Tennis Elbow Exercises

Tennis Elbow Explained

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis or epitrochlear bursitis, is a repetitive motion injury to elbow muscles and tendons. It happens when people use their wrists, elbows and forearms in activities like tennis, golf and baseball. However, many cases of tennis elbow are caused by non-sports related activities like hammering, computer work and painting.

Not all soreness in the elbow area can be classified as tennis elbow. An X-ray may be ordered by a physician to rule out other causes, such as arthritic inflammation. Diagnoses of tennis elbow are sometimes based upon MRI scans of the tendon, but most often from patients’ description of physical symptoms like:

• Pain on the outside of the elbow
• Weak grip
• Pain near the elbow when the wrist is bent backwards
• Elbow soreness that worsens over time

Treatment of tennis elbow in the most painful stage is similar to what is prescribed for other inflamed joints. A doctor will often tell a patient to ice the area for up to 15 minutes several times a day. Over-the-counter drugs can also be used to lessen the pain. Resting the arm afflicted will help muscles heal. Sometimes a wrist or elbow brace may be used.

Tennis Elbow Exercises

After the initial pain of the injury has subsided, it is important to do tennis elbow exercises to help the tendon recover. Start slowly to insure that you are not doing more harm than good. If you find a particular exercise painful, stop doing it and try again in a few days.

Begin by stretching out the forearm muscles by holding the afflicted arm’s hand facing downwards. Slowly raise it so fingers are pointed upwards. Do this several times to warm-up before doing strengthening exercises.

Wrist Extension

Lay the afflicted forearm on a table, palm down. Holding a 1-lb dumbbell or small bottle of water, slowly move your hand up and down. Move only your wrist, not your entire arm. Do three sets of 10 at first. Build up both weights and sets as your condition improves.

Wrist Flexion

Similar to the extension, you need to place your arm on a table so it does not move. In this exercise, the inside of your arm should be facing up (palm up). Using a light weight, slowly move just your hand up and down again. Again, start by doing three sets of 10 and increase difficulty as your elbow improves.

Ball Squeeze

Grip a tennis or similar ball in your hand. Squeeze the ball between 20 and 25 times and then rest for 15 seconds. Repeat this exercise three or four times and throughout the day as needed.

Pronator and Supinator Exercise

Place your arm on a table while holding your hand weight. Ends of the weights should be perpendicular to the floor, with one end facing up and the other down. Using your wrist, turn your hand and the weight to one side so that the weight is parallel to the floor, back to the center and then to the other side.

Consider each pass (center, side, center, other side, center) one rep. Do three sets of 10, increasing both weight and sets as your strength increases.

Illustrated Examples of Exercises

Exercises for tennis elbow can be difficult to understand without an example. To see illustrations and photographs for the exercises listed above, visit the following websites:

• Hughston Health Alert’s Rehab for Tennis Elbow: The Super 7
• Fairview Health Services Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow) Exercises
• Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma’s Physical Therapy Corner: Tennis Elbow

Further Treatment and Prevention

If you have followed through with proper rest and rehabilitation exercises and find that the condition continues to cause pain or even worsens, it may be necessary to seek further help. Surgery is usually a last resort; instead, the American Physical Therapy Association recommends discussing the following options with a physical therapist and your doctor:

• Using different equipment and/or learning new techniques to help prevent injury and allow your current tennis elbow to subside
• Using an ultrasound over the afflicted area
• Electrical stimulation therapy
• Massage of the inflamed area
• Manual therapy

After you have recovered from tennis elbow, it is important to prevent the injury from coming back. The Mayo Clinic recommends the following preventative measures be taken:

• Reviewing swing technique and grip for injuries caused by tennis, golf or other sport with a qualified professional
• Strength training
• Keeping the wrist straight while performing the repetitive action
• Properly warming-up

Tennis elbow exercises can help treat an inflamed tendon causing you pain. Before you start a home exercise program, see your physician to rule out other causes of your pain.