You don’t have to be a tennis or golf player to suffer from tennis and golfer’s elbow. Although it is more common amongst athletes, this type of elbow injury occurs because of overuse – an activity that requires repetitive arm and wrist motion. Both forms of injury are variants of epicondylitis, an inflammation of tendons that attach to the elbow.
What’s the difference between tennis and golfer’s elbow?
The only difference between the golfer’s and tennis elbow is the location of inflammation. Tennis elbow affects the outside of the elbow and forearm areas, whereas golfer’s elbow affects the inside of these areas.
Let’s break it down a bit more…
Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Overuse/muscle strain from inflammation of outside of elbow and forearms
- Common amongst adults between the ages of 30-50
- Common amongst plumbers, painters, and cooks
- Symptoms: constant achy elbow (especially while straightening the wrists, reaching, gripping or lifting)
Golfer’s Elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Overuse/muscle strain from inflammation of inside of elbow and forearms
- Common amongst gardeners, weightlifters and racquet sports players
- Symptoms: pain on inside of elbow (especially when twisting the forearm or making a fist), elbow stiffness, weakness, tenderness or swelling
How does chiropractic care help elbow injuries?
The goal of chiropractic care is to look at other structural components (muscles, bones, etc.) that may be contributing to the elbow injury. For example, we’ll focusing on tense muscles and how we can ease the tension and pain. We’ll look at your neck, shoulder and arm areas, all of which impact elbow tension.
Treating the root cause of the pain will involve exercises, stretching and adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments loosen joints to decrease pain and restore proper movement.
As you can see, chiropractic care is not a means of simply relieving pain, but of healing the injury to regain proper use and function. If you or someone you know if suffering from an elbow injury and pain, do not hesitate to reach out to us here or call us at 0208-295-1733.
