Assessment
A detailed history, then a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. You leave with a working diagnosis you understand and a plan agreed with you, not handed to you.
What We Treat
Elbow Pain Treatment in London
Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow usually mean the forearm tendons are being loaded faster than they can take. We combine specialist hand therapy with graded loading to settle the symptoms and rebuild the capacity your work and sport demand of the elbow.
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- Self-referral; no GP letter needed.
Overview
Understanding elbow pain
Elbow pain, in desk-based and active people alike, usually comes down to load applied faster than the tissue can take it. Get the diagnosis right and the rehabilitation works; guess at it and it stalls.
The common elbow problems behave differently:
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylalgia): a tendon-overload problem on the outer elbow. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries describe tennis elbow as typically self-limiting, managed with load modification, pain relief and exercise rather than rest alone.
- Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylalgia): the same kind of tendon overload on the inner elbow, which responds to the same loading approach.
- Sport and gym overload: a rapid increase in racquet, gym or climbing load that outpaces how quickly the elbow tendons adapt.
At Kaizen our hand-therapy assessment identifies the specific tissue and the overload behind it, then builds a loading plan around how you actually type, train and lift. We refer for imaging or a specialist opinion when that is the right next step. Self-referral; no GP referral needed.
Excellent
From 6 five-star Google reviews
Source: Google
David helped me when I started to have a strong tibia pain only 5 weeks before the marathon. I genuinely thought at some point that I wasn’t going to be able to do it and I did my PB!
After suffering with terrible back pain, Gus has helped me make huge improvements. Very professional and happy to explain the processes and treatments. Many thanks
Couldn’t recommend this physio team enough! They helped me recover from a knee injury 3 weeks before the London Marathon which I thought was going to prevent me from running it! Everyone was really friendly, supportive and genuinely cared about helping me reach my goal. Special thanks to Charlie, Gus, Brad and Stef!
I came to Dave with an ongoing injury that I’ve been struggling with for months! He helped sort it out straight away, also giving me some exercises to help target the area to get back to full strength. I’m now back to running pain-free already and training properly — I’ll definitely be recommending Kaizen Physiotherapy to my clients!
Gus worked miracles to get me running a marathon after being injured 6 weeks out. He worked out the issue really quickly and provided a clear and actionable plan to deal with it. The sports massages were the best I’ve ever had too — thanks Peggy! Can’t recommend Gus and Peggy enough.
I had such a positive experience working with Brad at Kaizen. He supported me through a meniscus tear and got me all the way back to running a half marathon and HYROX training. Everything was structured, progressive, and easy to follow, and I always felt like I was in safe hands.
Hand therapy for elbow pain can help to:
Pin down the exact diagnosis
Outer and inner elbow pain behave differently and need different plans. Our specialist assessment identifies the tissue and the load behind it, and we refer for imaging or a specialist opinion when that is the right step.
Settle tennis and golfer's elbow
Both are forearm tendon-overload problems, and rest alone tends to fail. Load modification plus progressive forearm exercise settles pain faster and rebuilds the grip and lifting tolerance your work and training demand, in line with NICE summaries for tennis elbow.
Keep you working while it settles
We look at how you type, grip and lift through the day and adjust the load on the elbow, so the tendon can recover while you stay at your desk and keep training in a modified form.
Rebuild grip and forearm capacity
Typing, gripping and lifting all day load the forearm tendons faster than they adapt. Graded strengthening of the forearm, wrist and shoulder rebuilds the capacity behind everyday tasks, from carrying bags to racket sports and climbing.
Look further up the arm
When the shoulder and wrist lack strength, the elbow absorbs load it is not conditioned for. Physiotherapy works on the whole upper-limb chain, so the elbow is not left doing more than its share.
Get you back to sport
Racquet sports, gym work and climbing all ask a lot of the elbow. We stage the return week by week, building tendon tolerance ahead of the load you are going back to, so a rapid jump in training does not set off the same pain again.
Why it happens
What causes elbow pain?
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Repetitive or sustained gripping, typing and mouse use that loads the forearm tendons faster than they can adapt, the common driver of tennis elbow and golfer's elbow
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A rapid increase in gym, racquet, or climbing load that overloads the elbow tendons without adequate recovery
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Strength and capacity deficits in the forearm, wrist, and shoulder, so the smaller structures absorb load they are not conditioned for
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A previous elbow injury that was not fully rehabilitated, leaving the tendons with less capacity
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Recovery after elbow surgery or a fracture, where stiffness and reduced strength need structured, graded rehabilitation
At your first appointment we work out what is really holding you back, then agree the plan with you before you leave.
Your initial visit runs 45–60 minutes: a detailed history, then a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. We explain what we find in plain English and agree a working diagnosis together.
Treatment starts the same day, and you leave with the first exercises of a plan built around your goal.
Better than yesterday. Kaizen means continuous improvement: small, repeatable gains, built session by session, until you are back to what you love and no longer need us.
- One team across five London clinics: Soho, Liverpool Street, Marylebone, Canary Wharf and Wimbledon Village, plus online appointments.
- Rated 5.0 on Google across 218 reviews.
- Founded in 2022 by David Thomas and Gus Hadonou. You see the same physiotherapist at every visit, so each session builds on the last.
Fees and insurance
Book online through Jane and self-refer, with no GP letter needed. If you are using private health insurance, check your policy first: some insurers ask for a GP referral before your first session.
- Initial assessment and treatment: £155 for a full 45–60 minutes
- Follow-up treatment: £93, with your plan progressed at each visit
- Massage (sports, pregnancy and Swedish): £75 for 30 minutes, £130 for 60 minutes, £160 for 90 minutes
- Lomi Lomi massage: £170 for 90 minutes, £220 for 2 hours
- Performance MOT & Screening: £300 for a 90-minute screen with force-plate testing and a written report
- Recognised by Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Cigna, WPA and Allianz
Your journey
with Kaizen
Everything starts with a proper assessment. We find what is driving the problem, treat it, and build the strength that keeps it fixed, so you finish performing, not just pain-free.
Treatment
Hands-on care to settle symptoms and restore movement: manual therapy, with acupuncture, shockwave or soft-tissue work where they genuinely help. The first home exercises go with you the same day.
Rebuild
Progressive exercise that returns strength, control and load tolerance, from Reformer Pilates to strength and conditioning. Each follow-up reassesses against your baseline, so progress is measured rather than guessed.
Perform
Criteria-based milestones return you to work, sport and training. Discharge happens by mutual agreement once you can manage independently, with a Performance MOT available to catch the next weak link early.
We specialise in:
- Musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy
- Western medical acupuncture (AACP)
- Physiotherapy-led Reformer Pilates
- Specialist hand therapy and splinting
- Shockwave therapy for stubborn tendons
- Strength and conditioning for rehabilitation
- Running and gait analysis
- Performance MOT and movement screening
Treatment approach
How do we treat elbow pain?
Hand Therapy
Specialist hand-therapy assessment identifies the affected tissue around the elbow and combines activity modification, manual techniques and a graded exercise plan, the core approach for tennis elbow, golfer's elbow and other forearm tendon problems.
See treatment detail →Physiotherapy
Hands-on physiotherapy addresses the wider chain of forearm, wrist and shoulder strength and control, and delivers the progressive loading that rebuilds tendon capacity rather than only settling symptoms.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
Will tennis elbow get better on its own?
Tennis elbow is often self-limiting and many cases improve over months, which NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries reflect. However, complete rest tends to let the tendon lose capacity, so symptoms return with activity. Load modification combined with progressive forearm exercise usually settles pain faster and rebuilds tolerance, and that is what hand-therapy rehabilitation provides.
What is the difference between tennis elbow and golfer's elbow?
Both are tendon-overload problems of the forearm, but they affect opposite sides of the elbow. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylalgia) causes pain on the outer elbow, typically with gripping and lifting. Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylalgia) causes pain on the inner elbow. Both respond to load modification and progressive loading rather than rest alone.
Should I stop using my arm completely?
Usually not. Complete rest tends to let the forearm tendons lose capacity, so pain returns as soon as you pick activity back up. We adjust how much gripping, lifting and training you do while the tendon settles, then build its tolerance with progressive forearm exercise so you can keep working and training.
When should I worry about elbow pain?
Seek urgent care if you have severe pain after trauma, an obvious deformity, you cannot bend or straighten the elbow, or there is rapidly spreading redness, fever, or numbness with significant weakness. Symptoms that steadily worsen, or numbness and tingling spreading into the hand, also warrant prompt assessment.
Related What We Treat
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Kaizen Physiotherapy & Performance • 111 Charing Cross Road, Soho, London WC2H 0DT
Book OnlineAppointments typically available within 1–2 weeks