Tennis Elbow Exercises

Oct 16, 2018

As Tennis Elbow results from tearing of the muscles and tendons in your forearm, it is logical to engage physical therapy to help improve the healing of the area. Appropriate exercises are the first-line treatment approach for people suffering from Tennis Elbow.

With the appropriate therapy, including significant rest from heavy activities and diligent exercises, many people notice an improvement in symptoms within two weeks. In the meantime, it is essential to allow the area to rest and heal; if necessary, analgesic medication may be indicated to relieve pain.

The following exercises can be applied to help strengthen the muscles in the forearm. This can help in both the treatment and prevention of Tennis Elbow.

Wrist Flex

The wrist flex exercise is designed to stretch and improve the movement of the wrist and forearm muscles. It can be carried out with this procedure:

Extend your arm out in front of you and hold it straight.
Slowly bend your wrist down, with your hand towards the ground.
Gently press on the back of your hand with your opposite hand to extend and support the stretch. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
Slowly bend your wrist up, with your hand towards the sky.
Gently pull the fingers back toward you with your opposite have to extend and support the stretch. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
Repeat the entire exercise 3 times.

Wrist Turn (With Weights)

Wrist turns are gentle exercises that can help to improve the movement of the wrist and the muscles in the forearm. Wrist turns can be practiced as follows:

Hold your arm at a right angle from your body, with the palm facing upwards.
Slowly rotate your wrist until your palm is facing downwards.
Hold for 5 seconds and then slowly rotate your wrist until your palm is facing up again.
This should be repeated ten times to complete one set. Three sets are usually recommended in one session.

A variant of the wrist turn exercise includes the use of a light weighted object, such as a tin of canned beans. The same procedure should be followed, with the addition of a small weight that is easily held in one hand.

Wrist Lift (With Weights)

The wrist lift exercise is similar to the wrist turn, but it involves a slightly different movement and, therefore, trains slightly different muscles. Wrist lifts can be completed following these steps:

Hold your arm at a right angle from your body, with the palm facing upwards.
Slowly move your hand up towards you, bending at the wrist.
Hold in this position for 5 seconds and gently release.
This should be repeated ten times to complete one set. Three sets are usually recommended in one session.

Once again, a light weighted object, such as a tin of beans, can be added to this exercise to increase the difficulty and strength improvement. The exercise should be exactly the same, simply with the added small weight that can easily be held in one hand.

Elbow Bend

The elbow bend exercise is utilized to improve the movement and gradually build strength in the forearm. It is practiced using these steps:

Stand up with your arm relaxed on the side of your body.
Move your hand up to touch your shoulder by bending the elbow.
Hold in this position for 15-30 seconds.
Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Tennis Elbow Exercises

Wrist Flex

Wrist Turn (With Weights)

Wrist Lift (With Weights)

Elbow Bend

References