We will discuss the best stretches and exercises for tennis elbow. Hopefully, this information will help you avoid or recover more quickly from tennis elbow.
Tennis elbow is a painful condition that comes about when the tendons in your elbow are overloaded. This condition usually happens by repetitive motions of the arm and wrist, which is why it’s named ‘tennis elbow.’ These movements are typical of a tennis player.
However, athletes aren’t the only people who develop tennis elbow. Today, we’re going over how you can manage and recover from this condition with the help of various stretches and exercises for tennis elbow.
Best Stretching Exercises for Tennis Elbow
Stretches and exercises for tennis elbow will help because it prevents stiffness and tendon shortening. It’s best to start by easing into stretches to see what you can handle without aggravating the injury. Let’s start with an excellent basic stretch.
Good Stretch for Tennis Elbow
First, gently bend your elbow and hold the pose for 2 seconds. Then rotate your wrist clockwise, hold for 2 seconds and flip it counterclockwise. Then straighten your elbow and flex your arm.
Repeat this 10 to 15 times at three separate times during the day. If doing so hurts, slow down or stop the stretching.
If your body is comfortable with this basic stretch, you can move on to the following.
Finger Stretch With Rubber Band
You can do a simple finger stretch with just a rubber band you already have around your house. You can also buy a silicone finger grip strengthener like the picture above. Here is a link to one we found online.
If you choose to use the traditional rubber band, use the instructions below. Likewise, the instructions are the same when using the silicone finger stretcher.
Place a rubber band around your fingers and thumb and make a cup shape with your hand. Slowly pull your thumb away from your fingers and then put them back together. Repeat this ten times once or twice a day.
Grip Exercise for Tennis Elbow
The Grip Exercise is another excellent finger stretch. Get a soft object and grip it in your hand. Squeeze and release it ten to fifteen times twice or thrice a day.
Wrist Stretches for Tennis Elbow
A wrist stretch exercise is also known as a wrist curl exercise. Lay your right forearm on a table with your palm facing upwards. Put a weight on your palm and use your left hand to pull your right wrist towards your body.
Repeat this exercise with your left palm facing downwards. Then do both sides on your right hand. Each motion must be repeated ten times once or twice a day.
Can I Still Workout With Tennis Elbow?
Once the initial pain subsides and you think you’re ready to start working out again, you can do so. The only thing you need to remember is to avoid any exercises that might be particularly strenuous for your elbow.
What Exercises to Avoid With Tennis Elbow?
Below are four exercises you should avoid performing if you have tennis elbow.
Elbow Flexor Exercises
It would be best if you altogether avoided any exercise that targets your elbow flexors. Examples of elbow flexor exercises include bench presses, pushups, and chin-ups.
Avoid Wrist Exercises
Wrist exercises like barbell extensions and dumbbell curls target your hand but hurt your elbow. As such, you should avoid them, especially during the initial stages of your recovery.
See our Wrist Extension With a Dumbbell exercise later in this article. This exercise is helpful during the later stages of recovery for strengthening tennis elbow.
Straight Arm – Shoulder Exercises
Avoid any exercise that requires you to straighten your arm and use weights unless they are low-intensity stretches. Avoid exercises that may put excess strain on your elbow.
Repetitive Lifting
Do as few repetitive lifting exercises as possible when you’re working out. You may end up agitating your tennis elbow if you forget this.
How to Put on an Arm Band for Tennis Elbow
Most tennis elbow bands come with a manufacturer’s guide. These guides detail how you can put the product on and are typically quite detailed. However, if your band didn’t come with a manual or one where the guide wasn’t super clear, here’s how you can put on a tennis elbow band.
First, open up the brace. There are hooks and loops on the band, and you need to pull the opposite sides of the brace apart, which requires undoing these hooks and loops; this will help you slide it over your arm easily.
Then slip the brace onto your arm. Pull it up until the top of the band is approximately one inch below your elbow. If your band comes with a forearm splint, rotate the splint side to position it on the thumb side of your arm.
The next thing you need to do is position the elbow band so that the tendon cushion faces outward. Next, move the brace so the cushioned area is on the top of your forearm facing outward. So, the band pressing on the tension will be on the underside of your forearm.
Next, tighten the brace. Please don’t pull the brace too much, or it will be uncomfortable. Pull it just enough so it is comfortable. You should be able to make a fist or grip a racket without the elbow band restricting your movement. However, it shouldn’t be too loose, or it will move around your arm.
And that’s all you need to do. You’ve put your tennis elbow band on properly, and it should help you to a large extent.
Can You Strengthen Tennis Elbow?
Once the inflammation in your elbow goes down, you can start doing exercises that strengthen your forearm muscles to prevent the condition from happening again; this includes the stretches we mentioned before and a few other stretches and exercises.
Supination With a Dumbbell
The supinator muscle is a large forearm muscle that attaches to the elbow. It is responsible for turning the palm upward. You will need a chair and a two-pound dumbbell for this exercise. Sit in a chair and hold the dumbbell vertically in your hand while your elbow rests on your knee.
Let the weight of the dumbbell rotate your arm outward and palm upward. Next, turn the hand back in the other direction until your palm faces downward. Repeat this motion twenty times on each side.
Wrist Extension With a Dumbbell
You will need a chair and a dumbbell for this exercise too. Sit in the chair, gripping the dumbbell in your hand with your palm facing downward. Curl your wrist downward. If this hurts your elbow, try the exercise without the weight.
Try to keep the rest of your arm still while only your wrist moves.
These stretches and exercises will strengthen your wrist and arm, which will help with the tennis elbow. Follow the advice in this article, and you’ll recover in no time.
Stretches and Exercises for Tennis Elbow – Wrap up
Tennis elbow is a painful condition that no one wants. Men working out with bodyweight exercises should be careful to stretch out well to avoid getting tennis elbow or other conditions.
Bodyweight exercises for men are relatively safer than working out at a gym. However, bodyweight exercises have repetitive motions that could cause a condition like tennis elbow.
Use the stretching information above as a preventative precaution to prevent injury when working out at home or at a gym.