Elbow pain that gradually builds during long tennis practice sessions is often caused by repeated stress on the tendons around the elbow that become less tolerant as the session continues.
Elbow pain during long tennis practice sessions often starts as a mild ache and becomes more noticeable as you keep hitting. The repeated gripping, swinging, and impact of the racquet can gradually overload the tendons around the elbow, making each stroke feel more painful as practice goes on. You may notice the elbow feels fine early in the session but starts to complain later.
You might begin practice feeling completely normal, only to notice a slight ache in the elbow after several games, drills, or serving sessions. As the hitting volume increases, the elbow may start feeling sore during backhands, serves, or even when simply gripping the racquet tightly.
The frustrating part is that the pain often appears after you've already been playing well for a while. The elbow may seem warmed up and comfortable at first, but repeated use can leave the area struggling to keep up, causing pain that becomes harder to ignore as the session continues.
The Elbow Feels Fine Early But Starts Hurting Later
You may feel almost no pain at the beginning of practice, then notice it gradually building.
Long sessions expose the elbow to hundreds of repeated swings and grips. By the middle or end of practice, the tendons that help control your wrist and forearm can become sore and less comfortable with each shot. What felt easy early on may start producing a sharp or burning sensation around the elbow.
Every Additional Drill Makes The Elbow More Noticeable
You may feel the elbow getting more sensitive the longer you stay on the court.
Instead of one specific shot causing pain, you might notice the elbow hurts more simply because practice keeps going. Repeated strokes give the area less opportunity to recover during the session, so discomfort can steadily build and remain noticeable between points, drills, or serves.
Why Your Elbow Could Be Taking Longer To Heal
Your elbow has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.
Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.
When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your elbow feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.
What Can Help Your Elbow Feel Better
Your elbow starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.
Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.
Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.
If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.
If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.
If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.
If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.
If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.
Why does my elbow only start hurting after I've been playing for a while?
The repeated gripping and swinging can gradually stress the elbow until it becomes painful later in the session.
Is elbow pain during long tennis practice a sign of tennis elbow?
It can be. Pain on the outside of the elbow that worsens with continued play is a common pattern seen with tennis elbow.
Why does serving make the pain worse near the end of practice?
Serving adds repeated stress to the elbow, and the area may already be fatigued from earlier hitting.
Should I stop playing if my elbow hurts during practice?
If the pain is becoming more intense, changing your swing, or lingering afterward, reducing activity and evaluating the cause is wise.
Why is my elbow sore the next day after a long session?
Repeated strain during practice can leave the tendons and muscles around the elbow irritated and stiff afterward.
Recommended Products
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• Acute Sinew Liniment — Used when pain, swelling, and inflammation are present to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, and increase blood flow and circulation to injured tissues.
• Sinew Herbal Ice — Used when the injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation and range of motion.
• Chronic Sinew Liniment — Used for pain and stiffness after swelling and inflammation are gone to relieve pain, strongly stimulate circulation, and promote the healing of injured tendons and ligaments.
• Sinew Injury Poultice — Used for chronic tendon and ligament injuries to significantly stimulate circulation and promote deeper tissue recovery.
• Sinew Sports Massage Oil — Used before or after activity to warm and stimulate muscles, increase circulation, relieve tightness, and improve flexibility in muscles and joints.
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The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.
