Tennis Elbow vs Golfer's Elbow: Is There a Difference in Joint Pain?

The joint paint associated with tennis elbow and golfer's elbow, both forms of tendinitis, can be aggravating and, at certain points, interfere with daily tasks.

Both conditions are caused by repetitive-motion strains that cause the tendons attached to your forearm muscle to become inflamed. Although the conditions are basically the same, in each condition, different tendons are affected, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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The medical term for tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis, with lateral denoting that the inflammation is occurring in the place where the tendon attaches to the outside of the elbow, Mayo said.

With golfer's elbow, called medial epicondylitis, the affected tendons are on the inside of the elbow.

"Recent studies show that tennis elbow is often due to damage to a specific forearm muscle. The extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle helps stabilize the wrist when the elbow is straight," the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons said. "This occurs during a tennis groundstroke, for example. When the ECRB is weakened from overuse, microscopic tears form in the tendon where it attaches to the lateral epicondyle (the bump on the end of the upper arm bone). This leads to inflammation and pain."

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Both conditions cause pain and tenderness around the elbow, on the inside with golfer's elbow and on the outside with tennis elbow; stiffness; weakness; and numbness and tingling, according to Mayo.

"Most cases of golfer's and tennis elbow have a slow, insidious onset," according to Livestrong.

One way to avoid any form of elbow tendinitis, according to The Stretching Institute, is "a thorough and correct warm up."

"Without a proper warm up the muscles and tendons will be tight and stiff. There will be limited blood flow to the forearm area, which will result in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for the muscles," the institute website said. "This is a sure-fire recipe for a muscle or tendon injury."

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