How Physical Therapy Can Help Golfers Resolve Golfer’s Elbow?
Are you struggling with a bad case of golfer’s elbow, but you never play golf? Is the pain limiting basic activities you do around your home or at work? At McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy, our physical therapists in Warminster and New Britain, PA will assess your pain and limitations to provide you with solutions that work!
Golfer’s elbow can affect simple activities of daily living like carrying objects, opening a door or jar, and shaking someone’s hand. Fortunately, our team of physical therapists will identify all the factors contributing to your pain and each limitation until you are back to doing what you have been avoiding.
Taking care of minor issues sooner than later leads to a faster recovery.
What is golfer’s elbow, and what causes it?
In the medical community, golfer’s elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis, is typically caused by an overuse and/or overload injury to the tendons that attach to the elbow’s inner (medial) aspect. This overload often leads to degenerative tearing of the tendons, pain, and sometimes inflammation.
Typically this condition does not occur on one specific swing in golf. Often, repeated microtraumas over the course of days to weeks will lead to the development of pain. Eventually, these repeated microtraumas lead to structural breakdown of the tissue and dysfunction of the elbow/arm. As the condition progresses, there is often persistent pain in the inner aspect of the elbow, even with basic daily activities.
It is also possible for medial epicondylitis to start due to a traumatic event. This can happen when the club strikes the ground, roots, or dig into the sand. These types of strikes can cause a sudden slowing/stop of the club resulting in sudden overloading of the tendons at the elbow.
Regardless of the mechanism of injury, our physical therapists will get to the root of the problem. At McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy, our team will help you resolve any golf-related injury so you can get back out on the course!
How physical therapy at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy can help
Too often, golfers wait too long to address an issue when it is small or use strategies that simply don’t help the condition and may unintentionally inhibit the recovery process. For example, resting a tendon is not the most effective strategy and may delay healing.
Tendons are designed to withstand large forces, and resting them can actually weaken them further and may even make you more susceptible to re-injury. This is where a physical therapist can help! In addition, we understand proper swing mechanics and the importance of looking at the entire body to ensure you address all factors contributing to your condition.
Our Warminster or New Britain, PA physical therapists can teach you how to safely use and strengthen your tendon to keep it healthy and strong while it heals. In addition, we will help ensure the rest of your body is mobile and strong so you can swing with confidence.
What to expect in physical therapy
At McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy, we will conduct a thorough evaluation. This will help us identify the extent of the injury and help us design a program that is tailored to meet your individual needs.
The focus of treatment is to restore tissue mobility, increase blood flow to assist the healing process and ultimately reduce pain and improve function. Our rehabilitation program gradually loads the tendon to regain its full strength and function.
Our team will build strength and tissue mobility by progressively “loading” the tissue in the injured area. Loading is a term used to describe the cumulative amount of exercise prescribed over a given period of time. We will progress your loading with the addition of repetitions, sets, resistance, duration, and/or speed. Any combination of progressions will help the golfer tolerate the forces required to swing the club repeatedly.
The goal of tendon rehabilitation is to gradually progress the exercises to challenge the tendon without irritating it further. We will educate you on modifying your technique and improving your form of golfing and any other activity that may provoke your condition.
Request an appointment at McCabe and Brady Physical Therapy today!
Your Next Steps…
Request An Appointment
Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
Enjoy Life Pain-Free!