Golfer’s Elbow

Patient Information

Therapy Services

• Author ID:      BH
• Leaflet Ref:    Tpy 014
• Version:         6
• Leaflet title:    Golfer’s Elbow
• Last review:    July 2025
• Expiry Date:   July 2027

Golfer’s Elbow

Golfer’s elbow is caused by alterations to the tendons on the inside of your elbow, leading to pain which can radiate down the forearm and affect tasks involving gripping or fine dexterous skills. This condition is also known as medial epicondylitis. 

Cause

The exact cause is unknown.  We do know that repetitive use of the tendons that flex and rotate the wrist (bend and turn the wrist) can contribute. It can also be secondary to another problem in the arm e.g. a shoulder problem. 

Symptoms                       

The first signs of golfer’s elbow are usually tenderness and pain over the inside of the elbow. Pain often occurs when bending or turning your wrist or making a fist. It is often worsened by activities that involve lifting, gripping, pushing, pressing or twisting of the hand and wrist. In some cases, the pain can progress down the forearm. 

Management

Golfer’s elbow is a self-limiting condition. This means it will eventually settle. You can choose not to treat it but allow it to get better on its own. However, as the pain can be disabling, there are methods of management that can improve the pain and speed up recovery.

First Line Treatment

• Analgesics / non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibruprofen (topical / oral).
• Physiotherapy, including advice on how to modify day to day activities.
• Reassurance: this is a self-limiting condition, and most symptoms respond within three months.

Injection Therapy

Current advice is to avoid steroid injections. Evidence for other tendon problems has shown that while there may be a short-term improvement in symptoms, people had a worse outcome following a steroid injection in the long-term.

Alternative injection treatments include: 

• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) (blood plasma that is enriched with platelets and injected into an area of the body for the purpose of healing) – these injections are an alternative. However, patients being offered PRP for the treatment of golfer’s elbow should understand that because research into the condition is limited, we can’t say for certain which treatment is best

Surgery

Surgery is the last resort and is performed as an open or keyhole (arthroscopic) procedure. Again, we can’t say for certain which treatment is best, because the amount of research into the condition is limited.

Physiotherapy exercises

For advice on rehabilitation exercises, please visit the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy webpages and watch the following exercise videos:

Video exercises for elbow pain | The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy