Repetitive Elbow Strain
Gripping a ball can lead to elbow pain for people who perform the same squeezing movements over and over again for a duration of time. This is a form of repetitive strain, or overuse injury, in which repeated actions eventually lead to painful conditions. Over time, repeated strain can cause micro-tears that appear in the soft tissues of the forearm and the elbow. According to the Mayo Clinic, this type of pain can appear suddenly, though most often it has a more gradual onset. There are two common types of repetitive strain elbow pain that can be caused by gripping a ball: medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow) and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
Medial Epicondylitis---Golfer's Elbow
Medial epicondylitis is also known as "golfer's elbow," though it can just as easily develop in people who have never played the sport. According to the Mayo Clinic, repetitive stress to the muscles that control the wrist and fingers often leads to medial epicondylitis. Forceful motions of the fingers and wrists over time, such as those caused by tight gripping or by pitching a ball, are often the culprit.
While you might think that a repetitive grip would be more likely to cause pain in the fingers or the hand, this is not the case: the muscles that control the strength movements of the hands and fingers, active during activities such as gripping, are actually located in the inside of your forearm. They originate at the medial epicondyle, which is the bump located at the inside of your elbow next to your funny bone. Over time, tiny tears in the gripping muscles or tendons put strain on this spot, leading to elbow pain.
Lateral Epicondylitis---Tennis Elbow
Lateral epicondylitis is also known as "tennis elbow." Like golfer's elbow, you do not have to be a tennis pro to develop tennis elbow. The National Institutes of Health reports that lateral epicondylitis can be caused by repetitive stress to the muscles of the forearm, though these are a different set of muscles than those that cause golfer's elbow. Over time, repeatedly gripping a ball with the wrist pulled back (extended), or gripping and twisting at the same time, can lead to lateral epicondylitis.
The muscles that control these movements are located on the back side of the forearm, and originate at the lateral epicondyle. This is the bony bump on the outside of your elbow. Like medial epicondylitis, tiny tears in the muscles or tendons that originate eventually lead to strain at this spot, causing elbow pain.
