Medial Epicondylitis: An Electromyographic Analysis and an Investigation of Intervention Strategies

Flexor and extensor muscle-tendon unit activity at the elbow during the golf swing was recorded from subjects with and without medial epicondylitis. There was no sig nificant difference in total swing time between symp tomatic (1.23 ± 0.15 sec) and asymptomatic (1.15 ± 0.13 sec) subjects nor between golfers with low (1 to 6 handicap, N = 8) and high (11 to 19 handicap, N = 8) scoring abilities. Symptomatic and asymptomatic sub jects displayed similar electromyographic profiles for flexor and extensor muscles of the forearm. Electro myographic activity of the common extensor muscles was persistent throughout the four swing phases, rang ing from 33.59% of maximum voluntary contraction at address to 58.77% at contact. Common flexor muscles produced a consistent burst of electromyographic ac tivity during contact phase (flexor burst, 90.77% of maxi mum voluntary contraction). Symptomatic subjects' mean flexor muscle electromyographic activity was sig nificantly greater than that of asymptomatic subjects in both address and swing phases. When forearm brace and oversized grips were imposed on symptomatic sub jects, there was no significant difference in mean elec tromyographic magnitude or muscle activation pattern during the golf swing. Thus, the method of sympto matic relief of the intervention strategies tested is still in question.