Elbow Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
Golfer’s Elbow
- Pain on the inner elbow
- Pain gripping or flexing the wrist
- Tenderness over the inner bony point
- Sometimes pins and needles in the ring and little fingers
Quick answer
Golfer’s elbow is overload of the tendons on the inner side of the elbow, causing pain when gripping or bending the wrist. It is the mirror image of tennis elbow and responds to the same principle: progressive tendon loading rather than rest, over eight to twelve weeks.
Typical recovery
8–12 weeks with loading
A typical range, not a promise — how long it takes depends on how long it has been going on, and on what you do between appointments.
Golfer's elbow — medial epicondylitis — affects the tendons that flex the wrist and fingers where they attach to the inner side of the elbow. It is less common than its lateral counterpart and, like it, mostly affects people who have never played the sport it is named after.
What it feels like
Pain over the inner elbow, worse gripping, lifting with the palm up, or bending the wrist against resistance. The inner bony point is tender. Some people also notice pins and needles in the ring and little fingers, because the ulnar nerve passes close by — see ulnar nerve palsy.
How physiotherapy helps
The approach mirrors tennis elbow:
- Progressive loading of the wrist flexors, starting at a tolerable level
- Assessment of grip demands at work and in sport, and modifying them
- Hands-on treatment for symptom relief alongside the strengthening
- Screening the ulnar nerve where there are neural symptoms
- Shoulder and neck assessment, since forearm overload often has a source further up
How long it takes
Eight to twelve weeks of consistent loading. Cases that have run for a year or more take longer, and the loading has to continue past the point where pain settles.
Medically reviewed by Kapil Kumar, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026