The elbow joint is a source of many sports injuries. The elbow is used constantly with throwing, racquet sports and golf and therefore has repetitive stress to the joint leading to sports injuries. 

One of the most common injuries seen in the elbow is tennis elbow. The problem in tennis elbow actually comes from the wrist. The muscles on the outside portion of the elbow extend the wrist. People who play tennis often times have pain in this area. The pain usually comes after playing and is associated with a single fisted backhand. 

The muscles from the outside portion of the elbow have to cross the elbow joint and the wrist joint in order to extend the elbow. The muscles actually pull away from the bone at the elbow where the muscles are anchored. It is this gradual pulling away that cause pain and swelling in the outside portion of the elbow. 

Golfer's elbow occurs on the inside portion of the elbow. The muscles that flex the wrist all arise off of the inside portion of the elbow. This area of inflammation is also seen in baseball players. 

Golfer's elbow occurs when the muscles pull away from the bone and cause repetitive tearing and swelling along the inside portion of the elbow. Unfortunately, there is also a nerve that runs to the little and ring fingers that is close to these muscles. Many times, the nerves can also be inflamed causing numbness and tingling to the small and ring fingers. 

Once these problems arise, the patient is recommended to back off from the activity that is causing the pain. Usually, it is advised to back off of the activity until the pain subsides. Also, ice applied directly to this area in a circular fashion can keep the swelling down and keep the pain down. 

An easy way to apply to ice to this area is to take a disposable cup, fill it up ½ way with water and place it in the freezer. By using the base of the disposable cup, a circular ice massage can be applied to the area of pain. The ice should be applied in a circular motion for no greater than 15 minutes. Elbow braces apply support to the muscles in this region. By applying a brace, this will diminish the force of impact on the muscles by 50%. 

The best way to cure tennis elbow and golfer's elbow is to stretch prior to golfing or tennis. These stretching exercises are illustrated below. It is important to keep the elbow straight and hold the stretches for a count of 5. This should be repeated 5 times prior to as well as after sporting activities. If pain persists longer than 2 months, an evaluation by a sports medication physician is appropriate.