Elbow Pain (Tennis & Golfer's Elbow)
Tennis elbow is pain on the outside of the elbow, and golfer’s elbow is pain on the inside. Both are overuse injuries of the forearm tendons, and most people who get them do not play tennis or golf. Our physical therapists in Laguna Niguel treat them and show you what takes pressure off the tendon.
Tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow
Where it hurts tells you which tendon is irritated.
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Pain on the outside of the elbow that often shows up when you grip, lift a kettle or turn a door handle.
Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
Pain on the inside of the elbow, often worse when you flex the wrist or grip hard.
Other causes of elbow pain
Bursitis, and an irritated ulnar nerve at the inside of the elbow (cubital tunnel), can feel similar. Your exam sorts them out.
Why you do not need a racket or a club to get it
The tendons that extend and flex the wrist attach at the elbow, so any repeated gripping and lifting can overload them: keyboard and mouse work, lifting at work, carrying shopping or tools.
Loading the tendon with the right exercises usually helps more than resting it. Your physical therapist teaches you the right load and how to build it over weeks.
How we treat elbow pain
Exercise for the tendon
A graded program of strengthening for the forearm muscles, moving from gentle to demanding as the tendon adapts.
Hands-on care
Manual therapy for the forearm, the elbow and the neck and shoulder above it.
Changes at work and home
We look at what you grip, lift and repeat, and change the grip, the tool or the setup.
“My daughter Kendra was a classically trained ballet dancer for 10 years when she suddenly broke her elbow… Kris worked with Kendra 3x/week for 8 weeks and restored her elbow! She has gone on to become one of the captains of the Aliso Niguel HS Dance Team and hopes to continue her dreams of dance in college.”
When it is the wrist, hand or shoulder
Pain that sits lower, at the wrist or in the thumb, is on the hand and wrist page. A shoulder that hurts as well is on shoulder pain. Elbow pain from a sport you play is also covered on sports injury rehab.
More about the elbow from the LOR blog
Questions about elbow pain
What causes elbow pain when gripping?
Elbow pain when gripping usually means the forearm tendons are irritated where they attach, as in tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow.
Is forearm pain part of tennis elbow?
Forearm pain is common with tennis elbow, because the tendons run from the elbow down the forearm. Your exam also checks the neck and the nerves.
Is it elbow tendinitis?
Elbow tendinitis is the old name for the same problem. Today it is often called tendinopathy, because the tendon is overloaded rather than only inflamed, which is why graded loading helps.
Elbow pain care in Laguna Niguel, California
LOR Physical Therapy treats elbow pain at our Laguna Niguel clinic, 31271 Niguel Road, Suite J, for patients across South Orange County.
Whether your insurance plan needs a referral differs from plan to plan: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit and we will help you find out.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.