Golfer’s Elbow: Causes, Exercises and How Long It Takes to Heal

You don’t have to play golf to get golfer’s elbow. This overuse injury affects the tendons on the inner side of the elbow. It’s common in people who grip, lift or twist repeatedly at work, including healthcare workers, builders and office workers using a mouse all day.

Imagine spending weeks carrying heavy bags and gripping trolleys. Now the inside of your elbow aches when you pick up a kettle, shake hands or squeeze a bottle. The pain sometimes spreads down your forearm. It’s not your joint; it’s the tendon working overtime.

Signs

• Pain and tenderness on the inner side of the elbow
• Pain when gripping, lifting or bending the wrist
• Weak grip and stiffness
• Sometimes tingling into the ring and little fingers

What helps

• Reduce the activities that trigger it, but don’t stop using the arm completely
• Ice wrapped in a towel or simple painkillers
• Strengthening exercises for the forearm muscles, gradually progressed, usually guided by a physiotherapist
• Adjust your technique and equipment, such as lifting with palms facing up and using two hands
• A forearm brace may ease symptoms for some people

Most cases improve within a few months, though some take longer. Steroid injections may give short-term relief but aren’t a long-term fix.

But when should you see someone?

See a doctor or physiotherapist if pain lasts more than a few weeks despite rest, if you have numbness or weakness in the hand, or if the elbow is swollen, hot or very painful after an injury.

Sources: NHS (Golfer’s elbow), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or physiotherapist.