Your elbow hurts.
But is your forearm
doing more work than
it needs to?
Elbow pain can make gripping, lifting, tennis, golf, gym training and even simple daily tasks uncomfortable.
At Yokohama Physio, we assess the painful area alongside the demands placed on it, relevant movement and physical capacity. We aim to understand your individual presentation rather than prescribing the same exercises for everyone.
Does this sound familiar?
Elbow symptoms may appear during daily activities, sport or repetitive tasks. The location and behaviour of pain help guide clinical assessment.
Pain when gripping
Discomfort when shaking hands, lifting a kettle, carrying shopping or gripping tools.
Pain during tennis or golf
Elbow discomfort during racquet sports, swinging or repetitive gripping activities.
Elbow pain when lifting
Symptoms during pulling exercises, lifting weights, carrying objects or gym training.
Recurring forearm tightness
Tightness or discomfort that keeps returning despite massage, stretching or rest.
Strengthen the tendon when appropriate. But first, understand what it's dealing with.
Progressive loading is an important part of tendon rehabilitation. However, pain does not automatically mean weakness. We also investigate the activities, movement and physical demands that may be contributing to symptoms.
Why does tennis elbow keep coming back?
Tennis elbow, also called lateral elbow tendinopathy, commonly causes pain around the outside of the elbow, often during gripping or wrist-loading activities.
Golfer's elbow, or medial elbow tendinopathy, typically affects the inside of the elbow. Other elbow conditions can cause similar symptoms.
Repetitive loading, sudden changes in activity, tendon capacity and recovery may all matter.
Depending on your presentation, we may also assess shoulder movement, upper-limb strength, grip strategy and sporting technique. These are possibilities to investigate, not automatic explanations for pain.
Questions worth asking
- Is pain on the inside or outside of the elbow?
- Which activities reproduce symptoms?
- Has gripping or training load changed?
- How does the tendon respond after activity?
- Are neck, shoulder or nerve symptoms present?
- What activities do you want to return to?
Nerve-related conditions, joint problems, ligament injuries and other causes may need consideration. Numbness, tingling, substantial weakness or pain following trauma require appropriate assessment.
We assess the elbow. And what you're asking it to do.
Your examination considers the local elbow problem, activity demands, physical capacity and relevant movement.
Understand your symptoms
We discuss your pain, work, hobbies, training history, previous treatment and personal goals.
Examine relevant function
We assess the elbow, grip and relevant strength. Depending on the findings, we may also examine the neck, shoulder, wrist and movement during meaningful tasks.
Test meaningful changes
We explore appropriate changes in movement, exercise or loading and observe how symptoms and function respond.
More than just wrist curls.
Appropriate exercise is often central to tendon care, but the programme should reflect the individual's symptoms, diagnosis and loading demands.
Load management
Adjusting aggravating gripping, lifting or sporting demands while maintaining suitable activity.
Progressive strengthening
Exercises selected to improve relevant tendon and muscle capacity, progressed according to tolerance.
Movement and technique
Exploring task-specific movement or technique changes when they may help manage load.
Return to activity
Gradual progression towards sport, gym training, occupational tasks or daily activities.
Complete rest is not always necessary or desirable. In many tendon conditions, rehabilitation involves managing irritating activities while gradually restoring tolerance to loading. The appropriate approach depends on the diagnosis.
From everyday gripping to sport.
Rehabilitation is guided by what you need your arm to do, whether that means lifting a shopping bag or playing competitive tennis.
Understand and manage symptoms
Identify aggravating tasks, review loading demands and establish suitable activity modifications.
Restore capacity
Build relevant grip, wrist and upper-limb strength with progressive exercise when appropriate.
Reintroduce meaningful tasks
Gradually increase lifting, repetitive tasks or sporting movements according to tolerance.
Prepare for full activity
Progress towards occupational, gym or sporting demands with appropriate symptom monitoring.
Experienced care. Individual clinical reasoning.
BHSc Physiotherapy / BSc Sports & Recreation
15+ years of clinical experience
My experience includes working with people experiencing elbow and upper-limb symptoms, from everyday discomfort to sports-related problems.
I aim to understand how the painful area is being loaded, which clinical findings are relevant and what adjustments may support recovery.
Rather than automatically prescribing the same strengthening exercises, treatment is guided by the individual.
Learn More About Yuji ↗Questions about tennis elbow and elbow pain
What causes tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow, or lateral elbow tendinopathy, is commonly associated with pain involving the wrist extensor tendon region. Repetitive loading, activity changes and tendon capacity may be relevant. Not every case has the same contributing factors.
Can I have tennis elbow without playing tennis?
Yes. Tennis elbow occurs in people who do not play tennis. It can affect people who perform repetitive gripping or lifting activities at work, at home or in the gym.
Should I do wrist curls for tennis elbow?
Progressive wrist and forearm strengthening may be helpful for lateral elbow tendinopathy. However, the exercise type, resistance, volume and progression should be selected according to your presentation and tolerance.
Can shoulder function affect my elbow symptoms?
Shoulder movement and upper-limb coordination can influence how tasks are performed. In some situations, assessing these factors may help identify useful modifications. They are not automatically the cause of elbow pain.
Should I stop going to the gym?
Not necessarily. Depending on the diagnosis and severity, certain exercises may be modified while you continue suitable training. Significant symptoms or acute injuries may require greater protection.
How long does tennis elbow take to recover?
Recovery varies. Some people improve over several weeks, while persistent tendon symptoms may take months. Symptom duration, loading demands and individual response influence rehabilitation.
What happens during my initial consultation?
We discuss your symptoms and history, examine the elbow and relevant upper-limb function, and provide treatment or exercise guidance where appropriate. Sessions are available in English and Japanese.
Significant trauma, deformity, substantial swelling, inability to move the elbow, a hot swollen joint with fever, or new or progressive weakness or numbness requires medical assessment. This page provides general information, not a diagnosis.
Let's understand why your elbow keeps hurting.
Whether you're experiencing tennis elbow, golfer's elbow or recurring pain during gripping and lifting, begin with an individual consultation at Yokohama Physio.
Book Initial Consultation ↗