I Have Golfer’s Elbow and Playing Golf Makes My Elbow Pain Get Worse the Longer I Play

Your golfer’s elbow pain gets worse the longer you play golf because repeated gripping and swinging can keep stressing the irritated tendon in your inner elbow.

If your elbow feels manageable when you begin playing but becomes increasingly painful as the round continues, the repeated gripping and swinging are likely keeping the area under stress. Golfer’s elbow involves the tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the inside of your elbow, and those tendons work repeatedly every time you grip and control the club.

As you continue playing, the affected tendon can become more sensitive and less comfortable with each additional swing. If your elbow is already irritated, the repeated demands of holding the club, swinging, and controlling the follow-through can make the original pain much more noticeable later in the round.

Repeated Gripping Keeps Stressing Your Inner Elbow

Every swing repeatedly works the forearm muscles and tendons attached to the inside of your elbow.

When you grip the club and swing, the forearm muscles connected to the medial epicondyle of your elbow help control your hand and wrist. With golfer’s elbow, those tendons can already be sensitive, so repeated gripping and swinging may make the pain build as you continue playing.

The Pain Builds As Your Round Goes On

More swings can make an already irritated elbow increasingly difficult to ignore.

Early in the round, your elbow may still feel fairly manageable, but the repeated effort can gradually fatigue the forearm muscles and place more stress on the irritated tendon. By the later holes, you may notice the same swing that felt tolerable at the beginning now produces a stronger ache or sharper pain on the inside of your elbow.

Why Your Elbow Pain Keeps Getting Worse During Golf

Your elbow has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your elbow feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Elbow Feel Better

Your elbow starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why does my golfer’s elbow pain get worse the longer I play?

Repeated gripping and swinging keep stressing the irritated tendon, so your elbow pain may become more noticeable as your round continues.

Why does my elbow feel better at the start of golf?

Your elbow may feel manageable initially because it has not yet been exposed to repeated gripping and swinging during the round.

Can playing golf make golfer’s elbow pain worse?

Yes. Repeated swings and gripping can continue stressing the tendon and make your elbow pain worse during or after golf.

Why does my golfer’s elbow hurt more during the later holes?

The repeated activity can fatigue the forearm muscles and continue stressing the irritated tendon, making pain more noticeable later in the round.

Should I keep playing golf if my golfer’s elbow pain keeps getting worse?

If your elbow pain continues worsening during a round, reducing the activity and allowing the area to recover can help prevent further aggravation.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.