Golfer’s Elbow vs Tennis Elbow: Telling Them Apart
The difference between golfer’s elbow vs tennis elbow comes down, first and simplest, to which side of the elbow hurts. Golfer’s elbow is felt on the inner bony point, the side nearest your body when your arm hangs with the palm forward. Tennis elbow is felt on the outer point. They are the same kind of problem, a worn tendon where the forearm muscles anchor to the elbow, on opposite sides of the same joint, and telling them apart is usually straightforward.
The two are close cousins, and their treatment overlaps heavily, but there is one important difference that makes golfer’s elbow worth taking a little more seriously, and it has to do with a nerve.
Dr MK Chan is a shoulder and elbow specialist who treats both conditions. This explains the inside-versus-outside distinction, the tendons involved in each, some gentle checks you can do at home, why the treatments are similar but not identical, and why both names mislead.
Golfer’s Elbow vs Tennis Elbow: The Core Difference
One glance at where the pain sits usually settles it, and a few other features confirm the picture.
| Feature | Golfer’s elbow | Tennis elbow |
| Where it hurts | The inner bony point of the elbow | The outer bony point of the elbow |
| Which tendons | The flexor and pronator group, mainly two of them | The extensor group, mainly one of them |
| What provokes it | Gripping, bending the wrist down, turning the palm down | Gripping, bending the wrist back, turning the palm up |
| Nerve nearby | The ulnar nerve, sometimes involved | No major nerve immediately at the spot |
| How common | Roughly a third as common | The more common of the two |
The first row does most of the work. Inner point points to golfer’s elbow, outer point to tennis elbow, and everything else tends to follow from that.
The Tendons Involved
Both conditions are wear at the point where a group of forearm muscles anchors to the elbow, but they are different groups on different sides.
Tennis elbow, on the outside
On the outer side, the muscles that straighten the wrist and fingers, the extensors, share a common anchor. Tennis elbow is degeneration of that anchor, principally of one particular extensor tendon. Because those muscles pull the wrist back, the pain is provoked by bending the wrist backwards against resistance and by gripping, which is why it is explained in more detail in why the tennis-elbow name misleads.
Golfer’s elbow, on the inside
On the inner side, a different group anchors: the muscles that bend the wrist down and turn the palm downward, the flexors and pronators. Golfer’s elbow is degeneration of that inner anchor, mainly two of those tendons. Because those muscles curl the wrist and rotate the forearm, the pain is provoked by bending the wrist down against resistance, by making a fist, and by turning the palm down against resistance.
Mirror images, essentially
It is easiest to think of them as mirror images. The same process of tendon wear, driven by the same kind of repeated gripping and loading, happening to the opposite muscle group on the opposite side of the elbow. That symmetry is why the two are so often discussed together and why their management rhymes.
The Tests You Can Do at Home
You cannot diagnose yourself, but you can usually work out which side is the problem with a couple of gentle checks. These are to locate the pain, not to force it, so stop the moment anything is genuinely sore.
Find the sore spot
Run a finger over the two bony points at the elbow, one on the inner side and one on the outer. In these conditions, one of them is distinctly tender to press and the other is not. That single finding is the most useful piece of information, and it usually tells you which condition you are dealing with before you test anything.
The tennis elbow check
With the elbow straight and the palm facing down, gently try to lift the back of your hand upwards against the light resistance of your other hand. If that reproduces pain at the outer bony point, it points toward tennis elbow. Gripping something firmly, like a full kettle, often provokes the same outer pain.
The golfer’s elbow check
With the elbow straight and the palm facing up, gently try to curl the wrist upwards against light resistance from your other hand, or turn the palm downward against resistance. If that reproduces pain at the inner bony point, it points toward golfer’s elbow. These are guides to locate the problem, and they are not a substitute for a proper examination, particularly if anything is unclear.
Why Treatment Is Similar but Not Identical
The two are managed along broadly the same lines, with one meaningful exception that is easy to miss.
What is shared
Both are degenerative tendon problems, both are largely self-limiting, and both respond to the same core approach: easing off the activity that provokes them, a graded programme of loading exercises to rebuild the tendon, time, and the same much-debated role for injections. If you understand the management of one, you understand most of the management of the other.
The nerve that makes golfer’s elbow different
Here is the exception. A major nerve, the ulnar nerve, the one responsible for the funny bone sensation, runs in a groove directly behind the inner bony point of the elbow, right where golfer’s elbow lives. In roughly one in five cases of golfer’s elbow, that nerve becomes irritated as well, causing tingling or numbness spreading into the ring and little fingers. Tennis elbow, on the outer side, has no major nerve sitting at the sore spot, so this simply does not arise.
Why that matters
It matters for two reasons. First, if you have inner elbow pain together with tingling or numbness in those fingers, the problem is not just a tendon and needs proper assessment of the nerve. Second, if golfer’s elbow ever comes to surgery, the operation has to protect and sometimes address that nerve, which makes it a more delicate undertaking than surgery on the outer side. It is the single best reason not to simply assume golfer’s elbow is tennis elbow’s identical twin.
Why Both Names Mislead
Neither name is a reliable guide to who gets the condition or what it actually is.
Neither is really about the sport
Just as most people with tennis elbow have never played tennis, most people with golfer’s elbow have never played golf. Both are far more commonly caused by manual work and repeated daily gripping, with throwing and racquet sports contributing more than golf ever does. The sporting names are historical accidents that mislead patients into doubting an otherwise obvious diagnosis.
Neither is truly inflammation
And as with tennis elbow, the “-itis” in golfer’s elbow’s medical name, medial epicondylitis, overstates inflammation. Both are chiefly degeneration of a worn tendon rather than an inflamed one, which is why the more accurate term for each is a tendinosis. This shapes how sensibly to treat them, and it is covered fully for the outer side in the companion article.
The Bottom Line
Golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow are the same kind of problem, a worn tendon at the point where the forearm muscles anchor to the elbow, on opposite sides of the joint. Golfer’s elbow is felt on the inner point and provoked by curling the wrist and turning the palm down; tennis elbow is felt on the outer point and provoked by bending the wrist back and gripping. Finding which bony point is tender is usually all it takes to tell them apart.
Their treatment is largely the same, resting on load management, graded exercise and time, with one important difference: the ulnar nerve sits right behind the inner point, so golfer’s elbow can come with nerve symptoms and needs a little more care. Both names mislead, since neither is really about its sport and neither is truly an inflammation. If your elbow pain is persistent, unclear, or comes with tingling in the fingers, it is worth taking the time to have the elbow examined properly, and what actually helps is a discussion in its own right.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow?
They are the same type of problem, a worn tendon where forearm muscles anchor to the elbow, but on opposite sides. Golfer’s elbow affects the inner bony point and the flexor-pronator tendons, causing pain when you curl the wrist down or turn the palm down. Tennis elbow affects the outer point and the extensor tendons, causing pain when you bend the wrist back or grip. The side that hurts is the quickest way to tell them apart.
How do I know if I have golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow?
The fastest check is which bony point of the elbow is tender to press: the inner one for golfer’s elbow, the outer one for tennis elbow. Tennis elbow pain is reproduced by bending the wrist back against resistance and by gripping, while golfer’s elbow pain is reproduced by curling the wrist down or turning the palm down against resistance. These checks locate the problem but are not a substitute for a proper examination.
Is golfer’s elbow treated the same as tennis elbow?
Largely, yes. Both are degenerative tendon problems that are mostly self-limiting and respond to easing the provoking activity, a graded loading-exercise programme, and time. The key difference is that the ulnar nerve runs right behind the inner point of the elbow, so golfer’s elbow can involve nerve irritation, which needs assessment and makes any surgery on that side more delicate. That aside, the approaches are broadly shared.
Can you have golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow at the same time?
Yes. Because both are caused by the same kind of repeated gripping and forearm loading, it is entirely possible to develop wear in the tendons on both sides of the same elbow, or in both elbows. When both the inner and outer points are tender and painful, both conditions may be present together, which is worth having assessed so that treatment addresses both.
Do you have to play golf to get golfer’s elbow?
No, and most people with it have never played golf. It is far more commonly caused by manual work and repeated gripping and wrist use, with throwing sports and racquet sports contributing more than golf. Like tennis elbow, the name reflects an early recognised group rather than the usual cause, and not playing the sport is no reason to doubt the diagnosis.
This article is general information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. If you have persistent elbow pain, or pain with numbness or tingling in the fingers, see your general practitioner or a specialist for assessment.