Tennis Elbow: Why Rest Alone Often Doesn’t Fix It

Tennis elbow is one of the most common tendon-related conditions affecting the elbow and forearm. Despite the name, it does not just affect tennis players. Many people develop tennis elbow from repetitive gripping, lifting, pulling or manual tasks performed at work, in the gym or during everyday activities.

Tennis elbow typically involves irritation or overload of the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow. These muscles are heavily involved in gripping and wrist movements, which is why symptoms often worsen with lifting, carrying or repetitive hand use.

A common pattern we see is people continuing to push through the pain for weeks, hoping it will settle on its own. When symptoms fail to improve, they often switch to complete rest. Unfortunately, tendon injuries such as tennis elbow generally do not respond well to either extreme.

Research suggests that tendons often respond best to gradual, progressive loading and strengthening exercises rather than complete rest. However, loading needs to be carefully managed to avoid excessively aggravating symptoms. The goal is to improve the tendon’s ability to tolerate activity over time without causing high levels of pain.

Common symptoms of tennis elbow may include:

• Pain on the outside of the elbow
• Pain during gripping or lifting
• Weakness through the forearm or hand
• Pain with repetitive arm movements
• Discomfort during work, gym or sports activities

Early management is important to help prevent symptoms becoming persistent or chronic. Addressing the problem early with appropriate exercise modification and rehabilitation often leads to better long-term outcomes.

At Spine & Sports Physiotherapy, our Physiotherapists can assess elbow pain, identify contributing factors and provide individualised treatment and strengthening programs to help reduce pain, improve function and support recovery safely.