It starts as a little soreness.
Maybe you notice it after a long tennis match. Your elbow aches after a round of golf. Picking up your water bottle feels uncomfortable. Eventually, gripping the racquet, swinging the club, or even opening a jar starts to hurt.
You tell yourself you’ll rest it for a few days.
Then you go back to your sport and the pain comes right back.
If that sounds familiar, you could be dealing with tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow.
What’s the Difference Between Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow?
Despite their names, you don’t have to play tennis or golf to develop either condition.
Tennis elbow typically causes pain along the outside of the elbow, while golfer’s elbow usually affects the inside. Both involve irritation of the tendons that connect the muscles of your forearm to your elbow.
Repetitive gripping, swinging, lifting, and wrist movements can overload these tissues.
That’s why we also see these conditions in pickleball players, weightlifters, people who work with their hands, and anyone performing repetitive upper-body movements.
Why Does Elbow Pain Keep Coming Back?
Rest can make an irritated elbow feel better.
But if you haven’t addressed what caused the overload in the first place, the pain often returns as soon as you start playing again.
We don’t just look at your elbow.
We look at how your wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder, and upper back are working together. Tight muscles, weakness, poor mechanics, or repetitive stress somewhere along that chain can contribute to the problem.
How We Treat Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow
At Lighthouse Acupuncture & Wellness Center, your treatment is based on what’s actually happening in your body.
Your plan may include Sports Medicine Acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, ATP Resonance BioTherapy®, cupping, soft tissue therapy, corrective exercises, and mobility recommendations.
Our goal isn’t simply to get your elbow to stop hurting while you’re resting.
We want you to be able to use it again.
Get Back to Your Game
Success means being able to grip your racquet without thinking about your elbow.
It means getting through 18 holes without changing your swing because something hurts.
It means playing pickleball, lifting weights, gardening, or simply picking up a bag of groceries comfortably.
If elbow pain keeps returning every time you get active, it’s time to figure out why.
Schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Lisa McCoog at Lighthouse Acupuncture & Wellness Center and let’s work on getting you back to your game.