Tennis & Golfer's Elbow Treatment in Koh Samui

Tennis and golfer's elbow are overload injuries of the forearm tendons where they anchor to the bony points of the elbow — and despite the names, you rarely need to play either sport to develop them. At Body Tune Up in Bophut, Koh Samui, we treat these stubborn tendon problems by finding what is overloading the tendon in the first place, calming the painful tissue by hand, and then loading it back to strength so the pain has less reason to return.

Many people arrive after weeks or months of rest, braces and anti-inflammatories that helped for a while but never resolved things. That pattern is common, and it usually points to the same gap: the tendon was never rebuilt to tolerate the demands placed on it. Our approach is assessment-first and movement-based, so we can address why your elbow is irritated, not just where it hurts.

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• Pain over the elbow point

  A localised ache or sharp pain on the outer (tennis) or inner (golfer) bony point of the elbow, often tender to press.

• Weak or painful grip

  Gripping, twisting or lifting — a cup, a door handle, a bag — triggers pain and your grip may feel unreliable.

• Forearm ache & stiffness

  A pulling ache spreading into the forearm, often stiff first thing in the morning or after a period of rest.

• Lingering & recurring

  It settles with rest, then returns the moment you load the arm again — a hallmark of an under-rehabilitated tendon.

Tendons thrive on load and adapt to it — but only up to the level they have been prepared for. Tennis and golfer's elbow develop when demand on the forearm tendons outpaces their capacity. That overload is often less about a single activity and more about how the rest of the arm and shoulder are working. When the shoulder blade, shoulder or wrist do not contribute their share, the forearm muscles pick up the slack and stay switched on far longer than they should. This is the compensation pattern we look for.

This is also why rest alone usually is not enough. Rest can calm the pain, because you stop provoking the tendon — but it does little to rebuild the tendon's capacity or correct the movement habit that overloaded it. So as soon as normal life resumes, the same under-prepared tendon meets the same demand and the pain often comes back. A tendon does not get stronger by being avoided; it gets stronger by being loaded in a controlled, progressive way. Treating the cause, not just the symptom, means addressing both the irritated tissue and the pattern driving it.

Your first session is mostly assessment. We take your history, watch how your arm and shoulder move, test the muscles, and explain in plain language what is driving your elbow pain. You will usually receive hands-on treatment the same day, plus one or two precise exercises to begin with.

Tendons respond to consistent loading over time rather than overnight. Many people feel meaningful relief within the first few sessions, while rebuilding genuine tendon capacity typically takes several weeks of progressive work. The number of sessions varies with how long it has been present and how the tendon responds — we will give you an honest estimate after your assessment and adjust as you progress. You leave each visit with a clear home programme, because that consistency is what makes the result last.

A note on safety: elbow tendinopathy is generally not dangerous, but some symptoms warrant prompt medical attention rather than bodywork. If you have elbow pain following a fall or direct trauma, an obvious deformity, an inability to straighten or bend the elbow, significant swelling, fever or warmth over the joint, or numbness, tingling or weakness spreading into the hand, please seek urgent medical care first so a fracture, infection or nerve problem can be ruled out.