Elbow Pain Exercises (Tennis Elbow Exercises)

Convenient chart of exercises 4 tennis elbow

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Source of above pic. & information below:Best exercises for tennis elbow from Healthy exercise world.

Stretching exercises for tennis elbow

Bend your wrist forward and backward as far as you can for 3 sets of 10.  

With uninjured hand, help to bend the injured wrist down by pressing the back of your hand & holding it down for 15 to 30 seconds. Next, stretch the hand back by pressing the fingers in a backward direction. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds & 3 sets. Keep your elbow straight during this exercise. 

With your elbow bent 90°, turn your palm upward & hold for 5 seconds. Slowly turn your palm downward and hold for 5 seconds. Keep elbow at your side and bent 90° throughout this exercise for 3 sets of 10. 

Gently bring your palm up toward your shoulder & bend your elbow as far as you can. Then straighten your elbow as far as you can for 3 sets, 10 times.

The following exercises for tennis elbow should never be done when pain is moderate to acute.

Tennis elbow exercises to strengthen elbow

Exercises tennis elbow can be done 3 – 4x weekly: Hold a can or hammer handle in your hand, palm facing up. Bend wrist upward. Slowly lower the weight and return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10. Gradually increase weight of the can or weight you are holding.

Hold a soup can or hammer handle in your hand, palm facing down. Slowly bend your wrist upward. Slowly lower the weight down into the starting position for 3 sets of 10. Gradually increase the weight of the object you are holding.

Put your wrist in the sideways position, thumb up. Hold a can of soup or a hammer handle & gently bend your wrist up, thumb reaching toward the ceiling. Slowly lower to the starting position. Do not move your forearm throughout this exercise. Do 3 sets of 10. 

Hold a soup can or hammer handle in your hand and bend your elbow 90°. Slowly rotate your hand with your palm upward and then palm down for 3 sets of 10.

Wrist extension (with broom handle): Stand up & hold a broom handle in both hands. With your arms at shoulder level, elbows straight and palms down, roll the broom handle backward in your hand as if you are reeling something in using a broom handle. Do 3 sets of 10. Exercises for tennis elbow (strengthening) should be done 3x weekly. Build up in weight, sets & repetitions. Can start with one set, at weight you can do 10 times without too much discomfort.

The pictures below are from GOOGLE PICTURE SEARCH results.

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Please continue to read all at the source of above extracts:Tennis elbow. From Wikipedia

Lateral epicondylitis also known as (tennis elbow, shooter’s elbow and archer’s elbow) is a condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender. It is commonly associated with playing tennis and other racquet sports, though the injury can happen to almost anybody.

Tennis elbow is an overuse injury occurring in the lateral side of the elbow region, be more specific, occurs at common extensor tendon that originates from the lateral epicondyle. While the common name tennis elbow suggests that people who play tennis may develop this condition, other activities of daily living may also cause it.

Data was collected from 113 patients who had tennis elbow and the main factor between them all was overexertion. Sportspersons as well as those who used the same repetitive motion for many years, especially in their profession, suffered from tennis elbow. It was also common in individuals who performed motions they were unaccustomed to. The data also mentioned that the majority of patients suffered tennis elbow in their right arms.

The condition which means “inflammation of the outside elbow bone”, a misnomer as histologic studies have shown no inflammatory process. Other descriptions for tennis elbow are lateral epicondylosis, lateral epicondylalgia, or simply lateral elbow pain.

Lateral epicondylitis is a painful condition at the epicondyle of long bone of the forearm. The acute pain that a person might feel occurs as the one fully extends the arm. Since the pathogenesis of this condition is still unsure, an appropriate name is still in the works. Despite the term being tennis elbow, tennis players make up a small number of individuals who suffer from this ailment. Bowden states that it should be called lateral elbow syndrome.

Runge is usually credited for the first description in 1873 of the condition. The term tennis elbow was first used in 1883 by Major in his paper “Lawn-tennis elbow”

Treatment

Evidence base for Tennis Elbow intervention measures is poor.^[12]

Physician prescribes resting as the first treatment if symptom does not have intolerable negative effect upon ability to basic biomechanical function. In addition, simple exercises and stretches which increase strength and flexibility of the affected area are prescribed. These exercises, for the most part, are designed to be done at home and during work on one’s own. Furthermore, the physician may recommend the use of an orthotic brace or straps to reduce stress and aggravation to the injury. In some cases, severity of tennis elbow symptoms are on the mend without any treatment within six to twenty-four months. As biomechanical functions are impaired by pain, drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen are prescribed in combination with rest and icing of the affected area. For severe and consistent pain, prescription of corticosteroids to reduce pain and inflammation are given. Lastly, a physician may suggest surgery when all of the above approaches fail. Only about 10 percent of patients are recommended to doing so. If tennis elbow is left untreated, it can lead to chronic pain that degrades quality of daily living^[2]

Non-specific palliative treatments include:

• Physical Therapy- most important part of the treatment. It includes various modalities for preventing and treating tennis elbow.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin
• Heat or ice
• A counter-force brace or “tennis elbow strap” to reduce strain at the elbow, to limit pain provocation and to protect against further damage.
• Vibration therapy for pain relief

Rest is the tennis player’s treatment of choice when the pain first appears because it allows the tiny tears in the tendon attachment to heal.^[4] Tennis players treat more serious cases with ice (although the effectiveness of ice treatment has been challenged in clinical research^[13]), anti-inflammatory drugs, soft tissue massage, stretching exercises, and ultrasound therapy.^[14]

In recalcitrant cases, surgery is indicated.^[15] Many techniques have been described using open, percutaneous or arthroscopic approaches. Most techniques aim to release the strain on the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle, remove degenerative tissue and promote healing.

Other treatments with limited scientific support include:

• Blood injection (possibly augmented by plateletpheresis)
• Botulinum toxin
• Extra-corporeal shock wave therapy (lithotriptor)
• Heat therapy
• Immobilization of the forearm and elbow using a splint for two to three weeks
• Local injection of cortisone and a numbing medicine
• Low level laser therapy
• Occupational therapy, primarily for stretching and strengthening of the wrist extensor musculature.
• Platelet-rich plasma^[16]
• Pulsed ultrasound to break up scar tissue, promote healing, and increase blood flow in the area
• Sclerotherapy
• Trigger point therapy

There are clinical trials addressing many of these proposed curative treatments, but the quality of these trials is poor.^[17]

One study has alleged that electrical stimulation combined with acupuncture is beneficial but evaluation studies are inconclusive.^[18]

One recent presentation at a scientific meeting described the Tyler Twist Protocol, a physical therapy intervention.^[19] Although the study has yet to be published to verify claims made in the newspaper.

Cortisone injections

Corticosteroid injection are effective in the short term however are of little benefit after a year compare to a wait and see approach. Complications from repeated steroid injections include skin problems such as hypopigmentation and fat atrophy leading to indentation of the skin around the injection site.

Botulinum toxin

Some experiments that have been done suggests that botulinum toxin type A paralyzes the common extensor origin and thereby stimulates the healing mechanisms on tennis elbow.

Exercises

There are several recommendations regarding prevention, treatment, and avoidance of recurrence that are largely speculative including:

1. Stretches and progressive strengthening exercises to prevent re-irritation of the tendon;^[23]
2. Progressive strengthening involving use of weights or elastic theraband to increase pain free grip strength and forearm strength;
3. Racquet sport players also are commonly advised to strengthen their shoulder rotator cuff, scapulothoracic and abdominal muscles by Physiotherapists to help reduce any overcompensation in the wrist extensors during gross shoulder and arm movements;
4. Soft tissue release or simply massage can help reduce the muscular tightness and reduce the tension on the tendons; and
5. Strapping of the forearm can help realign the muscle fibers and redistribute the load.
6. Use of a racket designed to dampen the effect of ball striking.

There is little evidence to support the value of these interventions for prevention, treatment, or avoidance of recurrence of lateral epicondylosis.

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Tags: Health, Physical exercise, Tennis elbow