Acupuncture for Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow can make gripping a mug, shaking hands, typing or playing your sport painful. A review of trials found strong evidence that acupuncture gives short-term relief of tennis elbow pain, helping you keep up the exercises that aid recovery. Our practitioners have been treating pain in London for 25 years.

Book an initial consultation or call 0207 935 2030 for a free 15-minute chat.

What causes tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is pain on the outside of the elbow caused by overloading the tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the bone. Despite the name, most people who get it don’t play tennis. It often follows repetitive gripping or wrist movements, such as using tools, a computer mouse, gardening or racquet sports, and is most common between 35 and 55. Pain on the inside of the elbow is known as golfer’s elbow.

Tennis elbow usually gets better on its own, though it can take months. See your GP if pain followed a fall or injury, your elbow is swollen or hot, you can’t straighten or bend it, or you have numbness or weakness in your hand. For wider work-related arm pain, read our repetitive strain injury page.

How acupuncture can help

For tennis elbow, acupuncture can ease pain in the short term, which can make it easier to keep using your arm and do the strengthening exercises that help the tendon recover. Many patients come to us when pain is affecting their work or sport.

We also see golfer’s elbow and other forearm tendon problems. We’ll check what’s overloading your elbow, use acupuncture as one part of a plan alongside exercises and changes to grip or technique, and tell you honestly if we think you need a specialist opinion.

Researchers think acupuncture works partly by changing how nerves and the brain process pain signals, including the release of the body’s own pain-relieving chemicals. The exact mechanisms are still being studied.

What the research shows

• Trinh et al., 2004 (Rheumatology) — a systematic review of high-quality trials found strong evidence that acupuncture is effective for short-term relief of tennis elbow pain.
• Fink et al., 2002 (Forschende Komplementärmedizin) — 45 people with chronic tennis elbow. Real acupuncture reduced pain on movement and exertion more than sham at two weeks; both groups had improved at one year.

Results vary between people, and acupuncture is not a replacement for medical assessment.

What to expect

Your first appointment lasts an hour. We take a full history, check your elbow and grip, look at any scans or reports you bring, and agree a plan with you. Treatment uses very fine, single-use needles around the elbow and forearm, left in for 15 to 20 minutes. Where suitable we may add electro-acupuncture, cupping or a heat lamp, or dry needling.

Most people start with weekly sessions and we review progress together after four to six. Initial consultations start from £80; see clinics and fees for details.

Why The London Acupuncture Clinic

• 25 years treating patients in London
• Degree-qualified practitioners who work alongside GPs and consultants, with close links to physiotherapists and chiropractors
• Open seven days a week, with early-morning and evening appointments
• Receipts for insurance claims on request

What our patients say

“went to see Olga with an elbow issue and she was able to sort it after a couple of sessions. got great advice for rehab exercises too … almost fully recovered now after 4 weeks and back to playing tennis.” — D.L., Google review