The Body Swing Connection: How Your Golf/Tennis Elbow is not an Elbow Problem!

Elbow pain is one of the more common areas where we will see someone having pain that can be exacerbated or even start with the golf swing. One condition was even labeled "Golfer's Elbow", although I tend to see more "Tennis Elbow" from playing golf so go figure!

One large misconception with both of these conditions is that the elbow itself is the problem. What myself and research have both found, is that despite the elbow being the location of the pain, the underlying issue is generally due to a deficiency in another body region.

We are going to take a deep dive into this today as well as some of the swing characteristics that can be involved as well!

When it comes to injury inducing swing mechanics and elbow pain that seems to have came on from the golf swing, one of the most common is poor use of the lower body. This can include hanging back, early extension, s-posture, and swaying or sliding. When a player is not using the lower body effectively in the swing, especially when it comes to initiating the downswing, the upper body is forced to over-compensate and will become more active. This can lead to the player coming over the top, casting, or chicken winging. All which increase stress to the upper body and can lead to both elbow and wrist/hand issues.

During our testing, these players will commonly show deficits in their hip rotation and extension mobility and poor core stability. They will likely also have issues with shoulder external rotation which I will go more into below.

When it comes to elbow pain that did not originate with the golf swing, the area that is most commonly the underlying-issue is the shoulder complex. What I generally see with those who are suffering from elbow pain is that they either have deficits in the external rotation mobility on that side or poor strength in the rotator cuff and scapular muscles. These are areas that generally do not get used in strength training unless someone has specifically been looking for ways to strengthen them.

In our TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) testing this can be found in the 90-90 test. But as a PT, I also do a further deep dive into these regions with range of motion and manual muscle testing in multiple planes. This gives me enough information to know how this base can (or in most cases cannot) support the elbow and the rest of the arm.

Here are a few of my favorite exercises to begin to address these stability deficits at the scapular and rotator cuff:

• External Rotation with Lift to 90/90: https://youtube.com/shorts/PtmF5hGilvk?feature=share

• Face Pulls to External Rotation: https://youtube.com/shorts/4MzLcg8TBdo?feature=share

• Scap Angels: https://youtube.com/shorts/R-fQzsux1O8?feature=share

Even though the pain did not start with the golf swing here, it can be exacerbated by the injury inducing mechanics mentioned above as well.

It is also important that we screen the cervical spine during our process since it can also refer pain down the arm and even at the elbow itself. If we were to find something during this screen we would take a deeper dive here to make sure this is addressed in your plan as well to make sure all bases are covered.

A few other things that can contribute to elbow pain in the golf swing include: hitting off hard surfaces such as mats, a sudden increase in the volume of practice, and taking fat divots.

If you have been dealing with lingering elbow pain that doesn't seem to be getting better on it's own, please use the link below to set up a FREE discovery call where we can discuss your story and see if our team could be a good fit on your road to recovery.

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