Did you know that golfer’s elbow occurs between the ages of 45-64 years old and that women are more likely to get it than men? Three out of four cases happen in the dominant arm.
There are many different ways you can heal your golfer’s elbow. Keep reading, and we will walk you through the top five tips for healing your golfer’s elbow.
1. Wrist Strengthening
You may be thinking, “What is golfer’s elbow?” Golfer’s elbow occurs on the inside bend of your elbow; multiple muscles come together and connect. These muscles are used to flex your wrist and fingers.
When these muscles are inflamed, it causes golfer’s elbow. Golfer’s elbow is similar to tennis elbow because both occur outside the elbow.
Before you start any golfer’s elbow treatment, you should consult with a professional. You need to find the best recovery route for you and your body.
Extension Wrist Strengthening
There are different types of exercises for golfer’s elbow you should do consistently. First, we will walk through isometric wrist strengthening.
You should make sure to keep the rest of your body still and seated while you’re doing this exercise. Place your hurting forearm, palm facing down on a table, or arm of a chair.
Use your other hand to press your injured hand, extending the wounded hand and then pushing it back down. You should do this for 10 seconds and continue to increase resistance.
You should do 15 reps, but be gentle and ensure you’re not putting too much pressure on it.
Flexion Wrist Strengthening
Golfer’s elbow exercises include another wrist strengthening motion. Again, you should keep your body still and do this exercise while sitting down.
This time, you must rest your forearm on a table or armchair with the palm facing up. This time, you will be making a similar motion, but your palm will be pushing up toward your opposite hand.
You will still put resistance on the injured hand, but make sure to release it carefully. You should do this for 10 seconds, gradually increasing resistance, and then do 15 reps total.
2. Soft Tissue Rolling
Another exercise or treatment for golfer’s elbow is used to move around your tissue and get your blood flowing. Due to the tissue being inflamed, stretching it can make it worse.
You only need a round object, like a tennis or lacrosse ball. You put your forearm on the ball, and your palm can face up or down.
It would be best to roll your whole forearm up and down on the ball about 10-15 times. You should stop and put pressure on spots that feel sore and flex and extend your wrist while maintaining tension.
You can do this exercise a few times a day for some relief. You should base the amount of pressure on how much pain you’re in and listen to your body.
If you start to feel more pain or can’t handle it, your body is telling you to stop, and you want to consult a doctor to see what else you can do.
3. Light Wrist Flexing and Extending
There are wrist stretches you can do to help with your golfer’s elbow. These are very simple, and you should do it 20-30 times in reps, multiple times per day.
All you have to do is extend your arm and bend your wrist up and down until you feel the tension in both directions. You don’t want to stretch it and push too hard up or down wholly.
It should be a light lift and down to upkeep mobility in your wrist. You don’t want to overdo it and strain or cause more injury to your wrist or elbow.
4. Rest and Relaxation
RejuvenateYourHealth is here to help you with your golfer’s elbow and provide options for professional help and treatment. It would be best if you stopped doing whatever sport or activity caused the issue.
You may have to take a complete break from anything that involves twisting, flexing, gripping, or anything that is causing pain in your elbow. If you don’t take the time to rest, any treatment path you take might not work, including medication and rehabilitation.
This condition requires a lot of patience and can take months to heal. It would be best to give your body the time it needs to heal so you can be back on the golf course or play tennis in better shape.
If you take the time to rest and relax, you will feel rejuvenated when you return to your normal activities.
5. Rehab or Medication
Before you look into a rehabilitation center or go on medication for treatment, you should consult with your doctor. They will be able to provide the proper guidance and know what your body can handle.
Medication won’t speed up the healing process; it will only help temporarily relieve pain. You need to talk to your doctor to see if it’s necessary to get medication for this healing process.
You should see a doctor for further help if you start experiencing the below symptoms:
- Tingling
- Numbness
- Weakness
- Swelling
- Fever
- Redness
- Lack of mobility
- Deformity
You can do the exercises yourself, get plenty of rest, and watch your diet to make sure you’re taking care of yourself during this process as well. You want to be aware and listen to your body if anything worsens so you can see a doctor and find the right treatment plan as soon as possible.
Healing Golfer’s Elbow
Now that you know the top five tips for healing golfer’s elbow, you should pay close attention to your body and how it feels if you have it.
There are different wrist strengthening, flexing and extending, and soft tissue rolling exercises you can do at home. You also want to rest, relax, and consult a doctor if you still feel pain to find the right treatment plan for you and your body.
Contact RejuvenateYourHealth today with questions or concerns about the different services and innovative treatments they offer, including platelet-rich plasma therapy and stem cell therapy.