You may have heard of the conditions tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, but did you know you can suffer from these conditions even if you don’t play either sport? Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow can occur when there is inflammation, overuse or degeneration of the tendons at the elbow.
Tennis elbow occurs on the outside of the elbow (at the lateral epicondyle bone), and is called lateral epicondylitis or epicondylosis by medical professionals (regardless of whether not you play tennis). Golfer’s elbow, which is known as medial epicondylitis or epicondylosis in the medical world, is a similar condition which causes pain on the inside or medial aspect of the elbow. Pain most often occurs during forceful gripping when the wrist and/or elbow are extended. The condition can be brought on by typical daily tasks that don’t seem too strenuous, such as prolonged carrying and lifting of shopping bags, a laptop computer bag, carry-on luggage, heavy purse or briefcase.
Oftentimes these injures crop up in laborers after prolonged hammering or when sustained gripping is required. Weekend warriors can also experience these symptoms after an uptick in activity when painting, pulling weeds, power washing, using a leaf blower or chainsaw, or other home maintenance and repairs. The source of the pain is where the muscle turns to tendon near its attachment to the bone at the inside or outside of the elbow. The muscle can place a high demand on the tendon, which can be more than it can handle. This causes pain when the tendon becomes injured. Once this becomes irritated it can lead to weakness, where even the simplest tasks such as opening a door, brushing teeth, gripping and turning the steering wheel, or lifting a coffee cup can provoke pain at the elbow. This is typically seen in people over 30, but can occur at any age.
If these tips are not giving you relief, it may be time to contact your physician or schedule an appointment at Athletico. If you have Lateral or Medial Epicondylitis, therapy can help you relieve pain, restore flexibility and strength, while avoiding excessive forces by modifying techniques, equipment or mechanics to decrease symptoms and avoid re-occurrence of symptoms. A therapist can prescribe exercises that allow one to apply the appropriate amount of force, which can help promote tendon healing without increasing pain.
Athletico offers free assessments both in-clinic or virtually through our telehealth platform. Request your free assessment today using the button below.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
References:
1. Meals, R., (2008) The Hand Owner’s Manual p.104-106.
2. Leadbetter, J., (2006) Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabiliataion, a Practical Guide, Third Edition, p.399-406.
3. Edwards, H., What is Tennis Elbow Lateral Epiconsylosis? Retrieved from https://centerforphysicalexcellence.com/tennis-elbowlateral-epicondylosis/
4. Erickson, J., (2019) Why do I have Tennis Elbow? I don’t play tennis? http://www.raleighhand.com/blog/why-do-i-have-tennis-elbow-i-dont-play-tennis
5. Jones, S., Google tells me it is Tennis Elbow but I don’t play Tennis! Retrieved from https://www.kcbj.com/google-tells-me-it-is-tennis-elbow-but-i-dont-play-tennis/
2 Comments
Maggie Mac Intyre
I am a full tume rancher and I also crop hay and grain and I am wondering if my diagnosed IT Band pain will EVER go away.. 2 years now.. The pain jumps around from the top of my rigjt knee around to the top and sometimes half way down my right tibia and several points front and back of my right side pelvis and sometimes all the way down the outside of my thigh. If is take 400 mg of Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours , I can live with this .. otherwise I can hardly walk or even sleep at night. I read in one of hour blogs that one leg may be shorter and sometimes I think it seems to be my left leg Is shorter so I put peices of felt in all my left boots under the heel. That seemed to help a bit. I am calving out the herds now so I am up and out every four hours 24/7 on rough icey ground at night and mud during the day which is typical in April in Alberta Canada. I spend hours baling hay and straw in late summer and fall and .. thousands of big round bales requiring braking and clutching for each one.. What caused this and PLEASE how do I get rid of it. I am bery strong and very healthy but this is wearing me down.
Athletico
Maggie – We are sorry to hear that your pain has not gone away yet. We would highly recommend finding a good manual physical therapist who can help with differential diagnosis to figure out the root cause of your pain and get you on a solid home exercise program to manage symptoms. They can help determine if your leg length discrepancy is anatomical (in which case heel lift is beneficial) or functional (in which case various manual therapies may be indicated). There may also be an imbalance of tight or weak muscles contributing to continued symptoms, so a good evaluation is needed to assess that. Even though some of your global muscles are strong from your work as a rancher, there are some other smaller muscles that may be weak. Because of the COVID-19 situation, there are a lot more PT providers offering telehealth evaluations.