No trial has tested yoga for golfer's elbow
Our searches found no trial of yoga for golfer's elbow or any elbow tendon problem, published or registered. Yoga can keep you moving and strong while the tendon settles; it isn't the treatment.
Source 1
Yoga guide
Yoga for golfer's elbow: the inner elbow and grip, weight on your hands, poses to change, the ulnar nerve, and a class
No trial has tested yoga for golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis), and golfer's elbow itself has been studied far less than tennis elbow. What's prescribed is loading the forearm muscles that bend the wrist, with still holds, slow lowering and a gentle stretch, for 6 to 12 weeks, and patience: most cases settle over months. Yoga's job is to keep you moving without making it worse, which mostly means taking your weight off flat, bent-back hands and keeping your grip light.
This guide covers what golfer's elbow is and who gets it, why downward dog, plank and gripping can hurt, the forearm swaps, the loading that treats it, the ulnar nerve and tingling fingers, the elbow pain rule, what the evidence shows, the warning signs, and a free 25-minute class with a 10-minute wrist flexor block to do every day. Our golfer's elbow guide has the full exercise plan.
23 moves23 with 3D demosWhy poses hurtThe swapsLoad the tendonTingling fingersThe classWarning signs
The short version
Loading the wrist flexors is what's prescribed
Still holds, then lifting and slow lowering, and a gentle stretch, for 6 to 12 weeks. The evidence is borrowed from tennis elbow: one review found 12 trials, all in tennis elbow, and a 2026 review of slow-lowering exercise for golfer's elbow found 5 small studies (143 people) at low certainty. Our golfer's elbow guide has the plan.
Weight on flat hands loads the sore tendons
With your hands flat, the wrist bends back, stretching the tendons on the inside of the elbow while they take your weight. In push-up studies in healthy people, hands further forward, one-handed or turned out loaded the inner elbow more, and a straighter wrist loaded it less. No study has measured this in a yoga pose, so forearms, fists, blocks and a wall are our suggestion.
Grip lightly
Gripping with the palm down worked the pronator teres, one of the golfer's elbow muscles, far harder than palm up: 40.9% against 3.6% of its maximum, in 10 healthy people. Binds, holding a foot and pulling hard on a strap all grip.
Source 10
Tingling in the ring and little fingers is the ulnar nerve
Leaning on the elbow and keeping it bent bring it on, and in cadaver studies, bending the elbow and bending the wrist back each strained the nerve. Leave out long holds with the elbow deeply bent while it tingles. In surgical series of hard-to-treat golfer's elbow, about 1 in 5 also had ulnar nerve irritation; no figure exists for golfer's elbow in general.
Most of it settles, slowly
Most golfer's elbow isn't from golf: it comes from forceful, repeated gripping at work and at home. In workers in repetitive jobs, 81% had recovered 3 years later. Think in months.
Golfer's elbow, and where yoga fits
Pain on the inside of the elbow
Pain over the bony bump on the inner side of the elbow, from overuse of the forearm muscles that curl the wrist and fingers. It hurts to grip, lift and bend the wrist, and to turn the palm down against resistance. NHS Borders: "This condition shouldn't cause any lasting damage and doesn't lead to arthritis."
Who gets it
About 0.4% to 0.6% of adults have it at any one time, men and women equally, most often between 40 and 60. Forceful gripping, repeated movements, heavy loads and vibrating tools at work go with it, and smoking and a higher body weight were linked with it in one study: links, not blame. NHS Fife: "It is more common in non-sporting people."
How long it lasts
No untreated group has been followed. In 31 French workers in repetitive jobs, 81% had recovered 3 years later, and a review puts it at about 80% within 1 to 3 years. Heavy physical work and awkward wrist positions went with slower recovery. Surgery is considered only after about 6 months of good care that hasn't helped.
Golf, throwing and racquets
It can come from golf and throwing sports, but in amateur golfers, outer elbow pain (tennis elbow) is reported as the commoner problem. In 129 recreational pickleball players, 7% had positive tests for it.
Where yoga fits
Yoga can keep the rest of you moving and strong, give the forearm block a regular place in your week, and avoid the positions that load the sore tendons: weight on flat hands, hard gripping and, if your fingers tingle, deep elbow bends. It can't replace the loading, time or an assessment (our reading).
Why some poses hurt: weight on your hands and grip
Lab studies in healthy people; none in golfer's elbow, and none in a yoga pose.
Flat hands bend the wrist back under loadEmerging evidence
A review names repeated forced bending back of the wrist, with the palm turning up, as the strain behind golfer's elbow. In a sun salutation, the wrist bent back about 85 degrees in eight-limb pose, and four-limb poses such as plank, chaturanga and the dogs put up to about body weight through the two arms (small lab studies of trained and healthy people).
Hand position in push-upsEmerging evidence
In healthy people, about 45% of body weight went along the forearm in an ordinary push-up. The load on the inner elbow rose with the hands placed further forward, rose by 42% in a one-handed push-up mimicking a fall, and was 50% higher in one-handed push-ups with the hand turned out. These were push-ups, not yoga poses: flat-hand weight bearing loading the golfer's elbow tendons in yoga is our reading of them.
A straighter wristEmerging evidence
Push-ups on a neutral wrist loaded the elbow less but the shoulder more in 14 healthy men. Fists, push-up handles or a block under the heel of the hand keep the wrist straighter (our suggestion).
GrippingEmerging evidence
Gripping palm down worked the pronator teres much harder than palm up, but another wrist flexor was busier palm up, so no single forearm position rests every inner-elbow muscle. Keep the grip light whichever way your hand faces.
No study in a yoga poseStrong evidence
Our searches found no study of elbow load in a yoga pose, or of fists, blocks or forearm versions in yoga. The swaps below are reasoning from the push-up and grip studies.
Source 31
The swaps, pose by pose
Our suggestion, from the push-up and grip studies and the tennis elbow guideline's order, which brings weight through the arms back last; no trial has tested them. Bring flat hands back in steps once gripping and pressing are comfortable.
Forearms, fists or a wall
Take your weight off flat, bent-back hands:
- Downward dog: dolphin pose on your forearms, knees bent, hands open, or hands on a wall.
- Plank: a forearm plank, knees down at first.
- Cobra and upward dog: sphinx pose, on your forearms.
- All fours and cat-cow: on your forearms, or on fists if that's comfortable (fists keep the wrist straight but still need a grip).
- Side plank: on your forearm, lower knee down.
- Chaturanga in sun salutations: step back to your forearms instead; the repeated bend and straighten under load is the part to change.
- Crow, side crow and wheel: leave them for now.
Spread the weight
On your forearms, spread the weight along the whole forearm rather than onto the inner elbow, keep your hands open rather than clasped, and keep elbows under shoulders (our suggestion).
Don't grip hard
Hold your big toe with a strap looped round your forearm, keep your hands open in binds or leave them out, skip bow and dancer while holding your ankles hurts, and keep prayer behind the back for later.
Source 10
Wrist stretches on all fours
Wrist rocks on all fours and the kneeling forearm stretch wait. Their own cautions: "Leave it while golfer's elbow is irritable, and stop if it brings on tingling in the fingers." and "skip it with carpal tunnel symptoms, a recent wrist injury or fracture, wrist or thumb arthritis, or irritable golfer's elbow, and use the wrist flexor stretch against a wall instead."
Hands-on adjustments
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
A teacher pressing your palms flat in downward dog or deepening a bind loads the sore tendon: ask for the forearm version instead (our suggestion).
Source 33
Bringing weight back onto your hands
Our suggestion. The order follows the tennis elbow guideline, which brings weight through the arms in last, and the push-up studies; the wall push-up dose is our yoga for wrists class's, and the discomfort limit is our elbow pain rule.
- Start at a wall: wall push-ups with your hands under your shoulders, fingers pointing up or forward, 2 sets of 10.
- Then on your forearms on the floor: sphinx, dolphin and forearm plank, with the weight spread along your forearms.
- Then hands on a raised surface such as a kitchen counter or a sturdy chair seat, on fists or a block if a straighter wrist feels better.
- Then all fours on the floor for short holds, hands under your shoulders and fingers spread and pointing forward.
- Then downward dog and plank for short holds, before chaturanga and flowing sun salutations.
- Move on a step only when inner-elbow discomfort stays at about 3 to 4 out of 10 or less, settles within an hour or so and is no worse the next morning.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Wall push-up
Load the tendon: the part that treats it
Holds, then lifting and slow loweringStrong evidence
US surgeons' exercise programme runs for 6 to 12 weeks: "You should not feel pain during an exercise, however, some degree of discomfort is normal." NHS leaflets start with a stretch and still holds, then wrist curls, lifting and slowly lowering a light weight: NHS inform's are 3 sets of 12 once a day, and NHS Fife's 3 sets of 10, three times a day, lowering over 6 seconds.
Borrowed from tennis elbowMixed evidence
No guideline covers golfer's elbow. For tennis elbow, a US guideline advises holds, lifting or slow lowering, moving on as you can manage, and a UK consensus suggests holds of up to 60 seconds, 5 times, once a day, then 3 sets of 10 to 15 lifts once a day. For golfer's elbow, a 2026 review found 5 small studies of slow-lowering exercise (143 people) at low certainty.
The elbow pain ruleEmerging evidence
Some discomfort during forearm exercises is fine. Keep it mild: no more than about 3 to 4 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your elbow should be no worse the next morning. If it is worse, go lighter next time (a lighter weight, a bendier bar, fewer reps or a shorter hold), not nothing. When a set no longer causes any discomfort, it's time to progress.
Tingling is the exception: stop any exercise or position that brings on pins and needles or numbness in your hand, especially in the ring and little fingers, and avoid holding the elbow fully bent while it settles.
The full plan
Our golfer's elbow guide sets the loading out in stages: settle with still holds, build with lifting and slow lowering, then strengthen and return. The doses on this page are that guide's, so the two agree, and our class builds the first two stages into a daily 10-minute block.
Tingling fingers: the ulnar nerve
How it feels
Numbness or tingling in the little and ring fingers, often the first sign. The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH): "Often the symptoms can be provoked by leaning on the elbow or holding the elbow in a bent position (e.g. on the telephone)." You can have it alongside golfer's elbow.
How often it comes with golfer's elbow
In surgical series of hard-to-treat golfer's elbow, about 1 in 5 people also had ulnar nerve irritation. US surgeons say only that it happens "Occasionally", and no figure exists for golfer's elbow in general.
Positions that strain the nerveEmerging evidence
In cadaver arms, bending the elbow and bending the wrist back each strained the ulnar nerve by 15% or more, and with the elbow bent to 130 degrees, pressure inside the nerve was 45% higher than around it. Turning the shoulder in added strain in people measured during surgery. These are cadaver and surgical measurements, not studies of yoga poses.
In yoga
Stop any pose that brings on tingling, as the elbow pain rule says. While it tingles, leave out long holds with the elbow deeply bent (eagle arms, cow-face arms, chaturanga held low), don't lean on the inside of your elbow or rest your head on a bent arm, and rest with your elbows straighter (our suggestion, from the BSSH's advice). In a trial of 70 people with mild or moderate symptoms, most did well with advice on which positions to avoid, and a Cochrane review says such information may ease discomfort in mild cases.
Downward dog and the wrist
One case report describes the ulnar nerve squeezed at the wrist by a cyst after downward dog; it settled after stopping yoga. It's rare, but tingling that starts in a pose is a reason to come out of it.
Source 43
The neck
In one clinic, 55 of 102 people with a pinched nerve in the neck also had golfer's elbow. If both elbows hurt, or neck pain comes with arm symptoms, ask a GP or physiotherapist to check your neck.
What the evidence says
Forearm loading, time and advice carry the evidence, most of it borrowed from tennis elbow. Yoga has no trial.
No yoga trialStrong evidence
Our searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov in November 2026 found no trial of yoga for golfer's elbow, tennis elbow or any elbow tendon problem.
Source 1
The nearest yoga trialsMixed evidence
Small, older trials in other arm problems: yoga eased pain and improved grip in 42 people with carpal tunnel syndrome over 8 weeks, helped in a tiny 1994 trial in hand osteoarthritis, and eased aches in computer users, with many dropouts. A Cochrane review called the evidence for exercise in carpal tunnel syndrome limited and very low quality. None was in a tendon problem.
Loading for golfer's elbowMixed evidence
A review of exercise for elbow tendon pain found 12 trials, all in tennis elbow. For golfer's elbow, a 2026 review found 5 small studies of slow-lowering exercise (143 people), with low certainty, and in 20 people whose golfer's elbow hadn't improved with earlier care, adding a flexible-bar slow-lowering exercise went with large gains over about 6 weeks, with no comparison group.
How much exercise helps, in tennis elbowStrong evidence
A Cochrane review of 23 trials (1,612 people) found that exercise and manual therapy may slightly reduce pain and disability at the end of treatment, but the benefit may not be worthwhile and isn't sustained (low certainty). Nothing comparable exists for golfer's elbow.
Source 51
How long it lastsEmerging evidence
In 31 workers, 81% had recovered at 3 years, and in an injection trial both groups improved, which the authors put down mainly to the natural course. In tennis elbow, 89% of people in the untreated or placebo groups of 24 trials had improved at a year; golfer's elbow hasn't been followed that way.
Stretching aloneMixed evidence
No trial has tested stretching on its own for golfer's elbow. In tennis elbow, stretching alone did as well as stretching with strengthening over 6 weeks in 94 people, with no untreated group, and a UK consensus notes stretches have always come alongside strengthening in trials. A gentle stretch is in every leaflet; it isn't the treatment.
Steroid injections and platelet-rich plasmaEmerging evidence
In a double-blind trial (58 people), a steroid injection eased pain at 6 weeks but not at 3 months or a year, and US surgeons say injections may lengthen the rehabilitation process. For platelet-rich plasma, we found only one look-back at 33 stubborn cases, with no random allocation.
Braces and thicker gripsEmerging evidence
In golfers with golfer's elbow, a forearm brace and oversized grips didn't change how hard the wrist flexors worked, and evidence for straps is very limited.
Yoga injuries in the armEmerging evidence
Arm injuries were about 9% of US emergency visits for yoga, with no figure for the elbow alone; in a German survey, handstands, shoulder stands and headstands were the practices most often linked with problems. No published case links yoga with golfer's elbow.
Wrist flexor loading, daily
Every day, within the elbow pain rule. Wrist forearm flow: 10 slow reps each direction, no load. Wrist curls, palm up, forearm supported: first 5 still holds of 30 to 45 seconds; then, once the holds are comfortable, 3 sets of 10 to 15, lowering over 3 to 6 seconds. Forearm rotation: 3 sets of 10; ball squeeze: 5 to 10 squeezes of 5 seconds; band finger extension: 2 sets of 15 (our golfer's elbow guide). Flexible bar, if you have one: "3 sets of 15, about 5 seconds per release, with 60 seconds' rest between sets, for about 6 weeks" (the move page's dose). Wrist flexor stretch against a wall, elbow straight: 4 holds of 20 seconds, up to 3 times a day (NHS inform's dose). Elbow bend and straighten: "10 slow repetitions, up to 4 times a day" (the move page's dose).
3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWrist curlsBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoReverse Tyler twist (flexible bar, for golfer's elbow)Beginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoDumbbell forearm rotationBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoBall squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoBand finger extensionBeginner · A band
3D demoWrist flexor stretchBeginner · A wall
3D demoElbow bend and straighten (elbow range of motion)Beginner · No equipmentForearm swaps for weight-bearing poses
Dolphin, knees bent and hands open: 2 holds of 5 breaths; sphinx: 2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths; later, the wall push-up as the first step back to weight on your hands: 2 sets of 10 (our yoga for wrists class). Forearm plank, knees down to start: 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds (our yoga for footballers class).
Standing poses, hands free
Fingers soft, nothing gripped. Mountain pose, palms turned forward: "Stand for 5 to 10 slow breaths, 2 or 3 times" (the move page's dose). Warrior II, fingers long: 3 to 5 breaths each side; chair pose, arms forward or hands on your hips: 2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths; tree pose, fingertips on a wall: 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side (our yoga for tennis elbow class). Extended side angle, forearm resting on your front thigh: 5 breaths each side (our yoga for the pelvic floor class).
3D demoMountain pose (Tadasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoTree pose (Vrksasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoExtended side angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)Intermediate · No equipmentShoulder blades, without gripping hard
Editorial for golfer's elbow: shoulder work hasn't been tested for it. Prone Y-T-W raises, thumbs up and hands open: 5 of each shape; locust, arms by your sides and palms relaxed: 2 holds of 5 breaths (our yoga for tennis elbow class). Wall angel: 8 slow slides (our yoga for jaw pain class).
Rest
Reclining twist, arms resting: 45 seconds each side (our yoga for tennis elbow class). Child's pose with your arms by your sides, palms up, so no weight goes through your hands: "Hold 1 to 3 minutes, breathing into the back ribs" (the move page's dose). Corpse pose: "Lie still for at least 5 minutes, up to 10, usually at the end of a session" (the move page's dose), elbows a little bent on cushions if you like, not fully bent.
Tennis elbow and other elbow pain
Where it hurts matters
Golfer's elbow hurts on the inner bump, tennis elbow on the outer one. The yoga changes are the same, but the loading differs: golfer's elbow loads the muscles that bend the wrist, tennis elbow the muscles that lift it. Our yoga for tennis elbow guide has the other forearm block.
After a steroid injection
Ease back into gripping and weight on your hands gradually and follow your clinician's advice (our suggestion); in the trial, the benefit lasted about 6 weeks.
Source 52
Wrist pain or carpal tunnel too
Our yoga for wrists and yoga for carpal tunnel guides have the wrist-free versions of the common poses.
Classes
Our 25-minute class starts with a 10-minute wrist flexor block to do every day, then yoga with your hands free or on your forearms; its structure is our editorial choice. The Pilates class has the same daily block. The yoga for tennis elbow class has the same swaps but loads the other side of the forearm, so on its own it doesn't load the golfer's elbow tendons. The wrist and forearm routine and the yoga for wrists class are for later stages, bringing weight back onto your hands.
Yoga for golfer's elbow: a 25-minute grip-light class with a 10-minute wrist flexor loading block
A 25-minute yoga class for golfer's elbow: a 10-minute wrist flexor block, then standing poses with the hands free, forearm poses and shoulder-blade work.
25 minBeginner15 movesDumbbell, bench or boxGrip-light Pilates for golfer's elbow: a 25-minute class with a 10-minute wrist flexor loading block
A 25-minute Pilates class for golfer's elbow: a 10-minute wrist flexor loading block to do daily, then grip-free mat work and shoulder-blade moves.
25 minBeginner16 movesDumbbell, bench or box
Yoga for tennis elbow: a 25-minute grip-light class with a 10-minute forearm loading block
A 25-minute yoga class for tennis elbow: a 10-minute forearm loading block, then standing poses with the hands free, forearm poses and shoulder-blade work.
25 minBeginner16 movesDumbbell, bench or box
Wrist and forearm routine
Wrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesWall, dumbbell
Yoga for wrists: a 20-minute class that warms, strengthens and slowly loads the wrists
A 20-minute yoga class for wrists: a gentle warm-up, poses with the hands free, then weight through the hands in stages, from a wall to all fours to the forearms.
20 minBeginner18 movesWall, other / check instructions
Seated chair yoga: 15 minutes, no standing
A 15-minute chair yoga routine done entirely sitting: slow breathing, neck, shoulder and wrist stretches, seated twists and side bends, and a calm finish.
15 minBeginner16 movesBench or box
Forearm workout: hammer curls, reverse curls and Zottman curls
A 25-minute forearm size workout with dumbbells: hammer, reverse and Zottman curls for the big muscle on the thumb side, then wrist curls and a carry.
25 minBeginner7 movesDumbbell, kettlebell
Yoga for golfers: a 25-minute rotation, hip and balance class for non-golf days
A 25-minute yoga class for golfers: upper-back and hip rotation done evenly both ways, a hip hinge, one-leg balance, back endurance and forearm stretches.
25 minBeginner18 movesWall, stepWarning signs: when to get help
These are the same warning signs as our elbow pain, golfer's elbow and ulnar nerve guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Get urgent help
- Call 999: arm pain that comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest, especially with shortness of breath, sweating or feeling sick. It could be a heart attack.
- Call 999, even if it passes: sudden weakness or numbness in one arm, with a drooping face or slurred speech. These are signs of a stroke.
- Go to A&E or call 999 if you've injured your arm and it is numb, tingling or has pins and needles; a bone is sticking out or a bad cut is bleeding heavily; or the arm or elbow has changed colour or shape, or is at an odd angle. Don't drive yourself.
- Urgent treatment centre or A&E: severe pain in your arm and it's difficult to move; you've injured your arm and heard a snap, or your arm has changed shape; or your arm tingles or feels numb.
- Urgent treatment centre or A&E: a pop or snap and sudden pain during an effort, which could be a torn tendon. At the front of the elbow, with bruising and a bulge in the upper arm, don't wait for it to settle: a torn biceps tendon is best repaired within the first 2 to 3 weeks. If it happened weeks ago, still get it checked: repair is often still possible, though it may need a tendon graft.
Get help the same day
- Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): a swollen elbow with a very high temperature, or you feel hot, cold or shivery; or severe pain in one joint that started suddenly, swelling around a joint, the skin around a joint has changed colour, or difficulty moving a joint. It could be an infection in the joint or the bursa, or gout.
- Same day (NHS 111): after a fall or knock you can't fully straighten the elbow, or the injured arm is very painful or the pain is getting worse, it's very swollen or bruised, it's stiff and hard to move, or you also have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, which could be an infection. In a large study, about half of people who couldn't fully straighten the elbow after an injury had a fracture.
- Same day (NHS 111): your arm hurts when you exercise, but the pain goes away when you rest.
Source 61
See a GP or physiotherapist
- Elbow or arm pain that hasn't gone after a few weeks of looking after it yourself (for tennis elbow, the NHS says after at least 2 weeks of self-care). In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy.
- Golfer's elbow that isn't improving after a few months of good care (editorial: a UK care pathway suggests referral for tennis elbow that hasn't improved after 12 to 24 weeks, and golfer's elbow is managed the same way).
- Inner-elbow pain when you throw, or a feeling that the elbow gives way, especially in a young thrower.
- Tingling or numbness in your fingers, or fingertips that go white and then red in the cold, if you use vibrating tools at work: report it to your employer or the person who does your health checks, and see a GP. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says hand-arm vibration damage is preventable, but once it is done it is permanent, so report it early.
Tingling or numbness in the ring and little fingers
- Pins and needles that keep coming back or are constant, numbness in the ring and little fingers that doesn't go, a weak or clumsy hand, or visible wasting between the thumb and index finger. Ask about referral: one NHS referral guide treats permanent numbness or wasting as urgent.
- Constant numbness in the ring and little fingers, a weak or clumsy hand, or visible wasting of the muscle between the thumb and index finger. Ask about referral: one NHS referral guide treats permanent numbness or wasting as urgent.
- Pins and needles in the ring and little fingers that last more than 6 months despite the position changes on this page: the same NHS guide refers at that point.
- Pins and needles that keep coming back or are constant, wherever they are in the hand.
During yoga
In poses the same rule applies as for the forearm exercises: no pose should push inner-elbow pain past mild, and weight on flat hands and hard gripping come back last. Come out of any arm position that brings on tingling in your little finger (our suggestion).
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
Chest pain or fainting while exercising: call 999
Call 999 if:
- You get sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away; it can feel like squeezing or pressure, burning or indigestion.
- The pain spreads to your left or right arm, or your neck, jaw, stomach or back.
- You have chest pain and feel sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath.
- Someone faints while exercising, can't be woken within 1 minute, or has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
Unusual breathlessness
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
Source 71
Head-down poses, bones and pregnancy
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
Before you start
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
Myths
"Golfer's elbow only affects golfers"Strong evidence
Most cases arise in people who aren't athletes, especially those whose work involves forceful, repeated gripping or manual labour. In amateur golfers, outer elbow pain is reported as the commoner problem.
"Rest your arm completely until it stops hurting"Strong evidence
The advice is to avoid what aggravates it while keeping the arm working with stretches and wrist curls. No trial has tested complete rest, and NHS inform says most symptoms do settle with time.
"Stretching or yoga will fix it"Strong evidence
No yoga trial exists, stretching alone has been tested only once (in tennis elbow, with no untreated group), and the loading that's prescribed is borrowed from tennis elbow.
"Planks and downward dog are fine because they don't use the elbow"Emerging evidence
About 45% of body weight went along the forearm in an ordinary push-up, and four-limb yoga poses put up to about body weight through the arms, with the wrist bent well back.
"Tingling in your little finger is part of golfer's elbow"Emerging evidence
It's the ulnar nerve. It changes which positions to avoid, and when to get help.
"A cortisone injection will get you back to yoga faster"Emerging evidence
In the one trial, pain was less at 6 weeks, with no difference at 3 months or a year.
Source 52
"A brace or a thicker grip will protect it"Mixed evidence
In golfers with golfer's elbow, neither changed how hard the wrist flexors worked, and evidence for straps is very limited. Wear a brace for gripping tasks if it eases the pain, alongside the forearm exercises.
"Yoga is only for flexible people"
The class on this page asks for no flexibility: forearm exercises, standing poses at a wall, forearm poses and rest (our reading).
Read next
- Yoga for golfer's elbow: 25-minute class
- Golfer's elbow
- Pilates for golfer's elbow
- Yoga for tennis elbow
- Ulnar nerve entrapment
- Elbow pain
- Elbow pain when gripping
- Elbow pain from push-ups
- UCL injury (ulnar collateral ligament)
- Pinched nerve in the neck
- Yoga for wrists
- Yoga for carpal tunnel
Show all 19 linksShow fewer links
Questions people ask
Is yoga good for golfer's elbow?
It doesn't treat it: no trial has tested yoga for golfer's elbow or any elbow tendon problem. You can keep doing yoga with your weight off flat, bent-back hands and a light grip, alongside the wrist flexor exercises that are prescribed.
Can I do yoga with golfer's elbow?
Yes, with changes. Do downward dog, plank and cobra on your forearms or at a wall, don't grip hard, and keep inner-elbow discomfort to about 3 to 4 out of 10, settling within an hour and no worse the next morning. Stop any position that makes your ring or little finger tingle.
Which yoga poses should I avoid with golfer's elbow?
For now, weight on flat hands with the wrist bent back (downward dog, plank, chaturanga, upward dog, side plank, wheel), arm balances such as crow, and hard gripping such as holding your big toe, binds or a tight strap. If your little finger tingles, leave out eagle and cow-face arms too. Bring them back in steps.
What yoga exercises help golfer's elbow?
The useful exercises are for the forearm: still holds and slow lowering with a light weight for the muscles that bend the wrist, forearm turns and a gentle stretch, kept up for 6 to 12 weeks. Our class starts with that block, then does standing and forearm poses.
Why does the inside of my elbow hurt in downward dog or plank?
With your hands flat, the wrist bends back, which stretches the sore tendons while they take your weight. In push-up studies, hands placed further forward or turned out loaded the inner elbow more, and a straighter wrist loaded it less. Try your forearms, fists or a wall instead.
Is it golfer's elbow or a trapped nerve?
An ache over the bony bump on the inside of the elbow, worse when you grip, is golfer's elbow. Tingling or numbness in the ring and little fingers, worse when you lean on the elbow or keep it bent, points to the ulnar nerve. You can have both.
Can yoga cause golfer's elbow?
No study links them. Lots of chaturanga flows, long holds on flat hands and hard gripping could aggravate a sore inner elbow (our reading), so change those while it settles.
How long does golfer's elbow take to heal?
Months rather than weeks. In workers, 81% had recovered at 3 years, and reviews say most settle within 1 to 3 years. Keep the forearm exercises going for 6 to 12 weeks.
Should I stretch my forearm in yoga?
A gentle wrist flexor stretch with the elbow straight is in every leaflet, but stretching on its own hasn't been shown to heal the tendon. Do it after the strengthening, and ease off if your fingers tingle.
Is yoga good for golfer's elbow and tennis elbow together?
The same yoga changes help both, but the loading differs: golfer's elbow loads the muscles that bend the wrist, tennis elbow the muscles that lift it. Our yoga for tennis elbow class has the other forearm block.
Should I wear a brace for yoga?
A brace may ease pain while you wear it, but there's little evidence it helps beyond that, and in golfers a brace didn't change how hard the forearm muscles worked. Wear it for gripping tasks if it helps, alongside the forearm exercises.
When should I see a doctor about inner elbow pain?
Call 999 for arm pain with pressure or tightness across your chest, and go to A&E if your elbow looks out of shape after a fall. Get same-day help for a hot, swollen elbow with a high temperature, and see a GP or physiotherapist if it hasn't gone after a few weeks or your little finger stays numb.
Sources
- Our searches · PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov for yoga and golfer's elbow, tennis elbow or elbow tendinopathy (2 November 2026): no trial found
- AAOS OrthoInfo · Therapeutic exercise program for epicondylitis (tennis elbow and golfer's elbow) (handout, reviewed June 2022; read in full)
- NHS inform · Golfers elbow (Scotland; patient leaflet; read in full)
- Hoogvliet 2013 · Exercise and mobilisation for tennis and golfer's elbow: 12 trials, all in tennis elbow (systematic review, Br J Sports Med)
- See 2026 · Eccentric exercise for golfer's elbow: 5 studies, 143 people (systematic review, Complement Ther Med)
- Amin 2015 · Medial epicondylitis: evaluation and management (review, J Am Acad Orthop Surg)
- Donkers 1993 · Hand position and elbow load in push-ups in 9 men (lab study, J Biomech)
- Chou 2002 · Forearm position and elbow load in one-handed push-ups in 8 volunteers (lab study, Int J Sports Med)
- Polovinets 2026 · Push-ups on a neutral or bent-back wrist: the elbow and shoulder in 14 men (lab study, Handchir Mikrochir Plast Chir)
- Koizumi 2023 · Gripping palm up or palm down and the inner elbow muscles in 10 people (EMG study, J Electromyogr Kinesiol)
- British Society for Surgery of the Hand · Cubital tunnel syndrome
- Wright 2001 · Ulnar nerve strain at the elbow and wrist with arm movements in 10 arms (cadaver study, J Hand Surg Am)
- Barco 2017 · Medial elbow pain (review, EFORT Open Rev; read in full)
- Li 2026 · Medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow) (StatPearls chapter)
- Descatha 2003 · Golfer's elbow in 1,757 workers in repetitive jobs, with 3-year follow-up (cohort study, J Occup Environ Med; read in full)
- Donaldson 2014 · Tendinopathies around the elbow: the inner elbow (review, Shoulder Elbow; read in full)
- NHS Borders · Golfers elbow: a guide for patients (past its review date: review due May 2026)
- Shiri 2006 · How common tennis and golfer's elbow are, and who gets them: 4,783 people (population study, Am J Epidemiol)
- Walker-Bone 2012 · Work and tennis and golfer's elbow in 6,038 UK adults (population study, Rheumatology; read in full)
- van Rijn 2009 · Work factors and elbow disorders (systematic review, Rheumatology)
- NHS Fife · Golfer's elbow exercises (past its review date: published September 2016, review due October 2022)
- AAOS OrthoInfo · Medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow)
- Shiri 2011 · Tennis and golfer's elbow: the role of work (review, Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol)
- Creighton 2022 · Upper body injuries in golfers (review, Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med; read in full)
- Myers 2025 · Positive tests for inner and outer elbow pain in 129 recreational pickleball players (cross-sectional study, J Hand Ther)
- Mullerpatan 2019 · Joint angles in sun salutation in 10 practitioners (motion capture study, Int J Yoga; read in full)
- Wilcox 2012 · Ground reaction forces in 28 hatha yoga poses in 20 people (lab study, Int J Exerc Sci; read in full)
- Lou 2001 · Forearm rotation and elbow load in push-ups (lab study, Clin Biomech)
- Polovinets 2018 · Force through the wrist in push-ups on a bent-back or neutral wrist (lab study, J Hand Ther)
- Ikeda 2025 · Forearm rotation and wrist flexor activity in 40 arms (EMG study, J Orthop Surg Res; read in full)
- Our searches · PubMed and Europe PMC for wrist and elbow load in yoga poses, and for fists, wedges or handles (2 November 2026): no study of elbow load in a yoga pose
- Lucado 2022 · Lateral elbow pain and muscle function impairments (clinical practice guideline, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther; tennis elbow; read in full)
- Yoga Alliance · Code of conduct: consent before hands-on adjustments
- Bateman 2021 · An optimised physiotherapy protocol for tennis elbow (UK consensus study, BMJ Open; read in full)
- Ellenbecker 2013 · Examining and treating elbow tendon injury (review, Sports Health)
- Coombes 2016 · Isometric exercise above but not below the pain threshold in tennis elbow (experimental study, Clin J Pain)
- Sveinall 2024 · Heavy slow resistance, shockwave or advice for tennis elbow (feasibility randomised trial, BMJ Open)
- Smith 2017 · Should exercise be painful in chronic musculoskeletal pain? (systematic review and meta-analysis, Br J Sports Med)
- Gelberman 1998 · Pressure on the ulnar nerve as the elbow bends (cadaver study, J Bone Joint Surg Am)
- Ochi 2015 · Shoulder position and ulnar nerve strain in 20 people with cubital tunnel syndrome (measured during surgery, J Shoulder Elbow Surg)
- Svernlöv 2009 · Advice, night splints or nerve glides for cubital tunnel syndrome in 70 people (randomised trial, J Hand Surg Eur Vol)
- Caliandro 2025 · Treatment for ulnar nerve problems at the elbow (Cochrane review)
- Horner 2013 · Ulnar nerve compression at the wrist after downward dog (case report, Del Med J)
- Lee 2010 · Golfer's elbow in 102 people with a pinched nerve in the neck (chart review, Sports Health; read in full)
- Garfinkel 1998 · Yoga for carpal tunnel syndrome in 42 people (randomised trial, JAMA)
- Garfinkel 1994 · Yoga for hand osteoarthritis (randomised trial, J Rheumatol)
- Telles 2009 · Yoga for aches in 291 computer users (randomised trial, Work)
- Joshi 2011 · Yoga for arm symptoms in 60 computer users (randomised trial, Indian J Med Sci)
- Page 2012 · Exercise and mobilisation for carpal tunnel syndrome (Cochrane review)
- Tyler 2014 · A flexible-bar slow-lowering exercise for stubborn golfer's elbow in 20 people (case series, Int J Sports Phys Ther; read in full)
- Wallis 2024 · Manual therapy and exercise for tennis elbow: 23 trials, 1,612 people (Cochrane review)
- Stahl 1997 · A steroid injection for golfer's elbow: 58 people, 60 elbows (double-blind randomised trial, J Bone Joint Surg Am)
- Ikonen 2022 · How tennis elbow improves without treatment: 24 trials, 1,085 people (systematic review and meta-analysis, Clin Orthop Relat Res)
- Martinez-Silvestrini 2005 · Stretching alone or with strengthening for tennis elbow in 94 people (randomised trial, J Hand Ther)
- Bohlen 2020 · Platelet-rich plasma or surgery for stubborn golfer's elbow in 33 people (retrospective cohort, Orthop J Sports Med)
- Glazebrook 1994 · Forearm muscle activity in golfers with golfer's elbow, and braces and grips (EMG study, Am J Sports Med)
- Hume 2006 · Elbow epicondyle injuries in sport (review, Sports Med)
- Swain 2016 · Yoga-related injuries treated in US emergency departments, 2001 to 2014 (national injury database study, Orthop J Sports Med; read in full)
- Cramer 2019 · Adverse effects of yoga in 1,702 German practitioners (cross-sectional survey, BMC Complement Altern Med; read in full)
- Cramer 2013 · Adverse events associated with yoga: 76 published cases (systematic review of case reports, PLoS One; read in full)
- NHS · Elbow and arm pain (last reviewed January 2024)
- NHS · Heart attack (last reviewed March 2026)
- NHS · Symptoms of a stroke (last reviewed September 2024)
- AAOS OrthoInfo · Elbow injuries in the throwing athlete
- Health and Safety Executive · Worried about your hands? Hand-arm vibration at work
- NHS Borders RefHelp · Cubital tunnel syndrome (reviewed July 2025)
- Cramer 2018 · Injuries and other adverse events with yoga: 9 observational studies (systematic review, J Sci Med Sport)
- NCCIH 2023 · Yoga: effectiveness and safety (US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
- NHS · Chest pain (past its review date: reviewed August 2023, review due August 2026)
- NHS · Fainting (last reviewed August 2026)
- NHS · Shortness of breath (last reviewed January 2024)
- Jasien 2015 · Eye pressure in four common yoga positions: 10 people with glaucoma and 10 without (lab study, PLoS One)
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.