Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

What is Golfer’s Elbow?

Golfer’s elbow refers to an injury that causes pain on the inside of the elbow (medial epicondyle) rather than the outer part - lateral epicondyle or tennis elbow. Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis), is a form of tendonitis caused by repetitive stress on the wrist flexor and forearm muscles. Repeated loading of these tendons can lead to microscopic tearing, chronic inflammation, and progressive tendon degeneration if the tissue is not allowed to recover.

Golfer’s elbow causes pain, tenderness, and inflammation where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. As the tendon tissue weakens, patients may experience pain, reduced grip strength, and difficulty performing activities that involve gripping, lifting, or wrist flexion.

Golfer’s Elbow Causes and Symptoms

Pain from golfer’s elbow results from overuse and repetitive movement involving gripping or resisted wrist and finger flexion. Repeatedly swinging a golf club without allowing sufficient recovery time is a common cause of medial epicondylitis.

Repetitive gripping, lifting, or forceful wrist flexion can overload the tendon attachment at the medial epicondyle, leading to microscopic tendon tears, chronic inflammation, and progressive tendon degeneration.

The most common symptom of golfer’s elbow is pain along the palm side of the forearm, from the elbow to the wrist, on the same side as the little finger. Symptoms usually develop gradually over time.

Symptoms of golfer’s elbow may include:

• Pain when bending the wrist toward the palm against resistance
• Pain worsens when squeezing or gripping the palm (squeezing a rubber ball)
• Tenderness on the inside of the elbow, directly over the bony medial epicondyle (inside of the elbow)
• Stiffness in the elbow and making a fist may hurt
• General weakness in the hands and wrist
• Numbness and tingling that may radiate to one or more fingers, typically the ring and little fingers, due to proximity to the median nerve

Without appropriate treatment and activity modification, this painful elbow condition can become chronic, making everyday tasks and athletic activities increasingly difficult.

Golfer’s Elbow Diagnosis

Your golfer’s elbow specialists at Hoag Orthopedic Institute will conduct a targeted physical exam to evaluate your pain, tenderness, and range of motion. Specific resistance tests may be used to reproduce symptoms by placing controlled stress on the wrist flexor tendons at the medial epicondyle.

Your doctor will also explore when symptoms began, what activities worsen the pain, and how it affects gripping, lifting, or daily tasks. Movement testing helps rule out other conditions that may mimic golfer’s elbow.

X-rays may be recommended to exclude other causes of a painful inner elbow, such as arthritis or a fracture. In persistent or unclear cases, advanced imaging such as ultrasound or MRI may be used to evaluate the extent of tendon injury.