Tennis and Golfer's Elbow

TENNIS AND GOLFER'S ELBOW

Introduction

If you’ve ever felt a sharp, nagging pain in your elbow while carrying your groceries, swinging a hammer, or while working at your computer, you might be dealing with one of the two most common "epicondylitis" conditions. Despite their names, Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow aren't reserved for athletes. They are repetitive strain injuries that can affect anyone that does repetitive movements of the wrist and forearm.

Comparison At a Glance

Feature	Tennis Elbow	Golfer's Elbow
Scientific Name	Lateral Epicondylitis	Medial Epicondylitis
Location	Outside of the elbow	Inside of the elbow
Primary Movement	Extending Wrist	Flexing Wrist
Common Symptom	Pain when lifting objects palm-down	Pain when squeezing or palm-up lifting

What is the difference between Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow?

The primary difference between these two conditions is location.

1. Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

This affects the outside of the elbow. It involves the tendons attached to the muscles that extend your wrist (bending it backward).

• The Pain Point: The bony bump on the outer part of the arm.

• Common Trigger: Repetitive gripping and wrist extension (like a tennis backhand or typing on a computer).

2. Golfer's Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

This affects the inside of the elbow. It involves the tendons attached to the muscles that flex your wrist (bending it toward your palm).

• The Pain Point: The bony bump on the inner part of the arm, often radiating down the forearm.

• Common Trigger: Repetitive wrist flexion and forearm rotation (like a golf swing, throwing a ball, or using a hammer).

Why does it Happen?

Both conditions are "overuse" injuries. When you repeat the same motion thousands of times, tiny micro-tears develop in the tendon. If the body doesn't have enough time to repair these tears, inflammation sets in, and the tendon begins to degenerate—a process known as tendinosis.

Risk Factors

• Age: Most common in adults between 30 and 50.

• Occupation: Athletes, manual labourers, desk workers on computers, healthcare workers, painters, gardeners, electricians.

• Improper Form: Using equipment that is too heavy or having poor technique in sports.

Specific Risk Factors:

• Forearm Rotation: High exposure to forearm rotation (e.g., >45° for >45% of the time) is a key risk factor, often seen in jobs using tools.

• Heavy Lifting: Lifting heavy objects (>5 kg) combined with repetitive movements is a major contributor to tendon micro-tears.

• Awkward Postures while working: Prolonged or repeated non-neutral wrist postures.

How Can Acupuncture Help?

Acupuncture can reduce pain, lower inflammation, and increase blood flow to help accelerate the healing of the affected tendons. Acupuncture treatments typically provide significant improvement within 3 to 10 treatments, depending on the severity of the condition, and how long the issue has been occurring. Seeking treatment when the first signs of pain and discomfort are felt increases the chances of successful treatment, and reduces the number of treatments needed.

How it Works

• Pain Relief: Activates the body’s natural pain relieving mechanisms.

• Improves Circulation: Increases blood flow to the injured area to stimulate tissue healing.

• Reduces Inflammation: Decreases inflammation in the tendon.

• Muscle Relaxation: Reduces tension in the forearm flexor-pronator muscles.

Effectiveness Of Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis

• Short-term: Acupuncture is effective for reducing pain in the short term, with one study showing a 55.8% reduction in pain versus 15% in placebo groups.

• Long-term: Research indicates acupuncture is more effective than corticosteroids at reducing pain and improving function in chronic cases after 6 months.

Research

Acupuncture in chronic epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11886971/