diff --git a/iocore/eventsystem/Continuation.cc b/iocore/eventsystem/Continuation.cc
index 26de73b5d7a..c6936322dca 100644
--- a/iocore/eventsystem/Continuation.cc
+++ b/iocore/eventsystem/Continuation.cc
@@ -23,15 +23,6 @@
 
 #include "I_EventSystem.h"
 #include "I_Continuation.h"
-#include "I_EThread.h"
-
-int
-Continuation::handleEvent(int event, void *data)
-{
-  // If there is a lock, we must be holding it on entry
-  ink_release_assert(!mutex || mutex->thread_holding == this_ethread());
-  return (this->*handler)(event, data);
-}
 
 int
 Continuation::dispatchEvent(int event, void *data)
diff --git a/iocore/eventsystem/I_Continuation.h b/iocore/eventsystem/I_Continuation.h
index 8d662d6a78e..53c3919249d 100644
--- a/iocore/eventsystem/I_Continuation.h
+++ b/iocore/eventsystem/I_Continuation.h
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ class ContinuationQueue;
 class Processor;
 class ProxyMutex;
 class EThread;
+class Event;
+
+extern EThread *this_ethread();
 
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //
@@ -154,7 +157,13 @@ class Continuation : private force_VFPT_to_top
     @return State machine and processor specific return code.
 
   */
-  int handleEvent(int event = CONTINUATION_EVENT_NONE, void *data = nullptr);
+  TS_INLINE int
+  handleEvent(int event = CONTINUATION_EVENT_NONE, void *data = nullptr)
+  {
+    // If there is a lock, we must be holding it on entry
+    ink_release_assert(!mutex || mutex->thread_holding == this_ethread());
+    return (this->*handler)(event, data);
+  }
 
   /**
     Receives the event code and data for an Event.