Tennis and Golf Elbow: Point by Point

On the Northern Beaches this walks in from four directions and the elbow does not care which. Tennis, obviously. Golf, less often than the name suggests. Paddling — surfers and paddleboarders grip hard and repeat it thousands of times. And trades, which is the biggest group and the one least likely to be able to stop.

What it is: a tendon problem where the forearm muscles attach at the elbow, outside for tennis elbow and inside for golfer\u{2019}s. Provoked by gripping. Usually noticed on the kettle or the car door before it is noticed in sport.

What we do here, honestly split. Needling and hands-on work change the pain for a while, and that is worth having, particularly for someone who has to keep working. The thing that actually restores the tendon is graded loading — specific exercises, most days, for months. We give you both and we do not pretend the first one is the treatment.

The load conversation is the useful one. For players: grip size, string tension, and whether the technique is putting the wrist in a bad position. For paddlers: how much and how suddenly it went up. For trades: which tool, and whether it can be changed or shared for a month. That last one is where most of the progress comes from.

See a doctor if the joint is hot and swollen, locks, or followed a tearing incident. We are in Freshwater, ten streets from Balgowlah and about twenty from Manly.