Dismiss Modal

Treatment

Treating Tennis Elbow

Choose a preferred language

Your treatment will depend on how inflamed your tendon is. The goal is to ease your symptoms and help you regain full use of your elbow.


Rest and medicine

Closeup of hand fastening tennis elbow splint above opposite elbow.

Wear a tennis elbow splint to let the inflamed tendon rest and heal. It must be worn correctly. It should be placed down the arm past the painful area of the elbow. It can make symptoms worse if it's directly over the inflamed tendon. Take stress off the tendon by using your other hand or changing your grip. Take NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain and inflammation. Talk with your healthcare provider before taking these if you have chronic liver or kidney disease or had a stomach ulcer or digestive bleeding. Also talk with your provider if you take a blood thinner.

It may be helpful to use ice pack for the first 24 to 48 hours after the pain first starts. Ice will help ease pain and swelling. Use the ice pack for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Don't put ice directly on your skin. To protect your skin and prevent skin damage, wrap the ice pack in a thin cloth or towel.


Exercises and therapy

Your healthcare provider may give you an exercise program. They may send you to a physical therapist. That expert will teach you how to gently stretch and strengthen the muscles around your elbow.


Anti-inflammatory shots

Your healthcare provider may give you shots of an anti-inflammatory medicine, such as cortisone. This helps ease swelling. You may have more pain at first. But your elbow should feel better in a few days.


If surgery is needed

If your symptoms go on for a long time, or other treatments don’t work, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery. Surgery repairs the inflamed tendon.

© 2000-2025 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.

Make an Appointment

Make an Appointment

Find a Doctor

Find a Doctor

Find a Location

Find a Location

Related Services

Orthopedics Center

Related Articles
Read article
Orthopedics
Kyphoplasty

Kyphoplasty is a procedure that can help relieve the pain of vertebral compression fracture (a collapse of bone in your spine most commonly caused by osteoporosis).

Read article
Orthopedics
Laminotomy

Laminotomy is a surgery that takes out a small amount of bone from the spine. This takes pressure off nerves in the low back, which eases symptoms.

Read article
Orthopedics
Having Arm Fracture Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF)

Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is a type of treatment to fix a broken bone. It puts the pieces of a broken bone back together so they can heal.

Read article
Orthopedics
Hip Arthroscopy: Repairing Femoroacetabular Impingement

When excess bone forms on the edge of the ball or the socket of the hip, it's called FAI (femoroacetabular impingement). This can cause pain and limit movement. Arthroscopy can fix FAI. It uses small incisions and special tools. Read on to learn more.