Golfer's elbow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Golfer's elbow | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
 Left elbow-joint, showing anterior and ulnar collateral ligaments. (Medial epicondyle labeled at center top.) |
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| ICD-10 | M77.0 |
| ICD-9 | 726.31 |
| DiseasesDB | 5356 |
| eMedicine | sports/74 pmr/74 |
Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is an inflammatory condition of the elbow which in some ways is similar to tennis elbow.
The anterior forearm contains several muscles that are involved with flexing the fingers and thumb, and flexing and pronating the wrist. The tendons of these muscle come together in a common tendinous sheath which is inserted into the medial epicondyle of the humerus at the elbow joint. In response to minor injury, or sometimes for no obvious reason at all, this point of insertion becomes inflamed.
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[edit] Causes
The condition is called Golfer's elbow because in making a golf swing this tendon is stressed; many people, however, who develop the condition have never handled a golf club. It is also sometimes called Pitcher's elbow[1] due to the same tendon being stressed by the throwing of objects such as a baseball, but this usage is much less frequent.
[edit] Treatment
Simple analgesic medication has a place, as does more specific treatment with oral anti-inflammatory medications. The definitive treatment is, however, the injection into and around the inflamed and tender area of a long-acting glucocorticoid (steroid) agent. After causing an initial exacerbation of symptoms lasting 24 to 48 hours, this will produce a resolution of the condition in some five to seven days.
The ulnar nerve runs in the groove between the medial humeral epicondyle and the olecranon process of the ulna. It is most important that this nerve should not be damaged accidentally in the process of injecting a Golfer's elbow.
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[edit] References
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