Most elbow pain isn't from tennis or golf — it's from gripping, lifting, typing or any repetitive use of the wrist and hand. The misnomers stick anyway. Here's what's actually going on and what fixes it.
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylalgia)
Pain on the outside of the elbow, sometimes running down the forearm. Caused by overload of the tendons that extend the wrist. Common in tradies, desk workers (mouse use), lifters and yes, occasionally tennis players.
Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylalgia)
Pain on the inside of the elbow. Same mechanism, opposite muscles — the tendons that flex the wrist and grip. Common in lifters, climbers, people who carry heavy bags.
What doesn't work
Rest alone. Wrist braces alone. Stretching alone. Cortisone injections (provide short-term relief but worsen long-term outcomes for tendon health). Each of these has a small role, but none of them load the tendon — and load is what fixes tendinopathy.
What actually works
Heavy-slow resistance loading of the affected tendons, progressively over 8–12 weeks. Specific isometric and eccentric exercises. Manual therapy and dry needling for short-term pain relief while the loading program does the heavy lifting. Modification of the aggravating activity (not elimination — just adjustment).
Tendinopathy is a load tolerance problem. The only thing that durably fixes it is loading the tendon in the way it needs to be loaded.
Most elbow tendon issues resolve substantially within 8–16 weeks of a properly executed loading program. Book in and we'll set yours up.