Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is a common condition causing pain on the outside of the elbow. Despite the name, it often affects people who don’t play tennis—particularly those doing repetitive gripping, lifting, or twisting movements, like typing, using tools, or carrying shopping.
It’s now understood to be a tendinopathy, not an inflammation. This means the tendon—the tissue that attaches muscle to bone—has become overloaded, leading to microscopic changes in structure and reduced ability to tolerate stress (Coombes et al., 2009; Bateman et al., 2023).
In the early stages, you can manage symptoms by modifying aggravating activities, applying an ice pack for short periods, and avoiding heavy or repetitive gripping. Wearing a counterforce strap (tennis elbow brace) may help reduce strain temporarily if you’re doing aggravating activities. But complete rest isn’t advised—gentle movement and staying active are important.
Specific, progressive strengthening exercises are key to long-term recovery and improving the ‘resilience’ of the tendon so you can get back to doing the things you love.. Research supports the use of eccentric and isometric exercises to promote tendon healing and reduce pain (Kroslak & Murrell, 2018). Manual therapy, acupuncture, and soft-tissue techniques can also help reduce pain and improve movement. Most people recover in 6 to 12 weeks, but longer cases can occur.
Steroid injections may offer short-term relief but can delay long-term recovery (Bisset et al., 2006), so are rarely a first-line treatment.
Our physios can guide you with a personalised rehab plan to get you back to doing what you enjoy.
Lucy Cameron