Exercises for Tennis Elbow
What Is Tennis Elbow
What is ‘tennis elbow’? This is an injury to the tendons and muscles on the outer part of the elbow (lateral aspect), caused by repetitive stress or overuse. There is intense inflammation in that portion of the muscles and tendons, where they are attached to the bone of the elbow.
While it is usually referred to as ‘tennis elbow’, it is sometimes also referred to as golfers elbow or swimmers elbow or baseball elbow. But it is not just limited to persons playing these games. It can result from any repetitive or stressful activity that puts repetitive strain and stress on the medial and lateral compartments of the elbow. Even excessive computer work, hammering, screw driver use, turning a key or too much of hand shaking can cause problems of tennis elbow!
Exercises Bursitis or Tendonitis
The inflammation may also be termed bursitis or tendonitis. There is pain and inflammation, while flexibility in the affected region becomes restricted.
Medial epicondylitis usually refers to the activity of the wrist flexor. This is found in tennis players because of the motion of snapping the wrist to bring the racquet forward, in swimmers with improper swim strokes, to golfers because of the motion of swinging the golf club, and also in excessive computer users, when it is also termed as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Rehabilitation: Tennis elbow can become a chronic problem, if you do not care for it, so you must take care to treat it as soon as possible.
- First phase: The first phase should be to reduce the pain and inflammation. This will heal the tissues and stop muscle atrophy. The best way is to adopt the RICE principle, that is, rest, ice, compress and elevate. Rest the area as much as possible, apply ice to relieve inflammation and muscle spasm.
- Second phase: The next stage would be to increase flexibility, strength, endurance and normal functional activities. These would include stretching exercises for tennis elbow such as wrist rotation, flexion and extension, which are equally helpful for medial epicondylitis as well as lateral epicondylitis. Stretching a rubber band around all five fingers, squeezing a rubber ball, rotating or bending the wrist and elbow are good exercises for golfers elbow, and help in increasing strength.
- Third phase: This would be the last phase of the exercises, and would mean improved muscular flexibility, endurance and strength, which would allow a gradual return to prior levels of activity.
Massage and ice compresses should accompany any exercises for tendonitis, even in the later phases, as they help to reduce pain and inflammation.
Yoga exercises have been found to be especially helpful for tennis elbow, as their movements are slow and gentle.
