Common Elbow Injuries in the Golfer: Prevention and Treatment

Common Elbow Injuries in theGolfer: Prevention andTreatmentChris Cooper, DPT, Physical Therapist andTitleist Performance Institute Certified GolfFitness InstructorTherapeutic Associates Physical Therapy – Athletic Club of Bend

Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow 2 of the most common golf injuries to theelbow• tennis > golfer’s frequency 5:1 Tennis elbow = outside/lateral elbow Golfer’s elbow = inside/medial elbow Behind lower back pain, lead arm tenniselbow is 2 nd most common golf injury

Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow Common Causes:• Faulty swing mechanics• Faulty lower body sequencing• Repetitive stress• Increase grip pressure• Decreased grip diameter• Steel vs. graphite shafts

Tennis Elbow Usually occurs onthe lead arm (leftarm for rightys andright arm for leftys) Test for it bystraightening elbow:• extending fingers,resisting middle fingerextension• resisting wristextension• Resist supination(palm-up) motion

Causes:• Faulty Swing MechanicsTennis Elbow○ “Chicken Winging” or “Cupping the Lead Wrist atImpact”• Need swing coach help• Dysfunctional Lower Body and/or Trunk○ Sequence coordination in transition and weight shiftingissues○ Mobility/stability issues of ankles, knees, hips, trunk• Need physical therapist help

Golfer’s Elbow Usually occurs intrail arm (right armfor rightys and leftarm for leftys) Test for it bystraightening elbow:• Resisting wrist flexion• Resisting forearmrotation into pronation(palm down)

Causes:Golfer’s Elbow• Faulty Swing Mechanics○ Casting or an Over-the-Top swing fault○ Repetitive overuse• Hitting a root or a rock causing trauma towrist flexors

Conservative Treatment Acutely (first 1-3 weeks) PT focuses ondecreasing inflammation using modalities (ice,phonophoresis, iontophoresis), gentle stretching,bracing/taping and rest Subacutely (beyond 4 weeks) PT focuses oncontinued modalities for inflammation control,more aggressive stretching, massage/deepfriction, gentle loading activities Chronically (beyond 3 months) PT focuses onASTYM, eccentric focused loading activities,continued stretching

Conservative Treatment Full body movement screen to find outwhat other body regions can be driving theelbow overload Golf swing analysis looking atbiomechanics and identifying swing faults Communication with swing coach aboutfindings Sleep position changes

Prevention Full body dynamic warm-up prior toplay• Prepares the body for MOVEMENT!• Especially lower body, trunk, shoulder girdleand elbow/wrist . . . Oh yeah . . . Full body!

Elbow Specific StretchingTennis elbow stretchGolfer’s elbow stretch

Preventative StrengthTraining YouTube Video

More Information? Email: ccooper@taiweb.com Call: 541-350-1631 Visit: www.therapeuticassociates.com/acb-golf Like: Therapeutic Associates Athletic Club of Bend Golf Performance onFacebook

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