Golfer's Elbow Stretches: A Gentle Feldenkrais® Lesson

These golfer's elbow stretches are gentler than most you will find. The lesson above is seated, the arm rests on a table, and the stretch at the end stays at the very first sign of length. Most of the time goes to small, slow forearm turns and to noticing how the rest of the arm can join them. The approach comes from the Feldenkrais Method®, which works through attention and easy movement rather than effort.

What golfer's elbow is

Golfer's elbow is pain on the inner side of the elbow. Clinicians call it medial epicondylalgia, which simply means pain at the inner bony bump of the elbow. That bump is where the muscles that bend your wrist and turn your palm down attach through one shared tendon. When that tendon is asked to repeat a strong grip too often, it can become irritable and sore. Tennis elbow is the same kind of problem on the outer side of the joint.

It is less common than tennis elbow, and it often settles with time. A French study examined 1,757 workers and found golfer's elbow in 3.8 percent of them, and of the 31 with it who were seen again about three years later, around 81 percent had recovered (Descatha et al., 2003). That is reassuring, and it is also a long time to live with a sore arm. Our guide to pain in the inner elbow when straightening the arm walks through the other possible causes in more detail.

Why these golfer's elbow stretches stay so small

A tendon that is already sore often gets more sensitive when it is pulled hard. So the stretch in this lesson goes only to mild sensation, and it comes last, after the arm has had time to move easily. Turning the palm down is partly the job of the muscles that anchor at the inner bump. That is why the forearm turns stay small, and why the shoulder blade is invited in.

Clinical advice for tendon pain often includes managing load: lighter grips, smaller carries, and a gradual strengthening plan. A doctor, physiotherapist, or hand therapist can help you shape that, and this lesson sits alongside their care. Stretching routines and strength programs are other movement approaches with a different mechanism, building length or capacity where this lesson builds awareness. If your arm works a keyboard all day, our Feldypedia entry on repetitive strain from keyboard use looks at that pattern closely.

When to try it, and who should skip it

This lesson suits an inner elbow that aches after gripping, lifting, or a day of hand work. It fits well at a desk break or in the evening, when the arm has been busy for hours. You need only a table, a chair, and a few quiet minutes.

Please skip it for now and have the elbow assessed if the pain followed a recent injury or a fall, if the joint is swollen, or if pain wakes you at night. Numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers is another reason to pause. The ulnar nerve, the one you hit when you bump your funny bone, runs just behind the inner elbow. Tingling in those fingers can mean the nerve is involved, and that needs a different kind of care.

Letting the shoulder share the work

The step where the shoulder blade joins the forearm turns is the center of this page. The muscles at the inner elbow are small. When they carry a grip that the upper arm and back could help with, they may tire sooner. Feeling the movement travel up the arm gives your nervous system a clear, unhurried sense of another option.

If you know tennis elbow too, our tennis elbow exercises use the same quiet approach for the outer side of the joint. Inside Feldy, each short audio lesson follows this curiosity through the whole body, a hand one day, the ribs or the hips the next.

How to practice golfer's elbow stretches

A few minutes on most days is enough. Every movement stays well below pain, and smaller is always allowed, down to simply imagining it. Between sessions, notice your grip on a mug, a phone, or a shopping bag, and see whether half the effort would do. The Feldy program for body awareness carries this way of paying attention into guided audio lessons. If you would like to explore it, start a free week of Feldy lessons, and keep any strengthening plan from your clinician at the heart of your elbow care.

Find where to start

A sore inner elbow often comes from how the whole arm and back share a grip. Finding a movement method that suits you makes it easier to keep practicing.

Not sure which movement method fits you? Take the 60 second Movement Match quiz, since an aching elbow often has company higher up the arm, it matches you with one whole body method.

Common Questions about golfer's elbow stretches (FAQ)

What is the best stretch for golfer's elbow?

The most useful one is usually the mildest. With the elbow resting on a table and the palm up, let the fingers tip back gently until you feel a light sense of length along the inner forearm, and stay for a few breaths. Many people find it helps to pair that with small forearm turns, so the wrist is not the only thing moving. Pulling harder is unlikely to help a sore tendon, and it may irritate it.

What should I avoid with golfer's elbow?

While the elbow is sore, go easy on lifting heavy things with the palm facing up, carrying shopping by the handles for a long walk, wringing out cloths, and holding tools tighter than the job needs. Skip stretches that pull hard into the inner bump, because an irritable tendon can get more sensitive when it is pulled. Pause weighted wrist curls until a clinician helps you plan them.

Are golfer's elbow stretches safe, and who should skip them?

The lesson is seated, supported, and kept well below pain, so it suits most everyday inner elbow soreness. Skip it and get checked first after a recent injury or a fall, if the elbow is swollen or hot, if pain wakes you at night, or if the ring and little fingers tingle or go numb. During the lesson, anything sharp means make it smaller or stop.

How often should I do golfer's elbow stretches?

A few unhurried minutes on most days is plenty. The lesson loads very little, so short daily practice tends to suit it better than one long weekly session. You can also bring the same attention into the day by noticing your grip on a bag, a pan, or a steering wheel.

How long does golfer's elbow take to improve?

Tendons settle slowly, usually over months rather than weeks. Many people notice daily tasks feeling a little easier within a few weeks once the provoking load drops, while the tendon itself often takes several months. If nothing has shifted after about six weeks of lighter use, ask a clinician to review it.

How is this lesson different from strengthening exercises for golfer's elbow?

Strengthening works the wrist and grip muscles against gradual resistance, with the aim of helping the tendon tolerate more load over weeks to months. It is often part of clinical care for tendon pain, and your clinician can say whether and how it suits you. This lesson adds no load. It looks at how much effort the hand and forearm use and how the shoulder can share it, and it can sit alongside that care.

How is golfer's elbow different from tennis elbow?

Both are tendon problems near the elbow, on opposite sides. Golfer's elbow is on the inner side, where the muscles that bend the wrist and turn the palm down attach. Tennis elbow is on the outer side, where the muscles that lift the wrist attach, and it is the more common of the two.

When should I see a professional about golfer's elbow?

Book an appointment soon when a fall or a sudden pop came first, when the joint looks puffy or feels warm, when the arm stops short of fully straight, or when the hand tingles, goes numb, or feels weak. Pain that has lasted more than a few weeks despite lighter use also deserves a look, since a nerve problem needs different care than a tendon problem. If the elbow looks misshapen after a fall, or the hand turns pale, cold, or numb, go to the emergency department straight away.