Fit for Play
3 Ways to Prevent and Heal Golfer ’ s Elbow by DAVE POND
TENNIS ELBOW
GOLFERS ELBOW
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARTHUR MOUNT
THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF ROUND after round can lead to both physical , and emotional (“ another bogey ?”), pain .
“ Benjamin Franklin said , ‘ An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ,’” said Glenn Pfluger , a TPI-certified golf and fitness expert and the president of Powhatan ’ s GP Performance and Research Center .
Take , for example , golfer ’ s elbow — the little-known cousin of tennis elbow . In spite of a few locality-based similarities , the two injuries are actually quite different .
“ Although the terms are normally used synonymously , they affect different regions of the elbow ,” Pfluger said . “ If you look at your elbow with your palm facing toward you , golfer ’ s elbow affects the medial epicondyle , causing pain and inflammation to the elbow joint from the tendon , or tendonitis .
“ The other side of the elbow — on the outside ( lateral ) side — is where tennis elbow occurs .”
For those who golf and play tennis , Pfluger offers this tip to help you remember which side of your elbow is medial , and which side is lateral : the medial side of your elbow is bald like a golf ball , while the lateral side has hair on it , like the fuzz on a tennis ball .
“ If you have golfer ’ s elbow , it means there ’ s increased stress on the tendon due to a muscle imbalance between the wrist and elbow ,” he said . “ Icing and anti-inflammatory medicine can help in the short term , but to help long-term , you ’ ll need to do three things : massage , stretch and strengthen .”
STRETCH
These two exercises work together to lengthen the wrist and forearm muscles that support your swing .
WRIST EXTENSION : 1 . Hold your left fingers with your right hand . 2 . Using your right hand , slowly stretch the fingertips on your left hand down toward your palm , until you feel a small stretch . 3 . While holding the stretch , extend your left arm until straight . 4 . Hold the extended position for 30 seconds , then switch hands .
FLEXION STRETCH : 1 . Hold your right fingers with your left hand . 2 . Using your left hand , slowly stretch the fingertips on your right hand back toward your right elbow until you feel a small stretch . 3 . While holding the stretch , extend your right arm until straight . 4 . Hold the extended position for 30 seconds , then switch hands .
STRENGTHEN
Gripping exercises are great to strengthen all of the wrist muscles needed to prevent golfer ’ s elbow .
BOTTOMS-UP KETTLEBELL CARRY 1 . Hold a kettlebell by the handle and swing the ball over top of your hand , so the kettlebell is bottom-up .
2 . Keep your knuckles parallel to the ceiling and a neutral wrist — don ’ t let your wrist bend forward or backward .
3 . Stand in place , with the kettlebell held aloft , for 60 seconds . For a more difficult exercise , hold the kettlebell in place while walking for 60 seconds .
MASSAGE
Massage increases your muscles ’ range of motion before stretching .
SEARCH AND DESTROY 1 . Apply light pressure to the area ( it might feel like a bump or a bruise ), with your fingers , a tennis ball or a lacrosse ball .
2 . While maintaining pressure , move your wrist up and down in a “ tapping ” motion to move the muscles around your fingers ( or ball ). 3 . Continue to work in the area for 10 seconds . 4 . Move your fingers or ball approximately 1 inch and repeat .
vsga . org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2017 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 37