I Have Elbow Pain and Playing Tennis Makes My Elbow Feel Weak

Elbow pain that makes your elbow feel weak while playing tennis can happen when repeated gripping and swinging overwork the tendons around your elbow.

When your elbow starts feeling weak during tennis, you may notice that your swing does not feel as natural as it did at the beginning of the match. The muscles and tendons around the elbow help control your wrist and hand while you grip and swing the racket, and repeated use can leave them strained and fatigued.

As the area becomes irritated, normal movement can become harder to perform comfortably. Your elbow may still move through its usual range, but the arm can feel less capable during gripping, swinging, serving, or returning shots because the muscles around the joint are working through pain and fatigue.

Your Elbow Works Harder With Every Swing

Repeated gripping and swinging can put ongoing stress on the tendons around your elbow.

Every tennis stroke requires your hand and forearm to grip the racket while your elbow and wrist help guide the racket through the shot. When those movements are repeated over and over, irritated elbow tendons can become painful and make the arm feel less strong during the swing.

The Weak Feeling Builds As Your Match Continues

Fatigue can make your elbow feel less dependable as you keep playing.

As you continue hitting shots, the muscles around your forearm and elbow have to keep working even when they are already tired. That accumulated fatigue can make your grip feel less secure and your elbow feel weak when serving, hitting a forehand, or trying to return a harder shot.

Why Your Elbow Feels Weak During Tennis

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 feel weak when I play tennis?

Your elbow may feel weak during tennis when repeated gripping and swinging have fatigued and irritated the muscles and tendons around the elbow.

Why does my elbow feel weaker as I keep playing tennis?

Repeated swings can fatigue the muscles around your elbow and forearm, making the weak feeling more noticeable as your match continues.

Can elbow pain make my arm feel weak during tennis?

Yes. Pain around the elbow can make normal gripping and swinging harder to perform comfortably, which can leave your arm feeling less strong during play.

Why does my elbow feel weak when I serve in tennis?

Serving requires repeated gripping and forceful arm movement, which can make an already painful or fatigued elbow feel especially weak during the motion.

Why does my elbow still feel weak after playing tennis?

Your elbow may continue to feel weak after tennis because the muscles and tendons around the area have been stressed and fatigued by repeated activity.

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.