How to Manage Golfer’s Elbow: A Complete Guide
Do you experience pain on the inside of your elbow when lifting, gripping, or playing sports? If so, you might be dealing with a condition commonly called golfer’s elbow. In this post, we’ll clarify what that actually means, bust common myths, and walk you through the most effective ways to manage it.
Understanding the Elbow
Before diving into the condition itself, let’s take a quick look at how the elbow is built. Your elbow is formed by three bones: the humerus (upper arm), and the radius and ulna (forearm bones). These bones connect to form the elbow joint, which allows a range of motion crucial for daily tasks and athletic activity.
If you’ve ever felt the bump on the outside of your elbow, that’s the lateral epicondyle, part of the humerus. On the inner side, the medial epicondyle serves as the attachment point for several muscles that move your wrist and fingers.
Golfer’s elbow anatomy
What Is Golfer’s Elbow (Really)?
Although “golfer’s elbow” is the popular term, the more precise name is medial elbow tendinopathy — a condition marked by pain and reduced function of the tendons on the inner part of the elbow. You might also hear terms like “medial epicondylitis,” which suggests inflammation, but research shows inflammation may not be the main issue here.
This distinction matters because the go-to approach for “inflammation” — rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories — doesn’t usually lead to long-term recovery. Instead, this condition is typically the result of repetitive strain or overload on the tendons.
It can affect golfers, but also manual laborers, weightlifters, and athletes in other sports like tennis or climbing. The condition is usually diagnosed by the presence of tenderness at the inner elbow, discomfort with wrist flexion or forearm pronation, and pain with gripping or resisted movements.
Why Does It Happen?
Most often, medial elbow tendinopathy develops when the workload on the tendons exceeds their ability to recover. This might happen after a sudden increase in activity — like starting a new job that involves lifting, or taking up a hobby like rock climbing.
Think of it like a simple math problem: if the stress placed on your elbow is greater than what your tissues can handle, symptoms will likely develop. The solution? Find the right level of loading — not too much, not too little — and gradually build up your elbow’s capacity over time.
Adjusting Activities and Managing Load
The first step in recovery is usually modifying the activities that aggravate your elbow. For example:
If lifting weights hurts, try reducing the number of sets, lowering the weight, or spacing out your workouts during the week.
Use lifting straps to offload your grip during pulling exercises.
Swap exercises that stress your grip for alternatives that don’t — e.g., try curls with different grips instead of traditional bicep curls if the latter causes pain.
Adjust your forearm positioning to see if a neutral or pronated grip is more comfortable.
Athletes like golfers and tennis players might need to temporarily cut back on playtime or intensity. This can also be a great time to work with a coach on improving your technique — poor mechanics may place unnecessary stress on the elbow.
Workers in physically demanding jobs may need to find creative ways to adjust their tasks or request modified duties, even temporarily. Most of these changes aren’t permanent — they’re just stepping stones to full recovery.
How to Monitor Pain
An important part of rehabilitation is learning how to track your symptoms. Ask yourself:
Can I tolerate this pain during activity?
How does my elbow feel the next day?
If your pain spikes the day after activity, it may be a sign that you need to dial things back a bit. For example, if squeezing a ball feels like a 2/10 before exercise and jumps to a 5/10 the next day, you may have done too much.
This doesn’t mean you’ve caused damage — just that your current plan needs tweaking. Pain is just one piece of the puzzle, not a danger signal.
Exercises for Golfer’s Elbow
Some people improve just by modifying their activities. But if needed, here are some simple, effective exercises to help restore strength and tolerance in the medial elbow tendons:
1. Wrist Flexion Strengthening
Target: Muscles that flex your wrist.
Equipment: Dumbbell, resistance band, or household object.
Reps: 2–3 sets of 8–15 reps, 3x/week.
2. Forearm Pronation (and Supination)
Target: Muscles that rotate your forearm.
Equipment: Hammer, dowel, or dumbbell.
Tips: Gripping further from the center increases difficulty.
3. Grip Strength and Endurance
Try squeezing a tennis ball, doing farmer’s carries, or plate pinches.
Reps: 2–3 sets of 15–45 seconds, 3x/week.
Progress gradually to avoid overload.
Optional Add-Ons: Shoulder & Upper Back Work
Medial elbow pain often links to shoulder or upper back issues. You might benefit from adding in exercises for these areas, especially if you experience:
Shoulder stiffness or weakness
Poor posture
Sports requiring shoulder control (like golf, tennis, or baseball)
Examples include:
Side-lying external rotations
Banded “W” pulls
Scapular strengthening (e.g., prone T’s and Y’s)
Also consider adding thoracic mobility drills:
Side-lying rotations
Seated or kneeling thoracic twists
Deep lunges with overhead reach
These exercises can break up repetitive movements and support overall movement quality.
A Few FAQs
Why no stretching?
The controlled, full-range motion in the exercises above provides a similar benefit to stretching — but with the added value of strength. Stretching is fine if it feels good and doesn’t increase your pain.
Why not focus on eccentric (lowering) exercises?
While eccentric exercises used to be the gold standard for tendinopathy, newer research shows that a more comprehensive and easier-to-progress routine often works just as well.
What else can I do?
Medial elbow tendinopathy, like other chronic conditions, can be influenced by overall health. Improving your sleep, activity levels, and nutrition can help your body recover better. Something as simple as walking more each day can make a difference — especially if you spend a lot of time using your hands or wrists in repetitive ways.
Summary
Recovering from golfer’s elbow isn’t about avoiding movement — it’s about smartly adjusting load, listening to your body, and gradually rebuilding strength. This guide provides a blueprint, but your journey should be customized to your needs, goals, and lifestyle.
If you're struggling with elbow pain and want a personalized plan to get back to doing what you love, I’m here to help.
Ready to book your first visit with me? Visit www.derekorthopt.com or click here to schedule online.
I’m here to help you get back to doing what you love—pain-free.
📍 Derek Lam Physical Therapy and Performance
🏢 399 Grand Ave, Oakland, California 94109
🌐 www.derekorthopt.com
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