Pain on the outside of the elbow when lifting a cup or turning a door handle may be tennis elbow. The UK National Health Service (NHS) says it happens when the elbow’s tendons become inflamed, and that tennis isn’t needed: repeated gripping and twisting with the wrist and forearm — typing or using a mouse, sewing or a screwdriver, playing an instrument — can cause it. It usually improves after a few weeks of rest but can last over a year. Here is the NHS guidance on self-care and when to get treatment.
1. Cut back on what makes it worse; hot or cold pack up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours; painkillers or anti-inflammatory gel.
2. See a GP if it lasts 2+ weeks; physiotherapy if no better after 6 weeks.
3. Surgery may be an option after 6 to 12 months. Most common at 35 to 54.
Symptoms — NHS
| Type | What the NHS says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Main | Pain on the outside of the elbow — from mild discomfort on movement to constant pain that disturbs sleep | — |
| Worse when | Lifting or bending the arm, gripping, moving the wrist | — |
| Other | Tenderness or swelling, forearm pain, trouble fully straightening the arm | — |
| Length | Usually better after a few weeks of rest; sometimes over a year | — |
What you can do — NHS
| Do | NHS advice | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Cut back | Avoid or reduce activities that make it worse | — |
| Painkillers | Paracetamol, or anti-inflammatory gel on the area | Ibuprofen gel is flammable: no smoking or naked flames |
| Packs | Wrapped hot or cold pack (or frozen peas), up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours | — |
| Exercise | Simple exercises such as gently bending and straightening the arm | — |
| Supports | Forearm strap, wrist or elbow brace (from pharmacies) | — |
Getting treatment — NHS
| Type | What the NHS says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| See a GP | Elbow pain lasting 2+ weeks despite rest and self-care | In Korea, orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine |
| Medicine | A GP may prescribe anti-inflammatory tablets | — |
| Physiotherapy | If no better after 6 weeks at home — massage, wrist and forearm stretching and strengthening, ultrasound therapy to boost blood flow | UK self-referral to MSK services in many areas |
| Surgery | An option if symptoms persist after 6 to 12 months | — |
Causes — NHS
Tennis elbow is inflammation of the elbow tendons, which connect muscle to bone. Repeated gripping and twisting of the wrist and forearm — typing or mouse use, manual tasks like sewing or using a screwdriver, and leisure such as tennis or playing an instrument — can cause it. Anyone can get it, but it’s most common at 35 to 54, says the NHS.
If you work at a desk — our note
Typing and mouse use come first in the NHS list of causes. The page doesn’t cover posture or equipment, so all we can add is to apply its “cut back on what makes it worse” to your working day. Wrist stretches are in wrist and hand stretches; if the shoulder hurts too, see shoulder pain.
Checklist
- ☐ Is the pain on the outside of the elbow?
- ☐ Cut back on gripping and twisting
- ☐ Packs up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours; ibuprofen gel away from flames
- ☐ 2+ weeks: GP; 6 weeks: physiotherapy
- ☐ Consider a forearm strap or brace
Questions that remain
Hot or cold?
The NHS lists both and doesn’t prefer one.
What about steroid injections?
This page lists anti-inflammatory tablets, physiotherapy and surgery; injections aren’t on it.
Sources
- NHS — Tennis elbow — source (page shows: reviewed 31 May 2024, next review 31 May 2027; checked 19 October 2026). Symptoms, duration, five self-care steps, the ibuprofen gel fire warning, GP at 2 weeks, physiotherapy at 6 weeks, surgery at 6 to 12 months, causes, ages 35 to 54.
- Not read. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy videos; Korean guidance.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean care gloss.
Where to check further
- Orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine — if it lasts beyond 2 weeks.
Written on 19 October 2026. The content is from the NHS; the glosses are ours.
