Effective Golfer’s Elbow Exercises & Physical Therapy Treatment

Golfer’s elbow—known in the medical world as medial epicondylitis or medial epicondylar tendinopathy—is a common orthopedic condition that causes sharp or aching pain on the inside of the elbow.

Despite its name, you don’t need to step foot on a golf course to suffer from this injury. Golfer’s elbow affects athletes across baseball, tennis, and throwing sports, as well as anyone performing repetitive hand and wrist movements—like carrying heavy groceries, turning jars, typing, or working with power tools.

At Threshold PT, our outpatient physical therapy team specializes in targeted, evidence-based rehabilitation to restore full function to your arm so you can return to your routine pain-free.

What Causes Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)?

Golfer’s elbow originates at the common flexor tendon origin, where several forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow (the medial epicondyle).

The primary muscles involved include:

• Pronator Teres (forearm rotation)
• Flexor Carpi Radialis (wrist flexion and side-to-side movement)
• Flexor Digitorum Superficialis & Flexor Carpi Ulnaris (finger and wrist flexors)

Acute vs. Chronic Golfer’s Elbow

• Acute Flare-Ups: Result from repetitive microtrauma or a sudden increase in activity (like a weekend of home remodeling or back-to-back golf rounds). The load placed on the elbow exceeds the tendon’s capacity, causing localized micro-tears and inflammation.
• Chronic Tendinopathy: Occurs when initial micro-injuries fail to heal properly due to ongoing strain. Over time, degenerative changes occur in the tendon matrix, leading to a frustrating cycle of recurring flare-ups.

How Physical Therapy Treats Golfer’s Elbow: The EdUReP Model

Non-surgical conservative care is the most effective approach for managing medial epicondylitis. Addressing symptoms early significantly speeds up recovery and prevents long-term joint stiffness.

At Threshold PT, we utilize the EdUReP Model (Education, Unload, Reload, Prevention) to guide your treatment plan:

1. Education: Identifying movements that aggravate your inner elbow—such as heavy lifting or repetitive loaded wrist flexion—so you can adapt safely.
2. Unload: Temporarily modifying high-stress activities or using non-dominant hand strategies to let the irritated tendon rest and calm down.
3. Reload: Re-introducing progressive loading exercises to strengthen the flexor tendon without overloading it.
4. Prevention: Sustaining a customized maintenance program to prevent future flare-ups when returning to sports, work, or hobbies.

Should You Get a Cortisone Injection for Golfer’s Elbow?

When inner elbow pain interrupts daily tasks, a corticosteroid injection sounds like an easy fix. However, research suggests thinking twice before choosing injections over physical therapy.

“Research shows that corticosteroid injections may improve symptoms at 6 weeks, but offer no significant difference compared to conservative care at 3 and 12 months, with higher rates of pain recurrence.”

Cortisone provides short-term pain relief, but it does not address underlying muscle weakness or mechanical strain. Masking pain without rebuilding tendon strength often leads to re-injury. Targeted physical therapy remains the safest path to long-term healing.

Evidence-Based Exercises for Golfer’s Elbow Relief

Because every recovery journey is unique, physical therapy adapts to your specific phase of healing. Below are key exercise progressions used to rebuild strength and load capacity in the forearm flexors.

Phase 1: Isometric Exercises (Pain Relief & Early Load)

When the inner elbow is highly sensitive, isometric contractions (holding a contraction without moving the joint) deliver an analgesic effect, dampening pain signals while gently stimulating the tendon.

Phase 2: Eccentric Exercises (Tendon Remodeling)

Eccentric loading—controlled lengthening of the muscle under strain—is vital for remodeling collagen fibers within chronic tendon injuries.

Phase 3: Isotonic Exercises (Dynamic Loading)

Isotonics combine both concentric (shortening) and eccentric (lengthening) phases to transition your arm back to full functional strength.

Phase 4: Full Kinetic Chain & Golf Swing Drills

If your elbow pain stems from recreational golf, mechanics often play a major role. Amateur golfers frequently “cast” their wrists or rely excessively on upper body power, placing high force on the inner elbow.