Conditions

Golfer's Elbow and Tennis Elbow

One-on-one care for elbow tendon pain in a private South Natick studio: a full session with a Doctor of Physical Therapy every visit, for people who want to grip, lift, swing, and work with their hands without the elbow having a say.

Tendons don't respond to rest. They respond to the right load.

Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow are both overload injuries of the tendons that anchor your forearm muscles to the elbow. The outside of the elbow (tennis) or the inside (golfer's) gets sore with gripping, lifting, typing, or a swing, and it tends to hang around for months because the usual response, resting it and then going back to the same load, restarts the cycle.

Elbow care here is led by clinicians with advanced residency training at the Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy and board certification as Orthopedic Clinical Specialists, with Titleist Performance Institute certification for the golfers. Every session is one-on-one for the full visit. No aides, no handoffs, no exercise sheet doing the treating.

In Massachusetts you have direct access: no physician referral is needed to start. If your evaluation shows something outside the scope of physical therapy, we will tell you and point you to the right practitioner.

A golfer training rotational power with a medicine ball at PT Progression

Mobilize what's tight. Strengthen what's weak.

That is the whole approach, applied to the whole arm. Your evaluation identifies which tissues around the elbow are irritated and restricted, what the wrist and shoulder are doing to overload them, and treatment works both sides of that equation every session.

Hands-on treatment for what's tight

Calming the tendon and restoring motion around it:

  • Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (Graston)
  • Deep tissue massage for the forearm
  • Dry needling
  • Joint mobilization of the elbow, wrist, and shoulder
  • Assisted stretching & mobility work

Progressive strengthening for what's weak

Rebuilding the tendon's capacity to take load:

  • Progressive forearm and grip loading, dosed to the tendon
  • Shoulder and shoulder blade strength so the elbow stops absorbing the work
  • Technique and equipment adjustments for your sport or job
  • Swing analysis for golfers (TPI)
  • An individualized home program that evolves with you

Elbow and forearm problems we treat

  • Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
  • Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis)
  • Elbow pain with lifting or gripping
  • Elbow pain from typing or tools
  • Forearm tightness and weak grip
  • Elbow stiffness after injury
  • Post-surgical elbow recovery
  • Recurring flare-ups

Not sure what yours is? That is what the evaluation is for.

Golfer with more than an elbow problem? See golf performance.

A Doctor of Physical Therapy performing hands-on manual therapy at the treatment table

Results from real clients

"As an aging golfer, Shawn has helped me stay competitive. I've never hit it farther and have been training to remain injury free. He is extremely knowledgeable and I recommend him to everyone that will listen."
Scott Dabney Golf performance, longest drives of his life · Google review
"If you're any kind of moderately serious athlete, you can't beat these folks for PT. Shawn's combined understanding of injury recovery and prevention has helped me keep hitting PRs many years into training for multiple different sports, while dealing with and recovering from new and old injuries."
Joe Colucci Multi-sport athlete, still hitting PRs · Google review

Read all 81 reviews on Google →

Where it leads

The goal is not just a quiet elbow. It is an arm you trust under load again. When pain resolves, your plan progresses from rehab into performance training or golf performance with the same clinician in the same facility, so the strength that protects the tendon keeps building instead of stopping at discharge. That transition is the Progression Method.

Elbow pain FAQs

Do I need a referral to see a physical therapist for elbow pain in Massachusetts?
No. Massachusetts has direct access, so you can start physical therapy without a physician referral. Book a free 15-minute fit call and we'll tell you whether we're the right place to start.
What is the difference between tennis elbow and golfer's elbow?
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is pain on the outside of the elbow where the muscles that extend the wrist and fingers attach. Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) is the same problem on the inside, where the muscles that flex the wrist and grip attach. You don't need to play either sport to get either one; lifting, typing, tools, and racquets all do it.
How soon should I see a physical therapist for elbow pain?
Sooner is better. Tendon pain that has been around for months behaves differently from tendon pain that started last week, and the longer you grip through it the longer it takes to settle. If it's changing how you lift, swing, work, or shake hands, that's reason enough to be evaluated.
Does a brace or strap fix tennis elbow?
A strap can take the edge off while you're using the arm, and we may recommend one. It doesn't fix the tendon. What does is a progressive loading program for the forearm, paired with hands-on treatment and a look at the shoulder and wrist mechanics that overloaded the elbow in the first place.
Do I need an MRI before starting physical therapy?
Usually not. Tennis and golfer's elbow are diagnosed on examination. If we see signs that imaging or a physician consult is warranted, we'll tell you.
Do you take insurance?
We're an out-of-network, fee-for-service practice. That's what lets every visit be a full session, one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy, with no aides, no double-booking, and no visit limits set by a payer. Many PPO plans reimburse a portion of out-of-network care through the Super Bill we provide, and HSA/FSA funds typically apply. We'll walk you through what care costs on your free fit call.
What happens in a session?
You work start to finish with one senior Doctor of Physical Therapy. Sessions combine hands-on treatment, such as Graston, deep tissue work, dry needling, or joint mobilization of the elbow and wrist, with a progressive loading program for the forearm and the rest of the arm, plus a home program you actually understand.
Can I keep playing golf or tennis, or keep lifting, while my elbow hurts?
Often yes, with modifications. Complete rest rarely fixes a tendon. Part of the evaluation is working out how much you can keep doing, what needs a temporary change (grip, volume, equipment, technique), and how to keep training the rest of your body while the elbow catches up. For golfers, we also look at the swing.

Start with a free 15-minute fit call

Tell us what your elbow is doing and what it is keeping you from. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit, what care would look like, and what it costs.

Book a Free 15-Minute Fit Call