Tennis elbow
Pain on the outside of the elbow that flares when you grip, lift or twist — a kettle, a door handle, a mouse. Most people who get it have never played tennis. It is a tendon that has been asked to do more than it was ready for, and it responds to gradual loading rather than rest.
Also called lateral epicondylalgia, lateral elbow pain, forearm pain.
Does this sound like you?
- Pain on the outer point of the elbow, sometimes running into the forearm
- Gripping makes it worse — kettles, jars, handshakes
- It came on over weeks, often after a change in activity or workload
- Pressing on the bony point reproduces it
This is not a diagnosis. Several things cause pain in the same place, which is why the list below matters.
Check these first: when it is not tennis elbow
If any of these apply, get checked before you start the exercises.
- The elbow locks, catches or gives way
- There is swelling, warmth or redness over the joint
- Pins and needles or weakness in the hand
- It followed a fall onto the arm
The exercises, in the order you would build them up
How long it takes
Tendons are slow. Six to twelve weeks of consistent loading is normal, and it is common to feel worse for the first week or two before it turns. Complete rest usually makes it take longer.
What the NHS says
The NHS's own pages on this, to check what you have read here against.
Waiting for an appointment?
Kinehub turns this into a daily plan, adjusts it as you improve or struggle, and keeps the record you hand over when you are finally seen.
Keep reading
More for the elbows & wrists
- Guide · 3 minSetting up your deskScreen, chair, keyboard and laptop set-up from the HSE's guidance, and why moving often matters more than one perfect posture.
- Guide · 6 minUnderstanding painWhy hurt does not always mean harm, and why that matters when you are deciding whether to move today.
- Article · 9 minBuilding a home exercise programmeHow much, how often, and how to keep going once the novelty wears off — the part that decides whether any of it works.
A daily plan for tennis elbow
Kinehub turns these exercises into a short daily session with a demo for each one, and tracks your pain before and after so you can see whether it is working. Free to start.
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