancashire Clinics

The Beardwood Hospital, Blackburn
Clinic days: Monday evenings (alternate) and Thursday mornings
Website: The Beardwood Hospital
Ramsay Fulwood Hospital, Preston
Clinic days: Monday and Tuesday evenings (alternate)
Website: Ramsay Fulwood Hall

Ramsay Euxton Hall Hospital, Chorley Clinic days: Tuesday evenings (alternate) Website:Ramsay Euxton Hall

Cheshire Clinic, Northwich Clinic days: Friday morning (alternate) Website: The Cheshire Clinic

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Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow

What are ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘golfer’s elbow‘?

Diagnosis

Non-surgical treatment

Surgical treatment

Your recovery

Whatever your hand or wrist condition is, we can help.

Get in touch