A Tale of Two Elbows

Dr Malcolm Stubbs, M.
With the arrival of spring and summer, everyone is taking to the outdoors for sports and fitness. Two of the most popular sports enjoyed by athletes of all ages and skill levels are tennis and golf. Whether you like to swing a racquet or swing a club, or both, at some point, at some point you may experience serious elbow pain. So what is it? Why did it occur? And most importantly, what can be done to make it go away? Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow are similar conditions that may be the cause. The following is a brief overview of the similarities and differences and how to prevent and treat these nagging injuries.

Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is the common term for lateral epicondylitis of the elbow. It is 7 times for common than golfer’s elbow and probably the most common cause of elbow pain. It is basically inflammation or degeneration of the tendon that attaches at the outer aspect of the elbow (lateral epicondyle of the humerus). Usually it will affect players in their 40’s-50 but can occur at any age. In tennis it often occurs because of a poor backhand technique or too small of a grip. With a small grip the elbow muscles have to work harder to handle the racquet.