Pitcher’s elbow is a form of tendonitis, which is caused by overuse or movement patterns performed in a repeated fashion. Its important to recover completely before continuing the activity to allow for the inflammation and irritation to decrease. Depending on the severity of the injury this may include just a reduction of practice time or pitch counts, or not practicing altogether.
For more on how to prevent pitcher’s elbow, please see our injury prevention page on the topic.
Symptoms
- Pain will gradually increase
- Pain might also be sudden if calcium deposits are present
- Point tenderness at the site
As soon as you start to feel pain be sure to ice the injured area for 15-20 minutes at a time every hour at the most. Stretching and strengthening exercises will help in the recovery of golfer’s elbow.
Treatment
- Physical Therapy to strengthen the muscles surrounding the injured joints.
- Ice 15-20 minutes every hour at the most to decrease swelling and pain.
- Range of motion exercises
Sources:
- http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/golfers-elbow-treatment
- http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/tennis-elbow-lateral-epicondylitis