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Thousand Oaks, CA- Golfer's Elbow Pain, Treatment, and Therapy

January 20, 2025

Local Newport Beach, CA Treatment and Therapy for Golfer's Elbow at Regenerative Orthopedic Solutions

GOLFER'S ELBOW SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENTS

Golfer's elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) is a soreness or pain on the outside (lateral) side of the upper arm near the elbow. It also has alternative names such as Epitrochlear bursitis; Lateral epicondylitis; Epicondylitis - lateral; Tendonitis - elbow. It also can become a chronic issue caused by swelling of the tendons that connect the forearm to the outer side of the elbow.

The swelling ultimately damages the muscles and tendons from using them over and over again. That is why Golfer's elbow can be diagnosed as an overuse injury. Pain is often experienced on the outer side of the elbow, and the condition can be extremely painful. While playing tennis regularly can result in this condition, many patients treated for this condition don’t actually play tennis. Repetitive activities cause the tendons to get overworked, causing small tears.

To prevent this type of overuse injury, you simply have to not overuse it. If you start to have pain in the lateral side of the elbow (Golfer's Elbow), the best way to try to avoid the pain is to do things with the palm-up position. By putting your palm up, you transfer the forces from the hand to the medial side of the elbow.

Conservative, Nonsurgical Treatments

Patients with tennis elbow are best treated non-operatively. Depending upon the nature and extent of the inflammation, there are many treatment options available which are successful in 80% to 90% of tennis elbow cases.

RELAXATION: Stop the activities that are causing the pain. Your pain is telling you to rest the muscles by taking a timeout from using it. You will need to take a break from taking part in sports as well as refraining from heavyweight activities.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDICATIONS: Either over-the-counter (Ibuprofen and aspirin) or prescription anti-inflammatory medications can reduce swelling and pain.
EQUIPMENT INSPECTION: If you use a tennis racquet regularly, have it professionally inspected to ensure the size or weight of the racquet is appropriate.
TOPICAL COMPOUND CREAMS: Can be rubbed onto the affected area.
PHYSICAL THERAPY: Exercises that concentrate on reinforcing the forearm muscles are beneficial.
MUSCLE-STIMULATING PROCEDURES: Prescribed by your doctor and physical therapist improve the healing of the tendons. Ultrasound and massaging with ice also help.
BRACING: A brace can also ease symptoms.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a commonly used treatment for tendinopathies such as Golfer's Elbow.

PRP therapy is a safe, unique, and effective procedure for healing Tennis and Golfer's elbow pain. This therapy involves injecting a concentration of the patient’s own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured muscles, joints, and ligaments. By utilizing the patient’s natural healing system, PRP injections effectively address various musculoskeletal issues.

The process begins with separating the patient’s blood into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelet-rich plasma using a centrifuge. The platelet-rich plasma is then injected into the injured tissues, often guided by an ultrasound scan for precision.

Conventional treatments for elbow tendonitis may not always be effective, prompting your physician to recommend PRP therapy for better results. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been shown to accelerate the healing process, making PRP injections a popular treatment for tennis elbow. This therapy harnesses the patient’s natural healing process to repair injured tissue. PRP contains proteins, known as growth factors, that aid in healing the elbow muscle and alleviating pain.

Following the surgery Regenerative Orthopedic Solutions providers may recommend you to practice certain measures so as to improve the outcomes of surgery and to fasten the process of healing.

Call us at 949-662-5390 to schedule a Golfer's Elbow consultation!

References:

Xiong G, Lingampalli N, Koltsov JCB, Leung LL, Bhutani N, Robinson WH, Chu CR. Men and Women Differ in the Biochemical Composition of Platelet-Rich Plasma. Am J Sports Med. 2018;46:409–419. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546517740845.

Pruna R, Til L, Artells R. Could single nucleotide polymorphisms influence on the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of sport injuries? Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2014;4:63–65.

Miller LE, Parrish WR, Roides B, Bhattacharyya S. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma injections for symptomatic tendinopathy: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised injection-controlled trials. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2017; e000237. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2017-000237.

Dong W, Goost H, Lin X, Burger C, Paul C, Wang Z, Kong F, Welle K, Jiang Z, Kabir K. Injection therapies for lateral epicondylalgia: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2016; 50(15):900–8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-094387.

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