【Medical Q&A】Have you heard of "golfer's elbow"?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Han Liqiang, deputy chief physician, Tianjin Third Central Hospital

Many people have heard of "tennis elbow" and know that it is a type of elbow pain, but few people may have heard of "golfer's elbow." Judging from the name, it seems to be related to playing golf, but in fact, people who don't play golf may also get it.

The medical name for "golfer's elbow" is "medial epicondylitis", which is mainly characterized by pain on the inner side of the elbow joint, which is exactly the opposite of "tennis elbow" (the medical name for "tennis elbow" is "lateral epicondylitis"). The root cause of medial epicondylitis is aseptic inflammation of the forearm flexor tendon at the insertion point of the medial epicondyle of the humerus due to chronic strain (such as repeated forearm pronation and wrist flexion, etc.), which causes pain. This is a degenerative disease of tendon tissue, and its incidence rate is lower than that of "tennis elbow". In addition to golf players and enthusiasts, tennis players, badminton players, track and field throwing athletes and other athletes are all high-risk groups. In addition, middle-aged and elderly people may also develop "golfer's elbow" due to fatigue. Patients mainly show pain on the inner side of the affected elbow. Many people experience elbow pain when making fists, flexing wrists, lifting heavy objects, etc. Once the disease is diagnosed, treatment plans such as immobilization of the affected limb, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and local blockade can be used, and generally a relatively good effect can be achieved. For patients who have higher functional requirements for the affected limb, surgical treatment can be considered.