Best Exercises to Recover From Tennis Elbow

As you probably know, certain diseases can hardly be treated simply with medication. Doctors suggest exercising and working out to get a long-term cure. One such condition is tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis. Tennis elbow is a painful condition in the elbows that occurs when the elbow tendons are highly overloaded because of repetitive motions of the wrists and arms. 

Are you curious about the best exercises for tennis elbow? This piece will provide you with proper guidance.

Tennis elbow, medically known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that results from overuse of the elbow. It causes pain and tenderness around the outer part of the elbow. 

The condition involves inflammation or tiny tears in the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow, typically caused by repetitive motions and stress. Anyone who performs repetitive arm and wrist movements is at risk of tennis elbow.

Overuse of the arm muscles is likely to cause tennis elbow. Moreover, repeated contraction of the forearm muscles can cause muscle strain injury, ultimately resulting in such a condition. As the name suggests, constantly playing tennis with a repeated pattern of backhand strokes is a possible cause. Other causes might include the following:

• Painting regularly

• Using plumbing tools

• Driving screws

• Repetitive use of computer mouse

• Cutting and chopping of cooking ingredients

You can identify this condition if you experience the following symptoms in your body:

• Pain in the wrists while shaking hands and turning the doorknob.

• Inability to hold up something heavy because of the pain.

Getting proper exercise can be beneficial if you are suffering from tennis elbow. The following exercises can help you get rid of this condition:

1. Finger Stretch

This is one of the most straightforward exercises to avoid tennis elbow. Take a rubber band and place it between your fingers and thumb. Then, slightly cup your hand. Gently start spreading the fingers and thumb apart, then bring them back together. Repeat this pattern at least ten times. It will help relieve pain in the fingers and increase blood flow through the fingers.

2. Wrist Extensor Stretch

This is one of the easiest stretches to avoid tennis elbow. Raise your arm before the body, keeping your palm facing down. Now, slowly bend your wrist downwards. Next, gently pull the stretching hand back towards the body using the other hand. Keep holding this position for about 30-45 seconds. Repeat this exercise at least twice in one set.

3. Elbow Bend

The elbow bend exercise is beneficial for improving the flexibility of the muscles around the elbow joint. Stand or sit with your arms at your sides to perform this exercise. 

Slowly bend one elbow, bringing your hand up towards your shoulder while keeping your palm facing down. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds to feel a gentle stretch along your upper arm. Repeat this exercise 2-3 times on each arm.

4. Wrist Flexor Stretch

The wrist flexor stretch is designed to improve flexibility in the forearm muscles. To do this exercise, extend your arm in front of you with your palm facing up. 

Use your other hand to gently pull your fingers back towards your body until you feel a stretch in your forearm. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. This stretch helps elongate the muscles, reducing discomfort.

5. Wrist Lift

For this exercise, you must lift a lightweight, such as a small dumbbell or a food tin. Next, bend your elbow at the right angle. Now, extend your hand out, with the palm facing upwards. Bend your wrist towards the body and hold this position for at least five minutes. Slowly release the position and continue this exercise at least ten times.

6. Supination

This is another exercise to avoid tennis elbow that can be completed with a dumbbell. The supinator muscle is a major part of the forearm that connects to the elbows. 

You can start this exercise initially as isometric supination without weights. Rotate your palm up and hold for at least 30 minutes. Once the pain starts fading, practise the same exercise with a 1-pound dumbbell. It will help avoid a tennis elbow by maintaining blood circulation in the supinator muscle.

7. Fist Clench

One major cause of tennis elbow can be poor grip strength. Take a sock, tennis ball, or rolled-up towel in your palm to revive your grip strength. Grip the cloth or ball through your fingers to form a fist. Now, squeeze it tightly in your hand and hold this grip for at least ten seconds. Repeat the same position at least ten times. Better grip strength will help you control a tennis elbow.

8. Towel Twist

This exercise is similar to the previous one. Start by holding a fluffy rolled-up towel in your palm. Keeping your shoulders relaxed, start twisting the towel and moving your hands in the opposite directions. This will replicate the position of wringing out water from a wet towel. Perform ten or more repetitions of this exercise to increase your grip strength.

9. Wrist Curls

Wrist curls are beneficial for strengthening the wrist and forearm muscles. Sit in a chair with your forearm resting on your thigh, palm up, and hold a lightweight. Slowly curl your wrist up towards your body, then lower it back down. 

Perform 2 sets of 10-15 repetitions. This exercise targets the flexor muscles, building strength and endurance, which can alleviate the strain on the elbow joint caused by the tennis elbow.

10. Reverse Wrist Curls

Reverse wrist curls focus on the extensor muscles of the forearm. Sit in a chair with your forearm resting on your thigh, palm down, and hold a lightweight object. Slowly curl your wrist towards your body, then lower it back down. 

Perform two sets of 10-15 repetitions. This exercise helps balance muscle strength in the forearm, reducing the likelihood of strain and injury associated with tennis elbow.

11. Pronation with a Dumbbell

Pronation with a dumbbell is an effective exercise for improving the rotational strength of the forearm. Hold a light dumbbell vertically in your hand with your elbow bent at a right angle and resting on your knee. 

Rotate your wrist so your palm faces down, then slowly rotate back to the starting position. Perform two sets of 10-15 repetitions. This exercise engages the pronator muscles, enhancing their stability.

The best way to treat tennis elbow is to reduce inflammation of the elbow muscles and rest the irritated muscles and tendons. While ice, compressions, medication, and physiotherapy might be helpful for some time, they will not benefit you long term. They can ease the pain but not control the condition.

Once the inflammation subsides, doctors suggest light exercises to avoid the recurring occurrence of this condition in the future. These will help strengthen the muscles of your forearm and increase blood circulation. As your muscles are rested but strong, they will not fall victim to tennis elbow.

While there are multiple exercises to treat tennis elbow, specific exercises must be avoided. These can worsen the condition. Here are a few that you should never consider if you suffer from tennis elbow:

• Push-Ups and Bench Presses: Heavy workouts are usually not recommended for tennis elbow patients. Constant push-ups and bench presses can strain wrists and elbows and increase pain and inflammation in the elbow muscles.
• Repetitive Lifting or Motions: Heavy weight lifting can cause major strain and pressure on your wrists, worsening your condition. Moreover, repetitive motions can cause pain and strain to the elbow muscles.
• Chopping Ingredients and Using a Computer Mouse: Constantly chopping food ingredients can strain the wrists. Hence, it would help if you avoided such activities while suffering from tennis elbow. Moreover, constant computer mouse use can also cause a similar condition.

While exercising can be beneficial to control tennis elbow, knowing the precautions that can trigger the pain is essential. For instance, you should avoid heavy workouts and weight lifting in this condition. This is mainly because weights can pressurise the elbow muscles, causing pain in the forearm.

Straight-arm exercises like planks, pullovers, and L-sits can also harm people suffering from tennis elbow. Conversely, tennis elbow can easily trigger pain in the wrists and muscles. Therefore, you should be cautious about putting pressure on these muscles. Heavy workouts can worsen the situation.

Disclaimer: Practice the above-mentioned exercises under the supervision of a trained practitioner and consult a doctor beforehand to ensure your body is fit enough to perform the required moves/postures.

In conclusion, there are multiple beneficial exercises for the tennis elbow. If you are suffering from such a condition, do not rely simply on medication. Consider these exercises as listed in this article. It will help you cure faster and avoid the recurrence of the pain in your wrists and elbows in the long term.