Why Do I Have Elbow Pain?
Watch one of our orthopedic physical therapists explain what can cause tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, why pain may develop with gripping and repetitive activities, and how physical therapy can help reduce elbow pain and restore strength.
Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow: Common Causes, Symptoms, and How Physical Therapy Can Help
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are common causes of elbow pain and you don’t have to play either sport to develop them. Repetitive gripping, lifting, exercise, manual work, and other activities can place increased stress on the tendons around the elbow.
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylalgia, typically causes pain on the outside of the elbow, while golfer’s elbow, or medial epicondylalgia, affects the inside. Physical therapy can help reduce pain, rebuild strength, and improve your ability to comfortably return to everyday activities, work, and exercise.
What Causes Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow?
Tennis and golfer’s elbow often develop when the muscles and tendons of the forearm are repeatedly loaded beyond what they are currently able to tolerate, causing the development of a tendinopathy.
Common contributing factors include:
- Repetitive gripping or lifting
- Racquet sports, golf, or weightlifting
- Manual or repetitive work
- Sudden increases in exercise or activity
- Repetitive wrist and forearm movements
- Reduced forearm or upper-body strength
A physical therapy evaluation can help identify the movements and factors contributing to your elbow pain.
What Are the Signs of Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow?
Common symptoms include:
- Pain or tenderness on the inside or outside of the elbow
- Pain when gripping or squeezing objects
- Discomfort with lifting, carrying, or twisting (opening doors)
- Pain in the morning
- Reduced grip strength
- Pain during exercise, sports, work, or everyday activities
Tennis elbow typically causes symptoms along the outside of the elbow, while golfer’s elbow usually affects the inside of the elbow.
How Can Physical Therapy Help?
Physical therapy focuses on gradually improving your arm's strength and ability to tolerate the activities that cause your symptoms.
Your treatment plan may include:
- Wrist and forearm strengthening
- Tendon-loading exercises
- Grip strengthening
- Shoulder and upper-body strengthening
- Mobility exercises
- Hands-on treatment when appropriate
- Activity or workload modifications
- Gradual return to sports, exercise, or work
Rather than simply avoiding painful movements, treatment helps build the strength and capacity needed to perform them more comfortably.
When Should You Seek Help?
Consider seeing a physical therapist if you have elbow pain that persists, repeatedly returns, or makes gripping, lifting, working, exercising, or participating in sports difficult.
At Prosper, we'll identify the factors contributing to your symptoms and create a personalized treatment plan to help you reduce pain, rebuild strength, and get back to the activities you enjoy.
– Clinically reviewed by [Orthopedic PT Name], PT, DPT
Common Types of Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow
Tennis Elbow
Golfer's Elbow
Repetitive Strain
Sports-Related Elbow Pain
Work-Related Elbow Pain
Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow Pain?
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow can make everyday activities like gripping, lifting, working, or playing sports painful. Consider seeing a physical therapist if you’re experiencing:
- Pain on the outside or inside of your elbow
- Pain with gripping, lifting, or carrying objects
- Elbow or forearm pain with repetitive movements
- Weakness or discomfort when using your hand or wrist
- Pain that interferes with work, exercise, sports, or daily activities
Physical therapy can help reduce elbow pain, improve strength and mobility, and address the factors contributing to tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow so you can return to the activities you enjoy.
Learn More About:
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Despite the name, tennis elbow can affect anyone who repeatedly uses the muscles and tendons of the forearm. Activities involving gripping, lifting, twisting, repetitive wrist movements, sports, and certain types of work can all contribute to tennis elbow.
Yes. Physical therapy can help treat tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow by improving strength, mobility, and the ability of the affected tendons to tolerate everyday activity. Treatment may include targeted exercises, manual therapy, activity modifications, and a gradual return to work, exercise, or sports.
The primary difference is where the pain occurs. Tennis elbow typically causes pain on the outside of the elbow, while golfer’s elbow typically causes pain on the inside. Both involve irritation or overloading of tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the elbow.
Consider seeing a physical therapist if elbow pain persists, keeps returning, or makes gripping, lifting, working, exercising, or playing sports difficult. A physical therapist can evaluate what may be contributing to your symptoms and develop an individualized treatment plan to help you recover.
Prosper Physical Therapy Specialists
100 Regency Forest Dr, Ste 130Cary, NC
27518-8597 View Staff & Treatments