Tennis Elbow & Golfer’s Elbow Pain Relief: Hot/Cold Compression That Stays Put

If pain on the outside or inside of your elbow is messing with your swing, your backhand, or even your work at a keyboard, you may be dealing with tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. Both are overuse injuries where the tendons around your elbow become irritated from repetitive motion—anything from sports to typing to lifting.  

The good news: with the right combo of rest, cold therapy, heat therapy, and compression, many people get real relief at home. This guide walks through how hot/cold therapy works for tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow—and how a wearable hot/cold sleeve like HurtSkurt® can make treatment hands-free and less annoying than juggling slippery ice packs.

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Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

• Pain on the outside of the elbow

• Caused by overuse of the forearm muscles that straighten your wrist and fingers

• Common in tennis players, pickleball players, weightlifters, mechanics—and anyone gripping, lifting, or mousing a lot  

Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)

• Pain on the inside of the elbow

• Also an overuse injury, hitting the tendons that flex your wrist and fingers

• Seen in golfers, baseball pitchers, carpenters, and people who do repeated “pulling” or wrist-flexion motions  

Both are part of the “overuse injuries” family—conditions where tiny, repeated stresses cause micro-tears and inflammation in tendons over time, not one dramatic accident.  

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When you overload the tendon around your elbow, you get:

• Inflammation and swelling in the tendon and surrounding tissue

• Sharp or burning pain when gripping, lifting, or twisting

• Stiffness and weakness in the forearm

• Sometimes pain radiating down into the forearm or up into the upper arm  

For new flare-ups or after a heavy day of activity, sports medicine and orthopedic sources consistently recommend ice/cold packs first. Cold therapy:

• Narrows blood vessels (vasoconstriction) to help control swelling

• Numbs the area, lowering pain signals

• Helps settle down inflammation in irritated soft tissue  

That’s why “tennis elbow ice pack,” “elbow ice wrap,” and “golfer’s elbow cold therapy” are such heavily searched terms—people are looking for ways to cool things down and function again.

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Think of cold vs. heat as two different tools:

Use ice (cold therapy) when:

• Pain is new or suddenly worse after activity

• The area feels hot, swollen, or throbbing

• You’ve just finished sports, lifting, or repetitive work

Sports medicine and rehab guidelines suggest using ice in the first days to weeks of a flare, typically 15–20 minutes at a time, a few times per day.  

Use gentle heat when:

• Swelling has calmed down

• Pain is more of a stiff, achy, chronic feeling

• You want to loosen tight forearm muscles before stretching or light activity

Heat increases blood flow and can ease tight muscles and stiffness. Once the worst inflammation is down, many clinicians recommend adding heat sessions or alternating hot and cold (called contrast therapy) to keep things moving.  

Rule of thumb:

• Acute flare or after you overdid it? Start with ice.

• Lingering stiffness or chronic soreness? Add or switch to heat, or alternate hot/cold if your provider approves.

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Here’s a simple home protocol you can adapt (always follow your provider’s specific advice):

For a fresh flare-up (first 1–2 weeks)

1. Rest the elbow

• Back off the motion that set it off—whether that’s hitting balls, lifting, or hours at the computer.

2. Apply cold therapy

• Use a cold pack or cold gel sleeve over the most tender area (outside for tennis elbow, inside for golfer’s elbow).

• Typical timing: 15–20 minutes, up to 3–4 times per day.  

3. Protect your skin

• Never put ice directly on bare skin. Use a barrier (thin sleeve, cloth, or built-in fabric).  

4. Add compression

• Gentle compression around the forearm can help reduce swelling and support the irritated tendon.

5. Move gently

• Light wrist flexion/extension and forearm rotation without pain can help you avoid stiffness while the tendon calms down.

For ongoing or chronic elbow pain

Once swelling and sharp pain are lower:

1. Add heat

• Apply a warm pack for 10–15 minutes before stretching or rehab exercises to loosen muscles.  

2. Alternate hot and cold

• Some people find relief using heat before activity, cold after.

3. Continue activity modification

• Adjust grip size, technique, ergonomics, and workload so you’re not re-injuring the elbow every day.

4. Talk to your provider

• Persistent pain may need physical therapy, a brace, or other medical treatment.  

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The elbow is a tricky area. Generic ice packs and bags of frozen peas tend to:

• Slip off the curve of the elbow joint

• Require you to hold them in place with your other arm

• Limit you to sitting or lying still for 15–20 minutes

• Melt quickly, leaving cold “hot spots” and warm spots

Most people don’t have time to freeze their day just to ice their elbow. That’s where a wearable hot/cold sleeve shines.

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HurtSkurt® is a reusable gel-filled sleeve designed for hot/cold compression that actually stays put—perfect for overuse injuries like tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.

1. 360° cold compression around the forearm and elbow

Slide an appropriately sized HurtSkurt® sleeve over your hand and position it so the densest, coldest section sits right over the painful tendon area:

• For tennis elbow: position the sleeve so the cooling section sits on the outside of the elbow and upper forearm.

• For golfer’s elbow: rotate the sleeve so the cooling section sits on the inside of the elbow and upper forearm.

Because it’s a full sleeve, you get even cold coverage and light compression around the whole joint—not just one flat panel.

2. Hands-free recovery with a SkurtStrap

For extra security, you can use a SkurtStrap (adjustable strap) to anchor the HurtSkurt® sleeve in place if you’re moving around a lot. That means you can:

• Ice your elbow while typing or working at your desk

• Wear cold compression while you walk around the house

• Keep therapy going while you read, watch TV, or do light chores

Instead of balancing a slippery ice pack, your hot/cold therapy becomes wearable, so the session actually happens and lasts the full 15–20 minutes.

3. Hot or cold with a single product

Because HurtSkurt® is designed for both cold and heat therapy:

• Cold therapy: Store in the freezer and slide it on for post-activity flare-ups and acute pain.

• Heat therapy: Warm it according to the package directions and use it for chronic stiffness or to prep your muscles before stretching (always test temperature on your inner wrist first).  

That makes it easy to follow the “ice first, then heat or alternate” approach without buying multiple gadgets.

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This is a general example, not medical advice—always follow your provider’s directions:

Morning (chronic stiffness phase)

• Warm a HurtSkurt® and slide it over your forearm/elbow for 10–15 minutes.

• Do gentle wrist and forearm stretches after heat.

After sports, lifting, or a long workday

• Take a cold HurtSkurt® from the freezer.

• Wear it for 15–20 minutes over the tender area with light compression.

• Use a SkurtStrap if you’re moving around so it stays in place.

Throughout the week

• Modify the activity that’s causing pain.

• Use cold therapy for any flare-ups and heat before rehab exercises or light activity.

• If pain doesn’t improve or worsens, check in with a healthcare professional.  

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Hot/cold therapy and compression are powerful tools—but they’re not the whole story. You should talk to a healthcare provider or physical therapist if:

• Pain lasts more than a few weeks despite rest and home care

• You have significant weakness, loss of grip strength, or trouble using your hand

• The elbow is very swollen, red, or warm

• Pain is severe or disrupting sleep and daily life

Overuse injuries like tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow usually respond well to conservative treatment—rest, ice, activity changes, exercises, and bracing—but getting expert guidance can keep a minor injury from becoming a long-term problem.  

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For tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, cold therapy is your first-line home treatment, with heat and contrast therapy helping as you move into the recovery phase. A standard ice pack can help—but a wearable hot/cold compression sleeve like HurtSkurt® lets you treat elbow pain while you keep living your life, instead of being stuck on the couch holding a bag of ice.