15 Easy Stretches to Alleviate Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is a condition that affects the lateral tendon of the elbow and attaches to the bony protrusion. Technically, it is therefore known as lateral epicondylitis, and in fact only a few in every hundred cases of the condition are actually caused by tennis! This is a very widespread condition affecting 3% of all Americans, and can be caused by pretty much any activity that includes repetitive motions and bending of the elbow.

The good news is that tennis elbow is not serious and will usually be self-limiting as long as you rest. However, there are a few things that you can do yourself in order to speed up recovery and to help prevent it happening again.

Use these exercises in conjunction with analgesics, general rest, and possibly some ice and elevation in order to speed up your return to form. That said, don’t use these instructions in the place of visiting a doctor. Self-treatment is often a one-way ticket to exacerbating a problem!

1. Wrist

Many of the causes of tennis elbow are linked with activity involving use of the wrists and forearms. That’s because many tendons coming from the fingers and wrists run through the elbows and therefore straining this area can lead to inflammation and pain felt in the elbows.

One way to address this is to use a gentle wrist turn. To perform this first bend your elbow gradually at a right angle and then extend the hand outward with the palm facing up to the ceiling. Then twist the hand around gradually, pointing the palm face down to the floor. Hold that position for five seconds, and then repeat. Use this ten times and be gentle when doing so and you will gradually be helping to restore normal movement through this complex junction of tendons and nerves.