The popularity of sports like tennis and golf is rising as more people engage in outdoor activities during the warm spring months. Excessive exercise can cause elbow disease, so it’s important to be cautious when exercising outside rather than indoors.
More and more people are planning to play golf as the warm spring weather persists. Since golf does not require intense jumping or direct contact with the body, it is considered less dangerous than other sports. However, you may sustain minor or severe injuries if you move repetitively or apply excessive force.
Epicondylitis is a common ailment among golfers. It is an inflammation of the elbow tendons. Depending on where it happens, it is categorized as either golf elbow, medial epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis.
Due to golf elbow, the tendons on the inside of the elbow become inflamed, resulting in pain. Numbness in the fingertips or wrist pain may accompany the pain, which gets worse when the wrist is bent or twisted. One feature is nocturnal pain, where symptoms worsen at night and disrupt sleep.
You should warm up and stretch sufficiently before working out to avoid this. Reducing repetitive wrist use is crucial, and wearing elbow pads can help ease the strain on the tendons. After working out, give yourself enough time to relax. Regularly performing arm and elbow muscle-strengthening exercises can be beneficial.
Since tendon inflammation causes golfer’s elbow, non-surgical treatment alone can typically alleviate the condition. Drug therapy, physical therapy, injection therapy, manual therapy, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy are some of the various treatment modalities. The effectiveness of treatment can increase, especially when prolotherapy and extracorporeal shock wave therapy are combined.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy relieves tension in muscles and ligaments to aid in restoring function. It delivers powerful shock wave energy to the inflammatory area, promoting blood flow and tissue regeneration. Prolotherapy involves injecting medicine and a high-concentration glucose solution into the sore spot. Pain relief is anticipated as it stimulates tissue regeneration and encourages cell regeneration to reduce inflammation.
Song Hyun Geol, director of Seoul Song Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, warned that golfers’ elbow is often mistaken for temporary muscle pain, but delaying treatment can lead to degenerative arthritis, making it much harder to recover fully. He recommended seeking medical attention promptly if pain occurs inside the elbow during daily activities or while holding objects.
Song also emphasized the importance of ongoing care after treatment, noting that conditions like golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow are prone to relapse, especially with frequent use of the elbow and wrist. To help prevent tendon strain, he advised thorough stretching before exercise and avoiding overexertion.
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