Golfer's elbow

Golfer's elbow
Left elbow-joint, showing anterior and ulnar collateral ligaments. (Medial epicondyle labeled at center top.)
ICD-10	M77.0
ICD-9	726.31
DiseasesDB	5356

WikiDoc Resources for Golfer's elbow
Articles
Most recent articles on Golfer's elbow Most cited articles on Golfer's elbow Review articles on Golfer's elbow Articles on Golfer's elbow in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Golfer's elbow Images of Golfer's elbow Photos of Golfer's elbow Podcasts & MP3s on Golfer's elbow Videos on Golfer's elbow
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Golfer's elbow Bandolier on Golfer's elbow TRIP on Golfer's elbow
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Golfer's elbow at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Golfer's elbow Clinical Trials on Golfer's elbow at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Golfer's elbow NICE Guidance on Golfer's elbow NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Golfer's elbow CDC on Golfer's elbow
Books
Books on Golfer's elbow
News
Golfer's elbow in the news Be alerted to news on Golfer's elbow News trends on Golfer's elbow
Commentary
Blogs on Golfer's elbow
Definitions
Definitions of Golfer's elbow
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Golfer's elbow Discussion groups on Golfer's elbow Patient Handouts on Golfer's elbow Directions to Hospitals Treating Golfer's elbow Risk calculators and risk factors for Golfer's elbow
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Golfer's elbow Causes & Risk Factors for Golfer's elbow Diagnostic studies for Golfer's elbow Treatment of Golfer's elbow
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Golfer's elbow
International
Golfer's elbow en Espanol Golfer's elbow en Francais
Business
Golfer's elbow in the Marketplace Patents on Golfer's elbow
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Golfer's elbow

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]

Overview

Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is an inflammatory condition of the elbow which in some ways is similar to tennis elbow.

The flexor muscles of the forearm, the muscles responsible for bending the fingers and thumb, clenching the fist and supinating the hand excluding biceps brachialis, come together in a common tendon which is inserted in to the medial epicondyle of the humerus at the elbow joint. In response to minor injury, or sometimes for no obvious reason at all, the point of insertion becomes inflamed.

Causes

The condition is called Golfer's elbow because in making a golf swing this tendon is stressed; many people, however, who develop the condition have never handled a golf club. It is also sometimes called Pitcher's elbow due to the same tendon being stressed by the throwing of objects such as a baseball, but this usage is much less frequent.

Symptoms

The predominant symptom is pain on the medial aspect of the elbow joint, which is made much worse if the flexor muscles of the forearm arm under tension but may occur at rest. On examination the medial epicondyle of the humerus is exquisitely tender. There may be some weakness of flexor function, caused by pain-mediated reflex inhibition of function of the flexor muscles.

Treatment

Simple analgesic medication has a place, as does more specific treatment with oral anti-inflammatory medications. The definitive treatment is, however, the injection into and around the inflamed and tender area of a long-acting glucocorticoid (steroid) agent. After causing an initial exacerbation of symptoms lasting 24 to 48 hours, this will produce a resolution of the condition in some five to seven days.

The ulnar nerve runs in the groove between the medial humeral epicondyle and the olecranon process of the ulna. It is most important that this nerve should not be damaged accidentally in the process of injecting a Golfer's elbow.

See also

• Tennis elbow