Tennis elbow is a common cause of outer elbow pain that can develop from repeated gripping, swinging, wrist control, and overuse during tennis.
For some players, the pain starts as mild soreness after playing. For others, it becomes sharper and starts affecting grip strength, backhands, serves, lifting, carrying, or even simple daily activities.
As someone who has played tennis for over 15 years and currently plays in 3.5 USTA leagues around the Chicago area, I understand how frustrating elbow pain can be when it affects your grip, confidence, and ability to play comfortably.
At Godo Chiropractic in Lakeview Chicago, I evaluate active patients who want to keep moving, keep playing, and understand what may be contributing to recurring elbow pain before it becomes a bigger problem.
Understanding Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is commonly used to describe pain on the outside of the elbow. The medical term is lateral epicondylitis or lateral elbow tendinopathy.
Despite the name, tennis elbow does not only affect tennis players. It can happen with any activity that repeatedly stresses the forearm muscles and tendons, especially gripping, lifting, swinging, or repeated wrist extension.
In tennis, this stress often builds from backhands, serves, volleys, tight grip pressure, poor wrist control, overuse, or playing more often than the body is ready to tolerate.
If you also have shoulder pain while serving or hitting overhead shots, you may want to read our related article on tennis shoulder pain.
Quick Summary: Tennis Elbow
- Tennis elbow often causes pain on the outside of the elbow or into the forearm.
- It may be related to gripping, swinging, overuse, wrist mechanics, or forearm tendon irritation.
- Pain may increase with backhands, gripping the racquet, lifting, carrying, or turning the wrist.
- The wrist, shoulder, neck, and upper back may all contribute to elbow stress.
- Rest may help temporarily, but recurring tennis elbow should be evaluated.
- The right care depends on what is causing the irritation, not just where the pain is felt.
Why Tennis Can Irritate the Elbow
Tennis requires repeated gripping, racquet control, wrist stability, forearm endurance, shoulder control, and quick reactions.
The elbow can become irritated when the forearm muscles and tendons are asked to do more than they are ready to handle.
This can happen when someone:
- Starts playing more often
- Returns to tennis after time away
- Plays longer matches or multiple days in a row
- Grips the racquet too tightly
- Hits repeated backhands
- Uses too much wrist during strokes
- Has shoulder, wrist, neck, or upper back mechanics that increase elbow stress
- Does not allow enough recovery between sessions
Clinical point: Tennis elbow is often not from one bad swing. It usually builds from repeated stress, grip demand, poor recovery, or compensation from the wrist, shoulder, neck, or upper back.
What Tennis Elbow Feels Like
Tennis elbow may feel different depending on how irritated the tissue is and how long the problem has been present.
Some players feel pain during tennis. Others feel fine while playing but notice soreness later that day or the next morning.
Common symptoms
- Pain on the outside of the elbow
- Forearm tightness or aching
- Pain gripping the racquet
- Pain lifting a bag, bottle, or coffee mug
- Pain turning a doorknob
- Weak grip strength
- Soreness after playing
Common triggers
- Backhands
- Repeated volleys
- Hard grip pressure
- Longer matches
- Playing several days in a row
- Wrist-heavy strokes
- Lifting or carrying after playing
Elbow pain that continues to worsen, spreads, causes numbness or tingling, or creates significant weakness should be evaluated.
Tennis Elbow vs Pickleball Elbow
Tennis elbow and pickleball elbow can feel very similar.
Both may involve irritation of the tendons and muscles around the outside of the elbow. Both can be aggravated by gripping, wrist control, swinging, paddle or racquet mechanics, and repeated play.
The difference is usually the sport demand. Tennis often involves more racquet weight, larger court movement, more serving, and different stroke mechanics. Pickleball often involves quicker reactions, shorter swings, paddle control, and frequent volleys.
If you play both sports, your elbow may be getting stressed from both directions. You may also find our article on pickleball elbow helpful.
Why the Wrist and Forearm Matter
The wrist and forearm play a major role in tennis elbow.
The muscles that help control the wrist and hand attach near the outside of the elbow. When those muscles are repeatedly loaded through gripping, swinging, and racquet control, the attachment area can become irritated.
This is why tennis elbow may hurt with activities that do not seem like tennis at all, such as:
- Opening a jar
- Turning a doorknob
- Lifting a coffee mug
- Carrying groceries
- Using tools
- Typing or mouse work in some cases
- Gripping weights at the gym
For general medical information about tennis elbow and lateral epicondylitis, the Cleveland Clinic provides a helpful overview.
Why the Shoulder, Neck, and Upper Back Matter
The elbow does not work by itself.
The wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck, and upper back all influence how the arm moves during tennis.
If shoulder control is poor, the elbow may work harder during swings. If wrist mechanics are overloaded, the elbow may absorb more stress. If the neck and upper back are stiff, shoulder movement may change, which can affect the entire arm.
This is why I do not evaluate tennis elbow by only looking at the elbow.
I may also look at:
- Wrist and forearm movement
- Grip strength
- Shoulder range of motion
- Shoulder blade control
- Neck mobility
- Upper back mobility
- Posture
- How the arm is being loaded during tennis
You can also review our conditions treated page for other common pain and movement problems we evaluate at Godo Chiropractic.
Why Rest Alone May Not Fix Tennis Elbow
Rest can help calm symptoms down. That does not always mean the problem is solved.
If the pain is related to repeated gripping, poor recovery, shoulder compensation, wrist overload, or playing too much too soon, the pain may come back when you return to the same routine.
That is why recurring elbow pain should be evaluated. The goal is not only to reduce pain. The goal is to understand why the elbow keeps getting irritated.
Common Reasons Tennis Elbow Keeps Coming Back
- Playing too often without recovery
- Overgripping the racquet
- Using too much wrist during strokes
- Poor shoulder blade control
- Limited upper back mobility
- Weak forearm endurance
- Strength training that overloads the elbow
- Returning too quickly after symptoms improve
- Ignoring early soreness until it becomes sharper pain
When Tennis Elbow Should Be Evaluated
Tennis elbow should be evaluated if the pain is not improving, keeps returning, or starts affecting your ability to play, grip, lift, work, or sleep.
You should also seek evaluation if you notice:
- Weakness that is getting worse
- Numbness or tingling into the hand
- Swelling around the elbow
- Pain after a fall or traumatic injury
- Pain that travels from the neck into the arm
- Loss of elbow motion
- Severe pain with gripping or lifting
- Pain that does not improve with reasonable rest
If symptoms are severe, sudden, traumatic, or associated with major weakness, chest pain, shortness of breath, or neurological symptoms, seek urgent medical care.
How I Evaluate Tennis Elbow
At Godo Chiropractic, I start by asking how the pain started, where you feel it, what shots or activities trigger it, how often you play, and whether the pain is improving or getting worse.
Because I have played tennis for over 15 years and currently play in 3.5 USTA leagues around the Chicago area, I can ask more specific questions about backhands, serves, match frequency, grip pressure, lessons, drills, and how the pain affects real tennis movement.
Depending on your symptoms, I may assess:
- Elbow range of motion
- Grip strength
- Forearm muscle tension
- Wrist mobility
- Shoulder mobility
- Shoulder blade control
- Neck and upper back motion
- Posture
- Orthopedic findings when appropriate
- Neurological findings when appropriate
- Tennis-specific movements when relevant
The goal is to determine what may be contributing to the pain and whether chiropractic care is appropriate.
Sometimes care may include joint mobilization, chiropractic adjustments, soft-tissue work, stretching, corrective exercises, posture recommendations, activity modification, or referral for imaging or another provider when needed.
If this would be your first time at the office, you can read what to expect at your first chiropractic visit.
Can Chiropractic Care Help Tennis Elbow?
Chiropractic care may help when tennis elbow is related to joint restriction, muscle tension, poor movement mechanics, neck or upper back involvement, shoulder blade control, or compensation patterns.
The care plan should depend on the evaluation. A mild overuse problem is not the same as nerve irritation, a traumatic injury, or a problem that has been ignored for months.
At Godo Chiropractic, I want active patients to understand what may be contributing to the pain, what can be addressed in the office, what they can do at home, and when another type of care may be needed.
You can also learn more about sports chiropractic care in Lakeview Chicago.
Trying to Keep Playing Without Making the Elbow Worse?
That is usually the real concern.
Most tennis players do not want to stop playing forever. They want to understand what is irritated, what needs to change, and whether they can keep playing safely.
If elbow pain is affecting your tennis game, grip strength, workouts, or daily movement, an evaluation can help you understand the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis Elbow
What is tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is a common term for pain on the outside of the elbow that often involves irritation of the tendons and muscles that help control the wrist and hand.
Where does tennis elbow hurt?
Tennis elbow usually hurts on the outside of the elbow and may travel into the forearm. It may also cause pain with gripping, lifting, or turning the wrist.
Why does my elbow hurt after tennis?
Your elbow may hurt after tennis because of repetitive gripping, backhands, overuse, wrist-heavy strokes, poor recovery, shoulder compensation, or playing too often before the tissues are ready for that workload.
Is tennis elbow only caused by tennis?
No. Tennis elbow can develop from many activities that involve repetitive gripping, lifting, wrist control, or forearm overuse. Tennis is only one possible cause.
Should I keep playing tennis with elbow pain?
It depends on the severity and behavior of the pain. Mild soreness may respond to rest and activity modification, but pain that worsens, causes weakness, affects grip, or keeps returning should be evaluated.
Can shoulder problems contribute to tennis elbow?
Yes. If the shoulder or shoulder blade is not controlling movement well, the elbow may absorb more stress during swings and racquet control.
Can neck problems cause elbow pain?
Yes. Neck irritation can sometimes refer symptoms into the arm, and neck or upper back stiffness can also affect shoulder and elbow mechanics.
When should tennis elbow be checked?
Tennis elbow should be checked if pain does not improve, keeps returning, causes weakness, affects grip, creates numbness or tingling, or interferes with sports, work, or daily activity.
Can chiropractic care help tennis elbow?
Chiropractic care may help when elbow pain is related to joint restriction, neck or upper back mechanics, shoulder blade control, muscle tension, posture, or movement dysfunction. The right approach depends on the exam findings.
What happens during an elbow evaluation?
An evaluation may include a review of your symptoms, playing frequency, painful movements, elbow motion, grip strength, wrist mechanics, shoulder movement, neck and upper back mobility, orthopedic testing, and personalized recommendations.
$29 New Patient Evaluation
If tennis elbow is affecting your game, workouts, grip, or daily movement, the best place to start is with an evaluation.
Your $29 New Patient Evaluation includes:
- Consultation
- Health history review
- Posture assessment
- Movement evaluation
- Doctor examination
- Personalized recommendations
No pressure. No long-term commitment required.
Final Thought
Tennis elbow can be frustrating because it affects your grip, your racquet control, and your ability to enjoy the game.
But elbow pain after tennis does not always mean the problem is only in the elbow.
The forearm, wrist, shoulder, neck, upper back, posture, grip, playing volume, and recovery habits can all contribute.
As someone who has played tennis for over 15 years and currently plays in 3.5 USTA leagues around Chicago, I understand how frustrating it is when elbow pain affects the sport you enjoy.
At Godo Chiropractic, Dr. Jason Godo, D.C., R.N. evaluates active patients from Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, Uptown, River North, and surrounding Chicago neighborhoods who want clear answers about sports injuries, elbow pain, shoulder pain, back pain, posture, movement, and chiropractic care.
If you are ready to better understand what may be contributing to your tennis elbow, schedule your new patient evaluation today.
Dr. Jason Godo, D.C., R.N.
Godo Chiropractic
