Two common causes of elbow pain

With all the outdoor activities in the summer, golfing, tennis, and swimming, you may be experiencing more pain in your elbows than normal.  There are two very common causes of elbow pain this time of year and they are usually related to your summer fun.  Here’s a quick description of some things to look out for when your elbow starts hurting.

Lateral Epicondylitis, also called Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is the most common cause of elbow pain and it usually affects patients aged 35 to 50 years old.  This can start out as just an aching pain on the outside of your elbow that you feel when you extend your wrist or have to grip things.  The pain can come on gradually at first and then it starts to become sharp and you may feel weak with activity.  It can progress to pain with even small movements like opening jars.  The pain is caused by an inflammation of your tendons at the elbow and can prevent you from doing a lot of what you want to do.

Medial Epicondylitis, also called Golfer’s or Bowler’s Elbow

If you have similar complaints of pain but it feels more like the inside of your elbow this may be more likely.  This is a similar condition to tennis elbow which causes pain with bending your wrist or turning your palm up.  It is less common than tennis elbow, but with the weather being beautiful it’s a very common cause of pain this time of year.  You may notice pain with your golf swing, throwing a ball, and other forms of manual labor which involve heavy or repetitive lifting.

What to do?

If your elbow is hurting in either of these places, one of our doctors can evaluate.  They will want to examine your arm, test your reflexes and your strength, and ask you some more questions.  They will also usually take an xray of your elbow because arthritis can cause similar pain and they can see signs of arthritis on an xray.  An MRI shows soft tissue better than an xray and may be helpful in finding out how severe your condition is, but it is not usually needed to diagnose either tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow.

How to treat your elbow pain

Since both of these conditions are caused by inflammation of the tendons, the doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication. You can take it either by mouth such as ibuprofen or Aleve, or a topical form such as Icy hot or aspercreme.  It also helps to avoid the movements and activities which make your pain worse.  After your pain is under control, your doctor may recommend a stretching program combined with a low weight, high rep workout to strengthen your muscles and hopefully prevent the pain from coming back.  If you have tried things like stretching, NSAIDs, or other topical creams without any relief, your doctor may recommend a cortisone injection in your muscles around the elbow which can help decrease the inflammation and your pain.  There are also straps/braces to wear on your elbow which can help some of your pain.

The good news is that 95% of tennis elbow and 85% of golfer’s elbow resolve without the need for any surgery.  If you or someone you know has these complaints, let one of our doctors evaluate you and get you back to playing before the summer runs out!

Julia Grunebach, PA-C

Three Rivers Orthopedics