Overuse tendon pain on the inside (golfer’s elbow) or outside (tennis elbow) of the elbow, from gripping, swinging, lifting, and desk work.
Dr. Daniel Turner, DC · Updated June 2026
Yes, a chiropractor can help with golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow. Both are overuse tendon injuries at the elbow: golfer’s elbow on the inside, tennis elbow on the outside. At DT Chiropractic in Canton, Cartersville, and Rome, Georgia, we combine Active Release Technique, joint care, and a progressive strengthening plan, and for golfers we screen the swing-related movement problems that overloaded the elbow. Same or next day appointments are available.
Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) and tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) are the two most common overuse injuries of the elbow. Both are tendon problems at the spot where your forearm muscles anchor to the bony bumps of the elbow: golfer’s elbow hurts on the inside, tennis elbow on the outside. And despite the names, most of the people we treat for them are not golfers or tennis players. Painters, mechanics, lifters, nurses, and desk workers who grip a mouse all day get them too. The encouraging news is that elbow tendon pain responds well to conservative care once you treat the tendon correctly and address the grip, swing, or workload that overloaded it.
Most golfer’s elbow & tennis elbow is not dangerous and responds well to conservative care — but get prompt, in-person evaluation if you notice any of these warning signs:
If symptoms are severe or come on suddenly, seek emergency care first.
Both golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow are tendinopathies: overuse changes in the tendon where your forearm muscles anchor to the humerus, the upper arm bone. On the inside of the elbow (the medial epicondyle), the tendons of the muscles that flex your wrist and fingers attach; that is golfer’s elbow. On the outside (the lateral epicondyle), the tendons that extend the wrist attach, with one muscle, the extensor carpi radialis brevis, involved most often; that is tennis elbow. Despite the old names ending in itis, biopsy studies show the problem in longstanding cases is usually not active inflammation. It is degeneration: disorganized collagen, thin spots, and failed healing inside a tendon that has been loaded faster than it can repair. That single fact explains why the standard advice of rest and anti-inflammatories so often disappoints. Rest removes the irritation for a while, but it does not rebuild tendon capacity, so the pain returns the first week you grip, swing, or type at full volume again.
Pain at the inner elbow, aggravated by gripping, wrist flexion, and forearm rotation. Classic in golf, throwing, weight training with heavy pulls, and gripping trades. Because the ulnar nerve runs just behind the medial epicondyle, some people also feel occasional tingling toward the ring and little fingers; constant or worsening numbness there is a separate problem that needs its own evaluation.
Pain at the outer elbow, aggravated by wrist extension and gripping with the palm down: shaking hands, lifting a coffee pot, using a mouse. It is roughly five to ten times more common than golfer’s elbow and peaks between ages 35 and 55. In racquet sports it ties strongly to grip size, string tension, and one-handed backhand mechanics, but the majority of cases in our offices come from work and daily life, not sport.
In golfers, elbow pain is rarely a story about the elbow alone. The trail-arm elbow (the right elbow for a right-handed player) absorbs the load of a gripped club decelerating through impact, which is why golfer’s elbow classically shows up on the trail side, while tennis elbow more often appears on the lead side. Two patterns feed it: gripping the club far harder than needed, and swing compensations. When the hips or trunk cannot rotate the way the swing demands, the arms and wrists work overtime to square the face, and the elbow tendons pay the bill. This is the Body-Swing Connection that Titleist Performance Institute screening is built around, and it is why Dr. Turner, who holds TPI Medical Level 3 certification, screens how a golfer’s body actually moves rather than just treating the sore spot. Hitting repeatedly off mats and long range sessions with worn grips add further load. Our golf performance page covers that screening process in depth, and our sports injury page covers how we approach athletes in every sport.
A mouse hand spends the day with the wrist cocked back and the extensor muscles under continuous low-grade tension, which is a slow-motion version of the same overload. Tellingly, tennis elbow frequently shows up in the mousing arm of people who have never held a racquet. Workstation changes, a neutral wrist position, and micro-breaks are part of treatment for these patients, not an afterthought.
The strongest and most consistent evidence supports progressive loading exercise: strengthening the forearm muscles gradually, including eccentric work where the muscle lengthens under load, so the tendon rebuilds its capacity. Clinical practice guidelines in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy for lateral elbow tendinopathy support exercise as the foundation, with manual therapy added to reduce pain and speed early progress, which matches how we pair Active Release Technique and joint work with a loading program. Two honest cautions from the research: first, corticosteroid injections often ease pain for a few weeks but are associated with worse outcomes and higher recurrence at one year in randomized trials, so short-term relief can carry a long-term cost. Second, no passive treatment alone, including braces, straps, and ice, resolves tendinopathy; a counterforce strap can genuinely reduce pain during activity, and we use them, but as a bridge while the tendon is strengthened, not as the plan itself. We also examine the neck and shoulder, because a pinched nerve in the neck can mimic or amplify elbow symptoms, and missing that costs weeks.
Tendon rehab runs on tendon time. Most people improve meaningfully within six to twelve weeks of consistent loading and hands-on care, but full capacity for heavy gripping and swinging commonly takes three to six months, and cases that were pushed through for a year beforehand take longer. Flare-ups during rehab are normal and are managed by adjusting load, not abandoning the plan. Imaging is not needed for a typical presentation; it earns a place when there was a sudden pop with weakness (possible tendon rupture), when elbow motion is mechanically blocked, when a child or teen has growth plate tenderness, or when a full and honest course of conservative care has not moved the needle. In those cases we refer for imaging or an orthopedic opinion and say so plainly.
We treat the tendon and the reason it got overloaded. Hands-on care includes Active Release Technique and soft-tissue work for the forearm muscles that pull on the irritated tendon, plus joint work for the elbow, wrist, and neck when they are part of the picture. The core of recovery is progressive loading: tendons heal by being strengthened gradually, not by resting until the pain fades. For golfers, we also screen how your body moves through the swing. Dr. Turner is TPI certified, and elbow pain in golf often traces back to grip pressure or to mobility problems in the hips, trunk, or shoulder that force the elbow and wrist to make up the difference.
Our doctors treat golfer’s elbow & tennis elbow at all three North Georgia offices — Canton, Cartersville, and Rome — with same- or next-day appointments and a bilingual team.
You are treated on your first visit, not just examined. A focused exam confirms which tendon is involved and checks the neck and shoulder so we are not chasing referred pain, and treatment begins the same day. We offer same or next day visits at all three offices, and there is never a package to buy or a contract to sign. You get honest care and a clear plan for returning to your sport or your work without the elbow flaring again.
These tips support your care but aren’t a substitute for an evaluation — if symptoms persist or worsen, get checked.
Often, eventually, but eventually is the problem. Untreated elbow tendinopathy commonly lingers for a year or more, flaring every time you grip or swing. The tendon recovers faster and more reliably when soft-tissue treatment is combined with a gradual strengthening program and the grip or mechanics that overloaded it are corrected. If your elbow pain has lasted more than a couple of weeks, it is worth an evaluation.
Location. Golfer’s elbow affects the tendons on the inside of the elbow, where the muscles that flex your wrist and fingers attach. Tennis elbow affects the outside, where the muscles that extend the wrist attach. The sport names are historical: either one can come from any sport, job, or hobby that loads the forearm repetitively.
Yes. We use Active Release Technique and soft-tissue work on the overloaded forearm muscles, restore normal motion to the elbow, wrist, and shoulder, and guide the progressive loading program the research supports best. We also examine your neck, because a pinched nerve there can mimic or worsen elbow pain, and treating the wrong link wastes weeks.
The name only describes where it hurts, not how you got it. Any repetitive gripping loads the inside of the elbow: swinging a hammer, lifting weights, carrying luggage, typing and mousing for hours, or throwing. We look at what your arm does all week, then adjust that load while the tendon is strengthened.
Usually yes, with modifications rather than a total shutdown. Softening grip pressure, shortening range sessions, hitting fewer balls off mats, and spacing out rounds all cut tendon load while you rehab. Because Dr. Turner is TPI certified, we can also screen the swing-related movement limitations that are feeding the elbow. Playing through steadily worsening pain, on the other hand, deepens the problem.
This page is for general education and is not a substitute for an individual evaluation. External links are provided for reference and do not imply endorsement.
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