Despite the name, you don’t need to play tennis to get tennis elbow — and you don’t need to golf to get golfer’s elbow. Both are overuse-related tendon conditions that show up as pain on the outside or inside of the elbow, and they can also affect gardeners, tradespeople, and anyone who grips and repeats the same motion often.
What’s the Difference?
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) causes pain on the outside of the elbow, often triggered by gripping or lifting with the wrist extended. Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) causes pain on the inside, often associated with repeated wrist-flexing and gripping motions. Both involve overuse of the tendons connecting the forearm muscles around the elbow.
Why It Lingers
Repeated loading can continue to aggravate the affected tendon, especially if the activity or movement contributing to the symptoms doesn’t change. This can make pain persist or return when the same activities are resumed.
How Treatment Helps
Registered Massage Therapy can help address tension and discomfort in the surrounding forearm muscles, while targeted exercises can gradually improve strength and the tendon’s ability to handle load over time. Adjusting grip technique, activity load, or workstation setup may also be helpful depending on what’s contributing to the symptoms.
If elbow pain is affecting your grip strength or daily activities, our massage therapy team at Joayo Therapy in Brentwood, Burnaby can help assess what’s contributing and build a plan around your needs.
