Wondering what the difference is between tennis elbow versus golfer’s elbow?
My name is Hoang and with Hands-on Therapy Services, we help people in the Miami area with hand, shoulder, and even elbow pain, just like tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.
When it comes to tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, this type of pain just comes and goes. You have great motion. It doesn’t stop you from doing anything, and that is why it is easier to wait for it to “go away on its own.”
You might wake up with a sore elbow. Or you may feel the sharpest of the pain when squeezing a sponge. It’s always the little things that are just annoyingly painful.
Understanding Tennis elbow and Golfer’s elbow.
How do tendons work?
Lot of times, people ask me “is it really bad”? Do I really need the help? What are the consequences of NOT getting help?”
You might be wondering, “How did I even get all of this? I don’t play tennis. I don’t play golf.” But it’s very possible to have tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. Their technical names are lateral epicondylitis for tennis elbow, and medial epicondylitis for golfer’s elbow. And the only thing is the “itis” part just means that you have inflammation at the tendon level.
Muscles are on the ends attached to the tendon, and those tendons are attached to bone. And for lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow, your muscles that actually move your wrist, and even some muscles that open your fingers, all start right here at that lateral epicondyle area just like that bone. It’s the tendon that’s now attached to the muscle, then it becomes tendon again down here, and that tendon gets inflamed.
And there’s a lot of different reasons why it gets inflamed, or what they call “load degeneration”. It’s like little micro-tears inside that little tendon.
The golfer’s elbow is on the inside of your elbow. If you strain your elbow, you won’t necessarily feel that bone as easily. But if you bend it, that little bone is going to stick out to the side, and that’s the medial epicondyle, and also known as golfer’s elbow. And a lot of the muscles that curl your wrist down, and a lot of the muscles that close your fingers in actually start up here, and then go down here, and so, there might be some inflammation right there as well.
What is the main difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow?
The main difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow is the location.
Watch this video and I’ll tell you the difference between Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow.
Searching for treatments for tennis pain and golf pain?
Treating it is the same – find out why it’s hurting so that you can get to the root cause. Because sometimes you get tendonitis once, you may be bound to get tendonitis again.
That’s one of the reasons we provide you with free information. First, to get you started. Get the free Elbow Pain guide that you need to get started in terms of what you can do to help reduce your pain, and get you moving in the right direction.
Written by Hoang Tran
About the author – Hoang Tran
Hoang Tran is the owner of Hands-on Therapy Services and author of the book “The Hands-On Approach”. She loves helping people with hand, neck and shoulder problems, because she knows how bad and debilitating they can get if not addressed and treated properly (once and for all!).
The aim of her occupational therapy practice in the Miami area is to bring patients back to full functionality, without pills, injections.
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
