In reply to GDes:
> I wholeheartedly disagree with this advice. Having suffered from golfers elbow and various other tendon issues, the physio advice and my experience has always taught me that rest is not what fixes tendons.
You are indeed correct, rest alone does not fix the problem. When I said rest I should have qualified it by saying rest from climbing or heavy lifting such as lifting your own body weight up through your arms. I have a modestly physical job where at times I have to lift heavy weights. I was off work for seven months and during that time I followed sound medical advice and followed appropriate exercises to strengthen my muscles and allow my tendons to get used to heavy weights. It took ten months before I felt confident enough to return to climbing without worrying about injuring myself again and not being able to do my job.
However the OP asked about recovery time. I gave my account of a chronic elbow injury and how long I refrained from climbing or lifting heavy weights equivalent to climbing forces exerted on my arms.
Acute tendon injuries heal quickly however I'm guessing that the OP's injuries have developed over time rather than a one off injury while climbing. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that the elbow injury has been festering for some time.
> The bottom line is, go and see a physio, ideally one who knows about climbing.
I whole heartedly agree, and I spent a small fortune privately seeing a physio once or twice a month for seven months. I saw it as money well spent, as it kept me my job.
I still stand by my advice to rest, as in resting from heavy lifting or exercises that put great strain on elbows.