Wimbledon Season Elbow: Tennis Elbow Myths, Evidence and When Injections Help
Tennis Elbow Myths, Evidence and Injection Treatment
Every June, in the fortnight either side of Wimbledon, the phones at Joint Care Clinic start ringing in a way we could almost set our watch by. It is rarely really about tennis. Most of the people who call us about a painful elbow this time of year have not swung a racket in years. What has usually happened is someone cleared out the shed at the weekend, took up padel with more enthusiasm than their forearm was ready for, or spent a Saturday gripping secateurs harder than they realised. Wimbledon just puts a familiar name to a very old problem, tennis elbow, and gives us a good excuse to set the record straight on what actually helps.
We hear the same handful of tennis elbow myths in clinic every year, usually repeated with total confidence by people who have read them somewhere online. So here is what the evidence, and our own experience of treating this condition week in and week out, actually says about it, and where injections genuinely fit in.
Myth: you have to play tennis to get it
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, describes pain and small tears where the tendons on the outside of the elbow attach to the bone. It develops from repeated gripping and twisting through the forearm, not from any particular sport. In our clinics, we see it just as often in decorators, gardeners, hairdressers and keen cooks as we do in racket sports players. The Wimbledon effect is real enough, but it is usually because someone has picked up a racket for the first time in months and put sudden load through an elbow tendon that was not conditioned for it, rather than tennis itself being the true cause.
If your pain is elsewhere than the outside of the elbow, or it follows a knock rather than a new activity, it may not be tennis elbow. Our Elbow Pain page covers the other common causes we see in clinic, including golfer’s elbow, olecranon bursitis, triceps tendinitis or elbow joint arthritis and is worth a look before you assume.
Myth: rest alone will sort it out
Complete rest calms things down at first, but tendons generally need some controlled loading to recover properly. Left entirely alone, tennis elbow regularly drags on for many months, sometimes well over a year, without ever fully settling. What we tend to see work best in clinic is an accurate diagnosis first, using our in-house ultrasound scanner to actually look at the tendon rather than guess from symptoms, followed by a sensible, gradual return to activity built around what we find. Guessing at rest and hoping for the best usually just prolongs things.
Myth: an injection is an instant cure
This is the myth we correct most carefully, because getting it wrong sets people up to be disappointed. A cortisone injection calms inflammation and takes the edge off pain; it does not repair the tendon itself. Ram Rachaputi, our lead clinician, has performed well over 60,000 ultrasound-guided injections and is honest with every patient about this in consultation: an injection buys you a window of comfort, and what you do with that window determines whether the improvement lasts.
What the evidence actually says about tennis elbow injections
Short-term, cortisone injections for tennis elbow are well supported by the evidence for reducing pain and getting people back to normal use of the arm within a couple of weeks. Some longer-term studies have found that outcomes at twelve months can be similar, or even slightly better, with physiotherapy and loading alone. That is not a reason to dismiss injections; it is a reason to use them properly, as one part of a plan rather than the whole plan. In our clinics, an injection is always paired with the diagnostic scan that confirms it is the right treatment, and with clear guidance on the rehabilitation that follows it.
When an injection genuinely helps
An injection tends to earn its place when pain is significant enough to stop you from doing the rehabilitation exercises that actually fix the problem, when the diagnosis has been properly confirmed rather than assumed from symptoms alone, and when there is a clear plan for what happens in the weeks afterwards. It is far less useful reached for after two or three days of mild soreness, or repeated again and again without ever addressing the grip, technique or activity that caused the strain in the first place.
If that sounds like where you are, our Tennis Elbow Treatment page sets out exactly how we diagnose and treat it, including what to expect from the ultrasound-guided injection itself.
If Wimbledon fortnight has left you nursing a sore elbow, or you have been putting up with pain from work or a hobby for a while now, an ultrasound-guided assessment at Joint Care Clinic gives you a proper answer rather than a guess. Our Prices page sets out the cost of a consultation, scan and injection where one is appropriate, and if you would rather talk it through with us first, our team is easy to reach via the Contact page.
Tennis Elbow Myths FAQs
Does tennis elbow only affect tennis players?
No. It develops from repeated gripping and twisting through the forearm, so we see it just as often in tradespeople, gardeners, hairdressers, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, builders and office workers as we do in sports players. What tends to trigger it is a sudden change in how much, or how hard, you are using your hands and forearm, whether that is a new hobby, a house move, or a fortnight of enthusiastic Wimbledon-inspired tennis.
Will a cortisone injection cure tennis elbow permanently?
Not on its own, and we would never tell you otherwise. It settles inflammation and reduces pain, which gives you a genuine window to work on the loading and rehabilitation that leads to a lasting recovery. Patients who treat the injection as the whole solution, rather than the start of one, are usually the ones most likely to see symptoms return.
How long does tennis elbow usually last?
Left untreated, it commonly takes anywhere from several months to a couple of years to fully settle, which is longer than most people expect, especially if you are still exposed to the risk factors which initially triggered the Tennis elbow symptoms. With an accurate diagnosis and the right combination of loading, rest and, where appropriate, an injection, we typically see that timeline shorten considerably. It varies a good deal from person to person, so this is something we would confirm at your assessment rather than promise in advance.
What actually happens if I come in for tennis elbow at Joint Care Clinic?
You will see one of our clinicians for a consultation and a diagnostic ultrasound scan to obtain an accurate diagnosis and ultrasound-guided treatment in the same appointment, when suitable. This way we can see exactly what is happening in the tendon rather than treating based on symptoms alone. If an injection is appropriate, it is carried out under ultrasound guidance in that same visit, which helps with both accuracy and comfort. You leave with a clear, honest plan for the following weeks.
How many cortisone injections can I have for tennis elbow?
As a general guide, we would not usually recommend more than two or three injections into the same area within a year, in line with standard UK clinical guidance. If you find you are needing repeat injections without lasting improvement, that is usually a sign we need to look again at the diagnosis or the rehabilitation plan, rather than simply repeating the injection. We will always talk this through honestly with you rather than just booking you back in. Sometimes this may be a case of an onward referral to the Elbow surgeon for a surgical repair.