You might have noticed this creeping in quietly. A slight discomfort around your elbow when you are typing. A bit of pain when lifting something simple. That sharp, annoying pull when you grip or twist your hand. And you think: “I haven’t been playing tennis… so why does this feel like tennis elbow?” But here is the thing. Tennis elbow isn’t just about sport. It’s often about how your body is positioned, for hours at a time. In this blog, let’s explore the subtle postural habits that could be worsening your elbow pain and what your body actually needs instead.
Your elbow doesn’t work in isolation. It’s connected to your wrist, your shoulder, and even your posture through your upper back and neck. So when your posture shifts, the load doesn’t just stay there. It travels. And often, it ends up showing up in your elbow. That’s why you can be dealing with elbow pain without doing anything that feels directly related to your elbow. Here are 3 postural habits that worsen your Tennis and Golfer's Elbow pain and what you can do to manage them:
Forward Head + Rounded Shoulders:
This is one of the most common patterns - Leaning slightly into your screen. Shoulders drifting and rounding forwards. Slouching at the mid back. Head sitting just a bit ahead of your body (forward head posture). All these changes are subtle. But in this position, your arm is no longer working from a stable base and the forearm muscles start working harder. Your grip becomes tighter without you realising. And over time, that extra load builds right into the elbow, leading to Tennis or Golfer's Elbow.
What to do instead:
You don’t need to pull your shoulders back rigidly. Just gently bring your head back over your body with a chin nod, lift your chest slightly, and let your shoulders soften. This small shift leads to a posture reset, that can help align your shoulders and neck into a neutral alignment.
Watch this video to learn 'A Simple 3-Step Posture Reset You Can Do in Under A Minute (That Actually Works)'
Wrist Position + “Always-On” Hands:
Now think about your hands through the day. Typing , holding your phone, using your mouse, even small things like scrolling or messaging. And most of these activities done with your wrists bent upwards. Your hands are rarely fully at rest. Your forearm muscles stay slightly switched on the whole time. This builds up fatigue in the muscles of the arm, forearm and hand gradually over the hours. And those same muscles attach right into your elbow, causing inflammation in your elbow, leading to Tennis or Golfer's Elbow. So what feels like a harmless hand position becomes a steady pull on the elbow joint.
What to do instead:
Let your forearms rest when possible. Keep your wrists more neutral alignment during activities (not lifted up or down, but in between these two position). Even small breaks where your hands fully relax can reduce the load significantly.
Gripping Through Your Day Without Even Noticing It:
This one is easy to miss. Holding your phone a bit tighter than needed. Carrying your bag with a firm grip. Even holding tension through your hands when you are stressed or focused. Your body often holds stress through your grip. And when that happens throughout the day, your forearm muscles never really switch off. They stay in that low-level “working” state for hours. That creates a constant pull into the elbow that can eventually lead to inflammation and pain, leading to Tennis or Golfer's Elbow.
What to do instead:
Start noticing your grip, not forcing change - just being aware. Thereafter soften your grip when you can.
Switch hands occasionally.
Give your muscles moments where they’re not constantly “on” and do gentle pain free stretches to relax the muscles.
Switch hands occasionally.
Give your muscles moments where they’re not constantly “on” and do gentle pain free stretches to relax the muscles.
You don’t need to overhaul how you work. You don’t need perfect posture. And you don’t need to keep correcting yourself all day. You just need small moments where your body is better supported. Where your shoulders aren’t carrying everything. Where your wrists aren’t overworking. Where your hands can soften instead of constantly gripping. That’s where real relief begins.
If this feels familiar, and you have been trying to manage pain without fully understanding where it’s coming from… this is exactly what I help you connect inside my course on "Simple Solutions to Manage your Tennis Elbow" - Simple, realistic ways to reduce load through your body so pain doesn’t keep showing up in different places. Find details about the course HERE.
You can get on the waitlist of the course "Simple Solutions to Manage your Golfers Elbow" by replying to this blog in the comments.
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