Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow: Causes, Treatment and Recovery

Despite the names, most people with tennis elbow or golfer's elbow have never played either sport. Both conditions are overuse injuries of the tendons attaching to the elbow, common in anyone who does repetitive gripping or wrist motion.

What's actually happening

• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) involves the tendons on the outer elbow, attaching muscles that extend the wrist and fingers. It's the more common of the two.
• Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) involves the tendons on the inner elbow, attaching the wrist-flexor muscles.

Both are, despite the "-itis" suffix suggesting inflammation, now understood to be primarily a degenerative tendon change from repetitive microtrauma rather than a straightforward inflammatory process — which is part of why anti-inflammatory treatment alone often gives only partial relief.

Common symptoms

• Pain centred at the outer (tennis elbow) or inner (golfer's elbow) elbow, often radiating into the forearm
• Pain worsened by gripping, lifting, or specific wrist movements
• Tenderness directly over the affected tendon attachment
• Grip weakness in more persistent cases

Treatment — usually staged over months, not weeks

1. Activity modification to reduce the specific repetitive motion driving the problem, without necessarily stopping all activity
2. Structured eccentric strengthening exercises, which have reasonably strong evidence for tendon recovery, usually guided by a physiotherapist
3. Bracing (a counterforce strap) for symptomatic relief during aggravating activities
4. Injections — corticosteroid injections can give short-term relief but are not generally recommended as a repeated or long-term strategy given evidence of worse long-term outcomes with repeated use; other injection options exist and are discussed case by case
5. Surgery, considered only after a genuine trial (typically 6–12 months) of structured non-surgical treatment hasn't resolved persistent, function-limiting symptoms

Realistic timeline

Most cases improve significantly with structured non-surgical treatment, but full recovery is often measured in months rather than weeks — tendon healing is inherently slow, and rushing back to the aggravating activity is the most common reason for symptoms to return.