Golfer's elbow

[rmros]

I don't even like golf 😭

Has anyone had this and has anything helped with the pain/movement? Like a brace or something?

[helenlw7]

I was diagnosed with tennis elbow many years ago and had several weeks of acupuncture, which solved the problem. A few years later I then apparently had golfers elbow. I’ve never played either sport. This time I saw a locum doctor. I said I thought it was a flare of my RA but the dr said no. She insisted I have a prescription for Tramadol, even though I told her Tramadol gives me a really bad headache. I saw a different dr the following, by which time my ‘golfers elbow’ had fixed itself without any intervention!

[rmros in reply to helenlw7]

Yeah it’s probably one of those things you have to stick out isn’t it. That happened when I had frozen shoulder. It then jumped to my other shoulder. This is in my dominant arm and it don’t half hurt when it’s triggered. It started after a blood test and at first I thought it was a bruise from that. I might try a support bandage before spending money on anything else.

Okay, I do quite like watching the Ryder Cup.

[AgedCrone]

You can get a brace for Golfer’s elbow..but take advice from a physio or you could make it ten times worse. But tbh, I find both golf & tennis elbow just fade away with no interference.

[Madlegs1]

You can get a brace that puts pressure on the specific muscle point ,that is causing the problem.

Often a few inches away from where you think it should be.

I forget which is which but look up Amazon.

Good luck.

[rmros in reply to Madlegs1]

I’ve seen them - looks like something similar to what I used with ITB syndrome and that worked somehow.

[Adorable1]

I had tennis elbow once a few years ago. Never played tennis in my life 😆 it was very painful tho, I followed some instructions from my GP and it eventually went, not had it since thank goodness…

Hope the pain goes soon !

A couple of tips I found below;

Wear an Epiclasp

You may find an epiclasp useful to offload the tendon whilst doing activities and enable you to carry on with your regular activities or work without aggravating your pain. You can buy an Epiclasp online or from pharmacies.

Activity modification

Initial treatment may include a period of relative rest. You may not need to stop your activities completely; but you may have to modify the duration, load or frequency in order to prevent aggravation of the tendons. For example, using a computer mouse or ergonomic mouse instead of the laptop trackpad, reducing the amount of weight lifted, taking more regular breaks, using your other hand to do a little more in the short term.

[rmros in reply to Adorable1]

Thank you. I’ve had tennis elbow in my other arm, now this. I think I’m just prone to tendon problems. Will look at the epiclasp.

[Adorable1 in reply to rmros]

Your welcome

I do hope you get it sorted. It’s a nasty pain..

[Leics]

I’ve had tennis and golfers elbow together several times. It got so bad I found my hands were tingling with pins and needles with ulnar nerve impingement which I still have although not as bad. I do find an ice pack helps for a while and obviously paracetamol taken regularly but it is something that goes away on its own eventually. I tried compression sleeves and elbow supports of varying kinds and they didn’t make much difference but my main issue was the type of work I was doing made it loads worse especially being a touch typist and using my little finger. So just try and adjust what you’re doing if possible as repetitive tasks will make it loads worse.

[rmros in reply to Leics]

Yeah I'm feeling it affect my wrist (pain) and hand (weakness) now. I'm a graphic designer and it's my dominant arm so it's not helping. I've just been on holiday for a week so expecting it to get worse when I go back to work.

[Leics in reply to rmros]

Yeah it perhaps will but all I can suggest is take lots of breaks and if you have wrist supports use them. I have to use a walking stick as I’m not able to walk unaided outside that made it lots worse as I need to put all my weight on my stick. Ergonomic everything is the way to go and if you use walking aids try and get a left handed stick, although swapping to a new side is difficult. I’ve always found using some foam that is usually for lagging pipes is brilliant for popping your pen in to take the pressure off trying to grip a biro or toothbrush or anything else including cutlery can make a big difference to sore nerves and wrist pain. I hope the elbow pain gets better soon.

[cyberbarn]

If I ever find a golfer or a tennis play without their elbows I will gladly give them back to them!

I have had both golfer's and tennis elbow many times. I did try the narrow splint that you put on your forearm, but it would always slip off. I don't think they are meant for women who don't have huge muscles because they don't play golf or tennis. And wearing clothing interfered with it too.

So I have given up trying to do anything about it. Touch wood I haven't had a bad elbow for a couple of years now. The problems are all in my hips.

[rmros in reply to cyberbarn]

Good point about the splint size. The band I used for ITB syndrome was fine because my thighs are, shall we say, a good walker's thighs, and firm.

My hip plagues me too. Hope you find some relief.

[medway-lady]

I don’t know the difference between tennis and golfers but the Osteopath years ago got my tennis elbow sorted. luckily I’ve not had it since.

[rmros in reply to medway-lady]

As far as I understand, if it's on the outside of the elbow it's tennis and on the inside of the elbow it's golfer's. Something to do with the different strains in swinging a raquet and a club.

[medway-lady in reply to rmros]

Mine was outside so must have been tennis. lol

[Stills]

yes about 15 years ago my whole arm froze at work and I couldn’t use it. Initially I thought RA but physio said tennis elbow which he basically said was repetitive strain injury which was likely due to work. It went away but hurts still and if it gets cold the joint snaps shut. Elastic bandage heat and massage help, hope you can find something to give it the elbow soon 😉

[Kags1068]

Hi RMROS

I've been experiencing tennis elbow (outside of elbow instead of inside) for a good 18 months. I've had RA since age 14 and haven't even held a tennis racket since I was about 11!😁

It's been a bit complicated for me by a very damaged elbow joint, trapped ulna nerve and a fracture in my olecranon last Christmas (all RA related). The tennis Elbow is the icing on a crappy cake! It's caused a lot of extra issues for me. Heat can help soothe it for a while. NSAIDs may help if you can take them. I've had a couple of steroids injections as well, which helped a bit for a while. I'm having another in a couple of weeks. I saw an Elbow surgeon last month, and due to various complications he said he "won't go near me!" What a charmer! The one useful thing he did recommend , and which I have been doing for a while is using an Elbow strap. It's given more relief than anything else. I'm on my second now! At the moment I'm using a

"Dr Arthritis tennis Elbow support strap" (they're the same for tennis or golfers Elbow, just positioned slightly differently. This was from Amazon (where there are loads) and i imagine, also available from chemists, etc. Prices vary, mine were £9.99 for a 2 pack. It seems to fit fine. I don't unfortunately have sylph-like arms, but neither do I have the forearms of a navvy!😉 I do have it quite tight (hubby does it), but it's whatever you find comfortable. I think some straps may come in different sizes, but these were one size. My previous strap (different brand) seemed to stretch over time and the velcro lost its effectiveness. They may only ever last so long with daily use, but God, it's been worth it. I usually wear it all day and take it off at night. Not a cure, but I think it rests the irritated tendons hopefully giving them chance to settle. Personally I've never had much luck with splints and supports etc, but this one has really, really helped me. Good luck whatever you decide 😊

[rmros in reply to Kags1068]

That's a good tip, thank you. I do feel as if some sort of strap or support around the elbow would help - just intuitively feels like the right thing for this pain.

NSAIDs don't really work well for me anymore and were destroying my stomach but I have a COX-2 inhibitor instead. They help for a short time usually so I try to limit use. I live in Wimbledon, you'd think tennis elbow would be more my thing.

[Kags1068 in reply to rmros]

Haha - tennis elbow would seem more appropriate due to your location but your elbow obviously wanted to go its own way! Don't know about you, but I'm quite miffed to be stuck with it despite no sporting activities since about 1983!! We should get a free pass on these things .....😉😊

Yes, I use the cox-2 inhibitor types these days. I had about 18 years on daily indocid, 20+ years on daily meloxicam and the last couple I've been on Etoricoxib 90mg but trying not use it daily wherever possible due to tummy problems nowadays. Do take esomeprazole too.

[Sebastian247]

I've had one or the other (tennis or golfers) in the past, from rock climbing. Elbow supports and rest do help. Cold compress was recommended to me by a physio.Mine would go with rest and avoiding the activity that caused it, but it seemed to take a long time to go. I'd see a physio if it persists.