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There’s a special kind of optimism that comes with tennis elbow.
It goes like this:
“It doesn’t hurt today… so I’m fine.”
Then you play.
Then you feel it again.
Then you wonder if your elbow is holding a personal grudge.
If your elbow pain keeps disappearing and reappearing like a bad sequel, you’re not alone. This is one of the most frustrating parts of tennis elbow — and it usually has nothing to do with bad luck.
The Pattern Most Recreational Players Fall Into
This was me for longer than I’d like to admit:
- Elbow hurts
- I rest (kind of)
- Pain fades
- I play exactly the same way again
- Elbow hurts… again
At no point did I change what caused the problem. I just waited for it to calm down and hoped for the best.
Spoiler: hoping didn’t help.
Why Tennis Elbow Often Comes Back
Tennis elbow tends to return because:
- the tendon never fully settles
- the same gripping patterns stay in place
- recovery stops too early
- small warning signs get ignored
The pain might fade, but the load never changes — so the cycle continues.
The Two Changes That Helped Break the Cycle for Me
What finally helped wasn’t one magic fix, but two small additions that dealt with what happens between sessions, not just during them.
1️⃣ A Compression Elbow Sleeve (Different From a Strap)
This surprised me.
Unlike a strap, a compression elbow sleeve didn’t feel restrictive or “medical”. I mainly wore it:
- after playing
- on rest days
- occasionally during longer sessions
What it helped with:
- mild swelling
- lingering soreness
- that stiff, tight feeling later in the day
It didn’t stop me moving normally, and it helped my elbow feel more settled between matches — which made a bigger difference than I expected.
👉 This is the type of compression sleeve I’ve used:
https://amzn.to/3NFO0Fn
2️⃣ A Massage Ball for Forearms (Painful… but Useful)
I used to foam roll my legs religiously and completely ignore my forearms. Turns out, that was a mistake.
Using a massage ball on my forearms:
- helped release tight spots
- reduced that “pulling” sensation near the elbow
- improved how my arm felt the next day
It’s not comfortable — but it’s effective.
Think “productive discomfort”, not “why am I doing this to myself?”
👉 This is similar to the massage ball I use:
https://amzn.to/3NvTLFA
The Recovery Mistake That Keeps People Stuck
The biggest mistake I see (and made myself):
Stopping recovery the moment pain improves
Tennis elbow doesn’t need pain-free days — it needs pain-free capacity.
That means:
- continuing light recovery even when it feels better
- easing back into intensity
- not treating “no pain today” as a green light for full effort
A Simple Check Before You Play
Before each session now, I ask myself:
- does my elbow feel the same as last week?
- better?
- or worse?
If it’s worse → I adjust.
If it’s the same → I reduce load slightly.
If it’s better → I still don’t go all-in immediately.
This alone has saved me weeks of frustration.
👉 Want the Full Breakdown of What Finally Helped Me?
I go into more detail about the small habit changes that stopped these issues becoming proper injuries here:
👉 The Small Changes That Finally Stopped My Tennis Injuries From Ruining Matches
That article ties everything together — not just elbows.
The Honest Takeaway
If tennis elbow keeps coming back, it’s rarely because it never healed.
It’s usually because:
- it healed just enough
- then got overloaded again
The fix isn’t dramatic. It’s boring.
And boring works.
Quick reminder
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Tennis injury Prevention 
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