Golfer’s elbow is a condition that results in pain on the inside of your elbow, near the “funny bone” region. It has also been referred to as “medial epicondylitis.” Golfer’s elbow results from cumulative damage and irritation to the tendons that attach to the bony bump on the inside of the elbow. These tendons attach to the muscles that run down the forearm and attach by another set of tendons to the wrist and fingers, allowing you to bend and twist your wrist and grip objects like a golf club, tennis racket, or hammer. Repetitive and forceful gripping and twisting activities can damage the tendons at the elbow. Patients often experience soreness or pain at the inside of the elbow during or after activity.

In some cases, it may become difficult to hold on to things like a golf club or tennis racket. The goal of treatment is to identify and treat the cause (which is usually overuse or poor technique), reduce the pain and irritation, promote healing, and strengthen the muscles and tendons to prevent recurrence.  

Golfer’s elbow is the opposite of tennis elbow, which affects the tendons on the outside of the elbow. Similar to tennis elbow, you don’t have to golf to get golfer’s elbow and this condition affects a wide variety of competitive athletes and active individuals.