Tennis Elbow, Golfer’s Elbow, and Everyday Elbow Pain: What Helps

By Dr. Matt Johnson, PT, DPT, OCS, CMPT, TPI-CERT, FAAOMPT – Updated 20 October 2026

Elbow pain has a way of showing up in the small things: turning a doorknob, lifting a coffee cup, shaking hands, or carrying a bag of groceries. Two of the most common types are tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, and despite the sporty names, most people who get them never pick up a racket or a club. If your elbow has been aching and you are not sure what is going on, this guide will help. We will explain how to tell the common types apart, what actually helps, and how physical therapy can get you back to a firm, pain-free grip, without drugs or surgery.

Tennis elbow vs. golfer's elbow: the quick version

Both conditions are overuse problems involving the tendons that attach your forearm muscles to the elbow. The main difference is which side hurts.

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) causes pain on the outside of the elbow. It involves the tendons of the muscles that straighten and lift the wrist. As the Mayo Clinic guide to tennis elbow explains, it comes from overloading those tendons with repetitive wrist and arm motions, and most people who get it are not tennis players at all. It is common in painters, plumbers, carpenters, cooks, and anyone who grips and twists repeatedly, including people who spend all day on a mouse and keyboard.

Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) causes pain on the inside of the elbow. It involves the tendons of the muscles that flex the wrist and grip. It shows up with the same kinds of repetitive gripping and lifting activities, just on the opposite side.

A simple way to remember it: outside elbow points toward tennis elbow, inside elbow points toward golfer’s elbow. This is not a diagnosis, but it helps you describe what you are feeling.

Why elbow tendons get irritated

Here is the key idea that changes how people think about elbow pain: the tendon is usually overloaded, not broken. Repetitive gripping, lifting, and twisting load the tendon faster than it can recover, and over time small changes build up in the tissue, causing pain and weakness. The NHS guidance on tennis elbow describes it the same way, as an overuse condition that usually settles with the right care and time. That is encouraging, because load and strength are things we can change.

Common contributors we see include a sudden increase in a gripping activity (a big DIY project, a new job task, a return to a sport), poor technique or equipment, and weakness further up the chain in the shoulder and forearm.

Pain is where you feel it, not always where it starts

A theme we return to with patients: the sore spot is not always the whole story. With elbow pain, the elbow is where you feel it, but the load often builds because the shoulder, forearm, and grip mechanics are not sharing the work well. Weak or fatigued shoulder muscles, tight forearms, and gripping harder than a task requires all funnel extra stress into the elbow tendons. That is why a good assessment looks at the whole arm, not just the tender bump on the elbow, and why lasting relief usually involves more than resting the elbow.

The Chicago angle

Elbow pain does not only come from sport. We see it from the everyday load of city life: hauling grocery bags up three-flat stairs, months of desk work with a mouse, winter shoveling, and weekend projects that pack a lot of gripping into a short burst. On the athletic side, Chicago’s strong racquet-sport, golf, and lifting communities all place repeated demand on the forearm tendons. Recognizing your particular pattern, and the recent change that likely triggered the flare, is part of fixing it.

What actually helps

Adjust the load, do not just rest. Complete rest can calm the pain, but it usually returns when you go back to the activity, because the tendon has not been rebuilt. Usually we can modify the aggravating activities while we address the cause.

Load the tendon the right way. Tendons respond well to specific, progressive strengthening. Done correctly, this is one of the most reliable ways to reduce elbow pain and keep it from returning.

Look up the chain. Building shoulder and forearm strength and improving grip mechanics takes stress off the elbow.

How physical therapy helps at Muscle & Joint

At Muscle & Joint Physical Therapy, we assess how your whole arm is working, what is overloading the tendon, and what brings on your pain, then build a plan to calm the irritation and rebuild a strong, pain-free grip. As an independent, employee-owned clinic, we take the time to explain what we find in plain language. Learn more on our elbow pain physical therapy in Chicago page.

Depending on what we uncover, your care may include hands-on manual therapy to ease tight forearm tissue and restore motion, a specific, progressive strengthening program for the irritated tendon, and coaching on technique, equipment, and how to modify the activity that triggered it. For stubborn forearm tightness, dry needling can be a helpful option when it fits your case. Because the shoulder and wrist are so often part of the picture, we look at the whole arm, and you can read more on our arm pain and wrist and hand pain pages.

We cannot promise a specific result, since every case is different. What we can offer is skilled hands, real recovery, and clear answers. Many people find that with the right plan, gripping, lifting, and daily tasks stop hurting.

A simple self-check

Reasonable to start with self-care if the pain is mild, recent, and clearly tied to a new or increased activity, and it eases when you reduce the gripping and lifting that set it off.

Time to see a physical therapist if elbow pain has lasted more than a couple of weeks, keeps returning, weakens your grip, or interferes with work and daily tasks. Tendon problems tend to respond best when the right loading program is started sooner rather than later. In Illinois, you can often begin physical therapy without a physician referral, though some limits and insurance requirements apply.

Seek prompt medical care if the pain follows a clear injury or fall, the elbow is very swollen or deformed, you cannot straighten or bend it, or you have numbness, tingling, or weakness spreading into the hand, which can point to a nerve issue rather than a tendon one.

How long does elbow pain take to settle?

We avoid firm promises, since every case is different, but here is what is typical. Tendon-related elbow pain often improves over several weeks to a few months with a consistent, progressive loading program. It can be slower than people expect, because tendons rebuild gradually, so patience and consistency matter. The good news is that the people who stick with the right program usually get durable relief. After your first visit, we will give you an honest, individualized sense of your timeline.

How to modify daily tasks while your elbow heals

You do not have to stop using your arm to let an irritated elbow tendon calm down. Small changes to how you do everyday tasks reduce the load without shutting your life down.

Lift with your palm up. Carrying bags and lifting objects with your palm facing up puts less strain on the tennis-elbow tendons than the usual palm-down grip.
Spread the load. Carry heavier items close to your body with both arms rather than dangling them from one hand.
Ease your grip. Many of us grip far harder than a task requires. Using a lighter grip on tools, pens, and your phone reduces the daily demand on the tendon.
Check your workstation. A neutral wrist position and supported forearms at your desk take repeated strain off the elbow.

Lift with your palm up. Carrying bags and lifting objects with your palm facing up puts less strain on the tennis-elbow tendons than the usual palm-down grip.

Spread the load. Carry heavier items close to your body with both arms rather than dangling them from one hand.

Ease your grip. Many of us grip far harder than a task requires. Using a lighter grip on tools, pens, and your phone reduces the daily demand on the tendon.

Check your workstation. A neutral wrist position and supported forearms at your desk take repeated strain off the elbow.

These adjustments buy the tendon room to recover while you build it back up with the right exercises.

Why tendon pain can be slow to heal

If your elbow pain is taking longer to settle than you expected, you are not doing anything wrong. Tendons have a relatively poor blood supply compared with muscle, so they rebuild slowly. That is why a quick fix rarely works and why the most reliable approach is patient, progressive loading over weeks to months. It also explains why complete rest often disappoints: the tendon needs the right amount of load to remodel and get stronger, not an absence of load. Understanding this tends to make the process less frustrating, because slow, steady progress is exactly what recovery is supposed to look like. A physical therapist can help you find the right starting load and progress it safely so you keep moving forward without flaring the tendon.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow? As a rough guide, pain on the outside of the elbow points toward tennis elbow, while pain on the inside points toward golfer’s elbow. Both are overuse tendon problems and both respond to similar principles of care. A hands-on assessment confirms which one you have and rules out other causes.

I do not play tennis or golf, so how did I get this? Very easily. Most people with these conditions are not athletes. Everyday gripping, lifting, twisting, and long hours on a mouse and keyboard load the same tendons. The names describe the location, not the cause.

Should I rest my elbow completely? Usually not for long. Short-term rest can calm a flare, but complete rest rarely fixes the problem, and the pain tends to return when you resume the activity. Guided, progressive loading is what rebuilds the tendon.

Do elbow braces or straps work? A counterforce strap can reduce pain for some people during activity, which is useful, but it is a helper, not a cure. It works best alongside a proper strengthening program and activity changes.

Is it safe to keep working out or playing my sport? Often, with the right modifications. We can usually help you keep training by adjusting load, technique, and specific movements while the tendon recovers, rather than shutting everything down.

Can I still type or use a mouse with tennis elbow? Usually, yes, with some adjustments. Keep your wrist neutral, support your forearm, lighten your grip on the mouse, and take regular micro-breaks. If a specific motion clearly flares the pain, modify it for a while. Most people can keep working while the tendon recovers, especially once the right strengthening is underway.

Get back to a pain-free grip

Elbow pain can turn simple daily tasks into a wince, but it does not have to be permanent. With the right plan, most people get back to gripping, lifting, and playing comfortably. Muscle & Joint Physical Therapy has two Chicago locations, Lakeview and Ravenswood, with therapists who will answer your questions and remember your name.

Ready to start? Request an appointment online, or give us a call:

Lakeview: 773-857-0689
Ravenswood: 773-337-7747

Where Comebacks Happen.®

About the Author

Dr. Matt Johnson, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, is the founder of Muscle & Joint Physical Therapy. A board-certified orthopedic specialist and Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, he has advanced training in manual therapy and dry needling and treats everyone from weekend warriors to marathon runners, golfers, and CrossFit athletes.

This article is general health information, not medical advice, and reading it does not create a provider-patient relationship. Every person is different. Please talk with a licensed physical therapist or physician about your specific situation. If your symptoms are severe or worsening, please see a provider promptly.