The term “country club elbow” evokes pleasant images of green lawns, polo shirts and tall glasses of iced tea. Unfortunately, this moniker refers to a far less pleasant condition: the combination of tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow—a chronic, painful syndrome associated with the two sports. The condition can cause a shooting pain down the forearm and a dull, permanent ache in the elbow joint, but with proper care, most patients can be pain free within a year.
These two conditions, both forms of epicondylitis, are di fferentiated by the location of the pain.
- Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis): pain felt on the inside of the elbow
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): pain felt on the outside of the elbow
But it is not uncommon for patients to complain of pain in both regions, suggesting a diagnosis of country club elbow. These types of elbow pain are categorized as overload or overuse injuries. Previously believed to be caused by tendon in flammation, the conditions are more likely caused by scar tissue formed from repetitive strain or a trauma so small it goes unnoticed. The application of ice, a period of rest and nonsteroidal anti-in flammatory drugs (NSAIDs), if your physician approves, may o er temporary relief. In extreme cases, corticosteroid injections or even surgery may be employed. The best treatment, however, is a rehabilitation program involving elbow manipulation and strengthening the tendons around the elbow joint. We can design a program of stretching and eccentric exercise (a form of weight-bearing resistance training), as well as therapeutic modalities such as massage, to alleviate the pain. Although steroid injections might o er additional relief in some cases, studies have shown that physical therapy alone is the most effective treatment for both tennis and golfer’s elbow. By following the program we design and adopting better ergonomic techniques for whatever activity caused the problem in the rst place, you will return to golf, tennis or sipping iced tea in your polo shirt sooner than you think.
