Physical Therapy Services
Elbow Pain
Treatment for tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow and other causes of elbow pain.
Elbow Pain
Elbow pain is commonly caused by overuse of the tendons that attach around the joint — the pattern most people know as tennis elbow or golfer's elbow. It can also follow a specific injury, or come from irritation of the nerves that pass the joint on their way to the hand.
Because the elbow sits between the shoulder and the wrist, pain there is often driven by how those two are working. A full assessment looks at the whole limb and at the activity that provokes the symptoms, whether that is a sport, a job or a repeated daily task.
Treatment usually combines hands-on work to settle the irritated tissue with a graded loading programme, which is what builds the tendon's tolerance back up over time.
How This Works
What elbow pain treatment involves
Elbow pain is commonly caused by overuse of the tendons that attach around the joint — the pattern most people know as tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. It can also follow a specific injury, or come from irritation of the nerves that pass the joint on their way to the hand.
Because the elbow sits between the shoulder and the wrist, pain there is often driven by how those two are working. A full assessment looks at the whole limb and at the activity that provokes the symptoms — a sport, a job, or a repeated daily task. Treatment usually combines hands-on work to settle the irritated tissue with a graded loading programme, which is what builds the tendon’s tolerance back up over time.
What to Expect
Your visits, step by step
Assessing the whole limb
Your therapist assesses the elbow, then the shoulder and wrist, and asks in detail about the activity that brings the symptoms on — grip-heavy work, racquet sport, tools, keyboard and mouse.
Settling the irritated tissue
Hands-on work is used to reduce the irritability of the tendon and the soft tissue around it, so that loading can begin at a level you can tolerate.
Graded loading
Tendon problems respond to progressive load rather than to rest alone. You are given a specific programme that starts where the tendon currently is and builds from there.
Changing what provokes it
Grip, technique, tool or racquet setup and work station are addressed, since the loading pattern is usually part of why it started.
Benefits
What elbow pain treatment is used for
- Used to address elbow pain from tendon overuse, including the patterns known as tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.
- Used to address elbow pain following a specific injury.
- Used to address symptoms arising from irritation of the nerves passing the elbow on their way to the hand.
- Applied across the whole limb — shoulder, elbow and wrist — since how those work together drives the load at the elbow.
Results of an injury vary from person to person. What is appropriate for you is decided at your evaluation — call (718) 714-6995 and we can talk it through.
Common Questions
Elbow Pain FAQs
Should I just rest it until it stops hurting?
Complete rest tends to settle the symptoms without building the tolerance back, which is why the problem often returns when the activity resumes. Graded loading is what builds the tendon’s tolerance back up over time.
I do not play tennis. Can I still have tennis elbow?
Yes. The name describes the tendon pattern, not the cause. It is commonly seen with grip-heavy work, tool use and repeated daily tasks.
Why is my therapist assessing my shoulder and neck?
Because the elbow sits between the shoulder and the wrist and is loaded by how both work, and because nerve-related symptoms in the arm can originate further up. Assessing the whole limb is how the actual driver is found.
Will a brace or strap help?
They are sometimes used as part of a plan. Whether one is appropriate for you, and how it fits alongside your loading programme, is something your therapist will advise on at your evaluation.
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