Bones & Joints
Tennis Elbow
Pain on the outer elbow from overusing the forearm tendons, eased by rest from the trigger plus gradual strengthening.
Also known as: Lateral epicondylitis, Elbow tendon pain
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Repeating the same gripping or twisting motion of the hand and wrist, day after day; Suddenly doing much more hand work than usual; Gripping tools that are the wrong size or too heavy.
First thing to try: For the first few days, stop the activity that brings on the pain and let the elbow rest.
See a doctor if: Elbow pain that does not improve after several weeks of careful care
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Repeating the same gripping or twisting motion of the hand and wrist, day after day
- Suddenly doing much more hand work than usual
- Gripping tools that are the wrong size or too heavy
- Poor wrist position during repetitive tasks
- Not warming up or resting the arm during long jobs
Change what you can
- For the first few days, stop the activity that brings on the pain and let the elbow rest.
- Apply ice to the sore spot for relief — longer when the pain is worse — or use gentle heat after the first few days, whichever feels better.
- Once the sharp pain settles, begin slow strengthening exercises for the forearm — rest alone is not enough; the tendons need to be gently rebuilt.
- Build up very gradually: a little more each week, always stopping before pain.
- Use a forearm support band during activity if it helps, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation.
- Check your grip and tools — use your whole arm, not just your wrist, and avoid clamping too hard.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
The essential first step — pause the motion that caused it.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Removing the repetitive strain lets the overused tendons begin to settle before rebuilding can start.
- Identify the gripping or twisting motion that hurts.
- Stop or greatly reduce it for 3-4 days.
- Use the other hand or different tools where you can.
- Ease back gradually once the sharp pain settles.
3-4 days · At the start of a flare
Caution: Total rest alone won't fix it; the tendons must later be gently rebuilt.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
Rebuilds the tendons so the problem doesn't return.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: The injured tendons need to be gently and progressively loaded to heal strong; careful exercise restores them where rest cannot.
- Wait until the sharp pain has settled.
- Begin slow, gentle wrist and forearm strengthening — light and easy.
- Add a little more each week, always stopping before pain.
- Keep it up; rebuilding the tendon takes weeks.
A few minutes · Most days, building up weekly
Caution: Start only after the worst pain has eased. Increase very gradually; pain means back off.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
Relieves the pain of an active flare.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Cold narrows the vessels and numbs the irritated tendon area, easing pain and calming inflammation.
- Wrap the ice in a thin cloth.
- Hold it on the sore outer-elbow spot — longer when the pain is worse.
- Let the skin rewarm between applications.
- Use heat instead after the first few days if it feels better.
Up to 20 minutes at a time · A few times a day during a flare
Caution: Don't put ice directly on bare skin. Whichever of ice or heat feels better is the right one for you.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
Eases the pull on the tendon during work or sport.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: A band just below the elbow spreads the load away from the injured tendon attachment, reducing the strain during use.
- Place the band on the upper forearm, just below the elbow.
- Snug it enough to support, but not so tight it cuts off circulation.
- Wear it during the activity that aggravates the elbow.
- Remove it at rest.
During activity · As needed
Caution: Don't fasten it so tightly that the hand tingles or goes cold.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- Elbow pain that does not improve after several weeks of careful care
- Pain following a fall or direct blow to the elbow
- Swelling, redness, warmth, or fever (possible infection)
- The elbow looks deformed or you cannot move it
- Numbness or tingling spreading into the hand
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your tennis elbow — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Tennis elbow is an overuse strain of the tendons on the outer elbow, common in anyone who grips or twists repeatedly. It eases with a short rest from the aggravating activity, ice or heat for comfort, and — most importantly — gradual strengthening exercises once the sharp pain settles. Recovery can take weeks to months.
Tennis elbow is soreness and pain on the outer side of the elbow, where the muscles of the forearm attach by tough cords called tendons. Despite the name, most people who get it have never played tennis — it comes from doing the same gripping or twisting motion over and over, which strains those tendons until they become tender and inflamed. Painters, carpenters, gardeners, cooks, computer users, and anyone who grips tools or shakes many hands can develop it. The pain often shows up when you grip, lift, or twist — turning a doorknob, pouring a kettle, or shaking hands — and there may be weakness in the hand even though the muscles themselves are fine; it is the tendons that hurt. With rest from the aggravating activity and patient care, tennis elbow usually settles, though it can take several weeks to months. The key to healing is twofold: give the sore tendons a break from what irritates them, and then gently rebuild their strength so the problem does not return.
Common signs
- Pain and tenderness on the outer side of the elbow
- Pain when gripping, lifting, or twisting
- Weak-feeling grip
- Ache that may spread down the forearm
- Worse with repeated hand use
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
Rest the arm from the gripping and twisting that caused it — continued strain keeps the tendon from healing.970
Ice the sore outer elbow for 15 minutes a few times a day, especially after using the arm, to calm inflammation.940
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Colorful fruits and vegetables rich in natural antioxidants
- Anti-inflammatory whole foods: berries, leafy greens, nuts, seeds
- Plenty of water to keep tissues supple
- Whole grains and beans for steady nourishment
Go easy on
- Heavily processed and fried foods
- Excess sugar and refined flour
A plant-rich, whole-food plate gives healing tendons the nourishment they need; there is no special food cure, but good eating supports repair.
⚖️ Good to know
- Don't rely on rest alone — gentle strengthening is what prevents it coming back.
- Avoid pushing through sharp pain during exercises.
- A support band should be snug, never tight enough to numb or swell the hand.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Doctors treat tennis elbow mainly with rest from the aggravating activity, physical therapy, and pain control, as most cases improve over time.
Commonly offered
- Relative rest and activity modification–
- NSAIDs or topical anti-inflammatories–
- Physical therapy and eccentric strengthening–
- A counterforce brace; corticosteroid injection occasionally for short-term relief–
Worth knowing
- Repeated steroid injections may weaken the tendon and are used sparingly
- Persistent pain beyond several months should be reassessed by a doctor
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📜 A note from history
Resting an overused joint, then carefully rebuilding its strength, is a long-standing gentle approach to tendon strain.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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