Golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow – no matter which sport is yours, tendonitis is not fun. Therefore it is no surprise that golfers around the world want to know: How long does a golfers elbow last?” It takes between a few months and a year!
In addition, they want to know how to prevent this condition at all. Both conditions usually start with a sore elbow from golf or tennis. Alternatively, one can experience weakness in your hands and wrists or Numbness or tingling. But if you keep playing golf with a golfer’s elbow it will probably result in inflammation of the tendons in the elbow.
The medical term for golfers’ elbows is “medial epicondylitis”. The main symptoms are pain on the inside of the forearm near the elbow, centered around the bone. But the pain can often even be felt down the forearm toward the wrist.
Additional symptoms of golfer’s elbow include burning, soreness, sensitiveness and limited movement of the elbow.
Because those who get a golfer’s elbow are usually professional golfers, amateur athletes or true golf lovers their most important question is: “when can I return to play?”
The answer to this question highly depends on the cause of the golfer’s elbow, the severity and the treatment. We will give you some ideas how to speed up your medial epicondylitis recovery time and help you to make better health decisions so that you can return to play.
Causes of A Golfer’s Elbow
First of all golfers’ elbows are mainly caused by overuse. The reason is that professional or armateur athletes are repetitively griping, rotating, and flexing their wrist. As a consequence these repetitions are stress for the muscles and tendons of the forearm. The result is that the body tries to protect itself. Thus the effects are inflammation and swelling of the tissues of the elbow. Both can cause great pain.
Although golf is the most common reason for producing golfer’s elbow, the following activities can also cause “medial epicondylitis”
- Baseball
- Tennis
- Intense writing
- Garden work like raking
- Using a screwdriver, hammer, or other handheld tools
- Arts like painting
As you can see, “medial epicondylitis” negatively impacts our daily life. Therefore it is no surprise that people are anxious to recover. Unfortunately, this can lead to long term damage if not done correctly.
Golf Elbow Rehab: How to Return To Play
“A fool in a hurry drinks tea with a fork.” Therefore plan your recovery steps properly to prevent further damage. Here is what you need to know.
How Long Does A Golfers Elbow Last
The good news is that a golfer’s elbow normally heals on its own.The reason is that once we stop the repetitive movement the main factor for the injury is eliminated. The bad news is that depending on the severeness of the injury and your body’s ability to recover the golfer’s elbow recovery time divers between a few months and an entire year.
Change Your Diet
To reduce inflammation, change your diet to an anti-inflammatory diet. A good example for a diet that can promote healing of a golfer’s elbow is the Mediterranean diet. Try to eat more fish, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, nuts and seeds. Reduce alcohol and sugar consumption. Avoid processed food and watch your salt intake.
Natural Pain Relief Options
An efficient pain relief method includes applying ice, applying compression, and elevating the arm. Ice and elevation help to reduce inflammation after the activity, whereas compression reduces inflammation during the activity.
A compression sleeve should be worn while playing to limit the stress and strain on the tendons during the activity. Slowly transition out of the brace or sleeve over time. Another very popular method are topicals. (Also watch what doctors say about pemf therapy on youtube)
How Long Does A Golfers Elbow Last – PEMF Therapy
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy helps with reduction of inflammation and faster recovery of “medial epicondylitis”. But keep in mind it requires regular application and thus you might want to consider getting a pemf home device.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is essential to get guidance for the best exercises. It should be part of every recovery strategy especially because it focuses on strengthening weak muscles and helps to repair damaged ones.
A Word From healthylifestyleflorida.com
A golfer’s elbow can last for a long time when not treated consequently. Therefore, focus on the strategy recommended above.
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