Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)

Golfer's elbow is the inside-of-the-elbow cousin to tennis elbow — the same kind of overuse tendon problem, just on the opposite side. The tendons that flex your wrist and turn your palm down attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow; with repeated stress, they degenerate and become painful. Like tennis elbow, the underlying issue is tendon degeneration — not active inflammation. It shows up in golfers, baseball pitchers, and workers who do repetitive gripping or twisting (palm-down) motions. It's less common than tennis elbow. Worth noting: the ulnar nerve runs right behind the painful spot, so problems with that nerve (cubital tunnel syndrome) often coexist with golfer's elbow.

• Inner elbow pain with gripping. Aching on the inside of the elbow that flares when you squeeze something, turn a doorknob, or shake hands.
• Tenderness at the bony bump. Pressing directly on the medial epicondyle — the bony point on the inner elbow — reproduces the pain precisely.
• Pain with resisted wrist flexion. Curling your wrist against resistance or twisting your palm downward (pronation) fires up the inner elbow.
• Grip weakness. Difficulty maintaining a firm grip, especially during the activity that caused the problem.
• Possible tingling in the ring and small fingers. The ulnar nerve runs right behind the medial epicondyle — if it's irritated too, you may notice numbness or tingling in the last two fingers.

Pain on the inside of the elbow, made worse by gripping or by resisting someone pulling your wrist up — your surgeon can usually pinpoint the tender spot just below the bony bump. Two important things to check at the same time: a stress test that loads the inner side of the elbow (to rule out a UCL injury, which is more common in throwing athletes), and a careful exam of the ulnar nerve (to rule out coexisting cubital tunnel syndrome). Ultrasound and MRI show the degenerated tendon when imaging is needed.

1. NSAIDs

   NSAIDs like ibuprofen for short-term symptom relief during a flare.

2. Corticosteroid injection

   A cortisone shot can give fast short-term relief, but it doesn't change the long-term course and may slow tendon healing — used sparingly. Particular care is needed near the ulnar nerve at the inner elbow.

3. PRP injection

   A PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection — concentrated growth factors taken from your own blood and injected into the degenerated tendon. The preferred biologic option for persistent symptoms.

Surgery is reserved for the small minority of patients with persistent, disabling symptoms after a real trial of non-operative care including PRP. The procedure cleans out the degenerated portion of the tendon and may decompress the ulnar nerve at the same time when needed.

External patient-education references and related OSI pages for additional background:

• Britannica — Tendinitis
• Britannica — Joint (anatomy)
• AAOS OrthoInfo — patient education library
• OSI glossary — orthopedic terminology in plain language