Joint
Tennis Elbow
Stubborn outer-elbow pain that flares with gripping, lifting, and shaking hands.
If this sounds like you
You're not imagining it. You're not making too much of it.
You haven't picked up a tennis racket in years and your elbow still won't shut up. Lifting a coffee cup makes you wince. Shaking someone's hand at church is a small, private negotiation. You've tried the brace, the ice, the rest — and the second you go back to fly fishing, swinging a hammer, or typing all day, it lights up again.
The coffee cup test
The small, daily moments your elbow has quietly hijacked.
- Pain on the outside of the elbow that worsens with gripping
- Weakness shaking hands, turning a doorknob, or lifting a milk jug
- Burning ache after typing, mousing, or framing work
- Tenderness when pressing on the bony bump on the outside of the elbow
- Pain that returns the moment you go back to your activity
The part nobody says out loud
Tennis elbow doesn't sound serious — until it's been six months, three braces, and a cortisone shot that wore off. You're tired of being the person who can't carry the grocery bag, can't reel in a fish, can't shake a hand without bracing for it. You don't want surgery for something that 'isn't a big deal.' You want it actually fixed.
You're not exaggerating. You're not being dramatic.
If any of the above made you nod, exhale, or feel a little seen — that's the point. Dr. Smith's exam starts from the assumption that what you're feeling is real, measurable, and worth taking seriously.
What your family has noticed
The people who love you have been watching this longer than you realize.
You think you've been hiding it. You haven't — not really. Here's what the people closest to you have quietly noticed, even if they've never said a word:
- You switch hands carrying everything heavier than a phone
- You wince opening a jar and hand it off
- You skip the rounds you used to love at the casting pond
- You ice your arm every night and don't mention it
- You're shorter-tempered at the end of the workday
What waiting actually costs
Why now matters more than most people think.
Tendons that stay irritated stop trying to repair. What started as a flare becomes chronic tendinopathy — degenerative tissue that no amount of rest will fix on its own. Months turn into years, and the window for non-surgical repair narrows.
Causes & traditional approaches
Why tennis elbow happens — and why the usual fixes fall short.
Common underlying causes
- Repetitive gripping from sports, trades, fly fishing, or keyboard work
- Overload of the forearm extensor tendons at the lateral elbow
- Upstream contributions from the shoulder, neck, or posture
- Failed tendon repair after an early flare was ignored or only rested
- Sudden return to activity after a long layoff
What's usually offered — and where it falls short
Tennis-elbow braces and rest
Limit: Can quiet symptoms short-term but rarely restart real tendon repair — so the pain returns the moment you go back to your activity.
Cortisone injections
Limit: Calm pain for weeks to months while weakening the surrounding tendon — and the pain almost always returns, often worse.
Tennis-elbow release surgery
Limit: Real option for the right candidate, but frequently offered before shockwave, soft-tissue, and loaded rehab have had a fair trial.
How Dr. Smith treats this differently
Our Tennis Elbow Therapy approach for Tennis Elbow.
A structured non-surgical program for lateral epicondylitis combining shockwave therapy, soft-tissue work, and targeted forearm and shoulder rehab.
Explore the Tennis Elbow Therapy ProgramCommon Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Stop living around tennis elbow.
Start with a $47 new patient evaluation and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help.