When you have a Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow, it is natural to focus all your attention on the painful area. After all, that is where the discomfort is. That is where you feel the ache when you lift a bag, grip a pen, type on your laptop or open a jar. But what if your elbow is not the whole story? Many of the executive mums I work with are surprised when I start talking about their shoulder. They often ask, "What does my shoulder have to do with my elbow pain?"
In this blog, let us explore why your shoulder could be an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to recovering from Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow.
Your Shoulder Is the Foundation for Your Arm:
Think of your shoulder as the foundation that supports everything below it. When your shoulder is positioned well and working efficiently, it provides a stable base for your arm to move from. The muscles further down the chain can do their jobs without working excessively hard. But when the shoulder becomes rounded, tired, weak, or poorly positioned, the muscles lower down often have to compensate. That includes the muscles of the forearm that are involved in Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow. The elbow then ends up carrying more load than it was designed to handle.
What Happens During a Typical Workday:
Many executive mums spend hours each day working at a laptop, sitting in meetings, driving, or using their phones. As the day progresses, posture naturally starts to change. The shoulders round forward. The upper back becomes less active. The head moves slightly closer to the screen (forward head posture). None of these changes seem dramatic, but they gradually alter how the arm is supported. When the shoulder loses some of its stability, the forearm muscles often have to work harder to control movements of the wrist and hand. Over time, that extra effort can contribute to irritation around the elbow, leading to Golfers and Tennis Elbow.
The Elbow Often Pays the Price:
One of the biggest misconceptions about Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow is that the painful area is always the source of the problem. Sometimes the elbow is simply where the overload shows up.
If the shoulder is not contributing enough, the forearm muscles often pick up the slack. Day after day, that additional workload accumulates. Eventually the tendon starts sending signals that it is struggling to keep up. That does not mean the shoulder is causing the pain directly. It means the shoulder may be influencing how much strain reaches the elbow.
If you have been focusing only on your elbow and not seeing the progress you hoped for, it may be worth looking at the bigger picture. Your shoulder, posture, and movement habits all influence how much stress reaches the elbow every day. When you improve shoulder positioning, posture, and overall arm support, the elbow often has a chance to settle because it is no longer carrying quite so much of the load.
Watch this video to learn '3 Easy Desk Based Tips for Busy Executive Mums to Prevent and Manage Tennis Elbow Pain'
Inside the Tennis & Golfer's Elbow Relief Courses, I help you look beyond the painful spot and identify the hidden factors that keep feeding the problem. Together, we work on posture, shoulder support, movement patterns, and practical strategies that fit into your everyday life. Because sometimes the missing piece is not where the pain is. It is where the support should be coming from.
You can explore the "Simple Solutions to Manage your Tennis Elbow" HERE. 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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