Best exercises for Tennis Elbow

Best exercises for tennis elbow

The blog talks about the best exercise for tennis elbow. Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is a painful condition caused by irritation of the tendons in the forearm about halfway down the bone of the outer side of the elbow. It is not a condition that only tennis players get; anyone who uses his or her arm and wrist repetitively is likely to get it. At MJ Physio, our aim is to perform specific exercises to treat tennis elbow and improve muscle strength and range of motion.

This blog is a guide to exercising for tennis elbow. It is designed to decrease pain, increase range of motion, and target the damaged area.

Understanding Tennis Elbow–What Causes Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow is a condition whereby repetitive strain Injuries cause tiny tears on the tendons found between the forearm muscles and the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Common triggers include:

• Playing racket sports.
• Bending or stretching of the fingers and wrists (e.g., carpenters or typists).
• Low ergonomics at workplace or during such tasks.

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow:

• Stinging or discomfort felt on the area of the lateral epicondyle.
• Weak grip strength.
• They cannot lift objects, or grasp objects in their hands.

Who Needs Exercises and Why

Exercises for tennis elbow aim to:

• Reduce pain and swelling.
• Restoration of damaged tendon through the promotion of healing.
• Recover loose muscles and muscles with weakened efficiency in the forearm.
• Play it again differently because your arm and wrist mechanics should not deteriorate during practice.
• Since its development in the late 1980’s the concept of rehabilitation phases and rehabilitation exercises has become a key element in the treatment of people with chronic health conditions.

Advantages of Training after Tennis Elbow

Incorporating targeted exercises into your recovery plan for tennis elbow offers numerous benefits:

1. Pain Relief:

walking helps to reduce inflammation and pain because walking increases circulation of blood in the tendons.

• Improved Mobility:

Swelling reduces as well since the exercises help in gentle manipulation of the elbow thus enabling it to regain flexibility thus no stiffness.

• Strengthening Tendons and Muscles:

Flexor exercises helped improve the structure of the tendons that were destroyed and the forearm muscles and prevented the chances of re-injuring the forearm.

• Enhanced Grip Strength:

Ball squeezes and finger extensions help to increase grip strength which comes very in handy when one is lifting something or typing.

• Better Functionality:

Strengthening exercises are useful for regaining skills in repetitive activities and sporting activities that were previously full of pain and discomfort.

• Prevention of Future Injuries:

Avoiding strain on the forearm muscles and tendons and improving the dexterity of the arm and wrist reduces the chances of repeat injury of the tennis elbow.

• Boosted Recovery Time:

In the earlier schemes of rehabilitation, the structure used enhances recovery and quickens the time it takes to undertake regular activities.

• Improved Overall Arm Health:

Including the wrist, elbow, and shoulder muscles, these remedies improve of the general upper-limb strength and steadiness.

• Cost-Effective Solution:

Enhancing the prevention of chronic problems with exercise means that fewer people will form the populace required to take medications, injections, or operations.

2. Increased Confidence:

Returning to actions slowly helps to get physical strength and movement back, along with reducing the worry that comes from using the arm without worrying about being in pain or re-injuring it.

These are gains that guarantee comprehensive rehabilitation, with emphasis on the restoration of strength to be able to engage in normal living exercises.

Recovering from tennis elbow involves three phases: pain modification measures, gradual increase in activity and strength, and getting back to action. Now it is about time to investigate the exercises to be performed under each of the phases.

Phase 1: Acute & Chronic Pain, Mobility Enhancers and Exercisers (0–3 Weeks)

The first phase tends to control pain and inflammation associated with OA while allowing the affected joints to move.

Key Principles:

• Avoid using the side that hurts and if it is an arm, then avoid using that one.
• Among them ice therapy is recommended to minimize pains.
• Start the process of active physiological movement at this stage to avoid stiffness.

Exercises for Phase 1:

1. Wrist Extensions (Gentle):
2. Purpose: Enhance the movement and flow of blood.
3. How to Perform: Sit comfortably and put your right hand on the table, wrist being on the edge with your palm downwards. Slowly bring your hand from the right/waist up to the ceiling still staying on the table and just use your forearm. Lower it back down. Perform 10–12 repetitions.
4. Wrist Flexor Stretch:
5. Purpose: Reduce stress in the arm portion that lies between the elbow and wrist.
6. How to Perform: Take your arm, place it horizontally, in front of your body, and let your palm face the ceiling. Take the other hand and using your hand, attempt to pull the fingers back towards your body. Hold the breath for as long as 20-30 seconds and carry out the activity 3 times.
7. Ball Squeeze (Isometric):
8. Purpose:This is because force production and activation of the forearm muscles occur without overloading the various tendons.
9. How to Perform: Take a stress ball or a towel rolled in your hand and then apply slight pressure afterwards for about 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
10. Elbow Range of Motion (Flexion/Extension):
11. Purpose: Maintain joint mobility.
12. How to Perform: Flex your elbow and pinch your forearm back and forth across your chest, then extend your arm out and retract it back to your side. Perform 10–15 repetitions.

Tips for Pain Management:

• These exercises should be done together with some physiotherapy approaches such as ultrasound therapy or soft tissue mobilization.
• Minimize those that make the pain worse.

Phase 2: Strengthening and Tendon Healing (3 −6 Weeks)

After pain lessens, it is crucial to work on improving the forearm and wrist for stability and no recurrent situations like the one above.

Exercises for Phase 2:

1. Wrist Curls (Eccentric):
2. Purpose: Strengthen extensor tendons.
3. How to Perform: First take a light dumbbell in your right hand with palm facing downward. Lower the weight slowly then use the hand you did not use to draw the weight down to bring it back up. Do push-ups in 3 sets/repetition – 10.
4. Reverse Wrist Curls:
5. Purpose: Strengthen wrist flexors.
6. How to Perform: Grasp a small barbell with your hand towards the ceiling. Bend your wrist toward your body then release it. However, to achieve the best results the person should try to complete 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
7. Supination with Resistance Band:
8. Purpose: Improve those muscles located in the forearm that rotate the wrist.
9. How to Perform: Keep one of their hands holding the resistance band while placing the other through the loop and placing the other end on the ground. Straighten your arm and then rotate your forearm from a palm down position to the palm up position this is called supination. Stretch both the muscle groups for 30 counts or, do 2 sets of 15 reps.
10. Finger Extensions with Rubber Band:
11. Purpose: Increase the mass or the size of the smaller muscles on the forearm.
12. How to Perform: Put on a rubber band around your fingers and thumb. Make your hand open against the opposition, then let go. Perform 15–20 repetitions.
13. Forearm Pronation:
14. Purpose: Improve rotational strength.
15. How to Perform: Take a small dumbbell in your hand and put it vertically. Bend the elbow and then twist your forearm then slowly turning your palm up the floor then down to the table. Perform 10 repetitions.

Tips for Strengthening:

• Use resistance bands and or lighter weight as a beginner but as the weeks progress the weights and resistance should be increased gradually.
• More time should be spent on correctly done, slow and smooth movements to prevent overworking the tendons in limbs.

Phase 3: Functional and Sport-specific Training Program (6+ Weeks)

The last phase provides an opportunity for practicing the generalized load or the specific task expected for the elbow in daily or sporting endeavors; muscle endurance is also enhanced.

Exercises for Phase 3:

1. Weighted Ball Toss:
2. Purpose: Better the ability to grip objects as well as the coordination.
3. How to Perform: One of the exercises is to use a small weighted ball and use very light hops on a wall. Worsening tolerance is permitted – build up the intensity over time.
4. Plank Variations:
5. Purpose: Conditional: Apply pressure on the whole of the arm, firm the muscles around the elbow.
6. How to Perform: The first position is a forearm plank where the body should be straight from the head to the heels. Go to the side planks to build extra support on the sides of the shin. Hold for 20–30 seconds.
7. Push-Ups (Modified):
8. Purpose: Build upper-body strength.
9. How to Perform: Do knee push-ups and be sure to use slow motion. Then always move to full push-ups with the towel still around your hands.
10. Medicine Ball Rotations:
11. Purpose: Improve the speed of movements of the forearm muscles.
12. How to Perform: Take a moderate-sized medicine ball and twist the ball from one side to the other. It should be conducted in 2 sets of 12 repetitions.
13. Sport-Specific Drills:

• Examples: Any overhead movements such as rackets swings, movements while rowing machines or carpentry hammering movements.

Tips for Functional Training:

• Ease the patient back into some of the activities in order not upset the injury again.
• Perhaps it should be emphasized to pay attention to a correct combine of mechanical and ergonomic actions within the day-to-day routine.

How to avoid Tennis Elbow from Happening Again

1. Improve Ergonomics:
2. Minimize the degree of stress on your arm by using tools or equipment whichever is possible.
3. With respect to the wrist, keep it as straight as possible for as long as possible during repetitive motions.
4. Strengthen Supporting Muscles:
5. Add the shoulder, upper back, and core movements into your workouts in order to divide loads more evenly.
6. Warm-Up Properly:
7. Wear some warm-up before doing exercises that involve your arm’s repeated and regular movements.
8. Take Breaks:
9. Minimize or stay away from activities, which involve prolonged or repetitive movements without breaks.
10. Use Proper Technique:
11. Consult for better ways to do something in sports activities to reduce tension.

How MJ Physio Can Help You

MJ Physio deals specifically with offering physical therapy for tennis elbow, meaning that we offer unique treatment programs for this condition. Our experienced physiotherapists:

• The assessments should be comprehensive to inform exercise programs.
• subclassify as pain-focused and include techniques like dry needling, manual therapy, and shockwave therapy.
• Start from body mobilization and take you through every single step of rehabilitation to enable you to get back into activities safely.

Conclusion

This is a condition that a patient may develop, and it can be very irritating. Still, when treated appropriately with the right physical exercise, he or she will be okay again. The exercises described in this blog coupled with professional treatments at MJ Physio will help you on your road to healing.

So, if you’re suffering from tennis elbow, do not delay. Make an appointment with MJ Physio today to start a custom rehabilitation process.