Golfer’s elbow isn’t limited to those who play the sport. The pain stemming from the forearm’s tendons can affect tennis players or anyone who repeatedly uses their wrists and clenches their fingers. 

While golfer’s elbow can be painful enough to have you retiring your clubs, new regenerative medicine treatments like platelet-rich plasma injections can potentially heal your discomfort and get you back on the course again. 

What Causes Golfer’s Elbow?

Golfer’s elbow, or medial epicondylitis, happens when the tendons and muscles that control the hands become damaged due to excessive or repeated stress. When the forearm’s tendons that connect to the inside of the elbow become inflamed, it can cause pain and stiffness from the elbow to the wrist. 

Those who don’t warm up their muscles before activities and have poor technique may be more susceptible to developing a golfer’s elbow. Golfer’s elbow can also result from the following activities: 

• Racket sports, especially if using a racket that’s too small or too heavy 
• Throwing sports, like baseball, football, archery, or javelin throwing
• Weight training while using improper technique
• Any repetitive, forceful occupational movements

Typically, those who develop golfer’s elbow regularly engage in such activities for over an hour a day. 

What Is Platelet-Rich Plasma?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) uses the blood cells that play the most critical role in healing, the platelets, to stimulate healing in damaged tissue. For example, platelets clot your wound when you experience a cut and release growth factors that stimulate cell reproduction and tissue regeneration. 

PRP uses the patient’s blood, extracted and separated using a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets in the plasma, promoting the healing of injured or strained tissue. 

How Does PRP Treat Golfer’s Elbow?

Since the pain and stiffness of golfer’s elbow stem from strain and overuse of the tendons, the condition can be slow to heal. In addition, the tendons receive minimal blood flow, so they don’t access the healing oxygen and platelets that promote repair. 

So, if you suffer from golfer’s elbow, most treatments depend on abstaining from your favorite activities for an extended period while the tendon slowly recuperates.

PRP injections directly apply the healing properties of the blood to the affected tendon, reducing pain and inflammation and promoting the repair and restoration of function in the arm. 

Additionally, unlike other treatments for golfer’s elbow, like steroid injections, PRP therapy doesn’t cause further damage to the tendon or surrounding tissue. Instead of masking the pain, PRP injections can heal the pain at its source. This is what makes PRP therapy a potentially effective healing option for golfer’s elbow.

This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.