Recreational sports come with a lot of benefits. Not only are you playing for fun, but you can play for exercise, stress relief, or even to socialize. However, regardless of why you play, if you are not careful you could end up with something less fun: sports injuries.
Pain or injury from repeated stress during sports, like tennis elbow, is extremely common. But have you ever heard of golf elbow?
At Calabasas Country Club, we’re no strangers to common golf injuries like golfer’s elbow. Similar to tennis elbow, golf elbow is an overuse injury that results from microscopic tears in muscle tissue, leading to swelling and pain in the elbow. While golf and tennis elbow can be related to activities outside of sports, it's easy for players to sustain such injuries.
Let’s take a look at the differences and similarities between tennis and golf elbow.
It's all about the location
The biggest difference between golf elbow and tennis elbow is the location of the pain. In tennis elbow, inflammation is present around the outside of the elbow and forearm. In most cases of tennis elbow, the tendon that allows your wrist to stretch backward and your fingers to spread is damaged.
By contrast, golfer’s elbow is associated with inflammation on the inner side of the arm and elbow, with damage to the tendon used to flex the wrist and contract the fingers. Aside from the difference in location, the symptoms of tennis elbow and golf elbow are quite similar.
Getting back to the games you love
Whether you have pain from playing tennis or playing golf, it can be frustrating to experience discomfort while doing things you enjoy. So how can you alleviate your elbow pain and get back to your favorite sports?
Our first recommendation is to consult your physician. Rest and take a break from strenuous activity to avoid worsening symptoms. Some players use ice or anti-inflammatory medications to minimize pain and swelling. While others take advantage of a brace to stabilize the wrist and forearms.
When you get back to the game, it’s important to play smart to prevent further injury. Always warm up those muscles before hitting the course, and practice proper form so you are less likely to incur injuries from improper technique. If you are not sure how to improve your stance, perhaps you could benefit from private golf instruction. At Calabasas Country Club we offer well rounded individual instruction to evaluate and analyze your game which includes our indoor performance center.
