Even if the only racquet you’ve ever swung is at a garage sale, you could still have tennis elbow. It means you have swollen tendons in your arm, giving you pain in your outer elbow, forearm, and wrist.
It’s common in people who play sports such as tennis and squash, but most people get it from other activities where you often have to grip and twist, such as turning a screwdriver.
Often, it gets better on its own with self-care such as rest, ice, and pain medicine. If that doesn’t work though, your doctor may suggest physical therapy.
The goal is to improve the strength and flexibility of your forearm muscles so you won’t be bothered with tennis elbow again. Your physical therapist may also teach you ways to change your tennis stroke or other activity that is causing your elbow troubles.
Physical therapy can also help improve blood flow to the tendons, which don’t get the same level of blood and oxygen supply as muscles normally receive. Exercises that improve blood flow will improve healing, too.
Pain Relief
A therapist will start with pain relief, then show you exercises that stretch and strengthen your muscles. They will try to ease the pain and help your body heal with things such as ice, muscle stimulation, tape, straps or braces, or even ultrasound. They can also help you learn how to rest on your elbow and take the strain out of everyday activities.
Once the pain eases, you’ll move onto exercises. How long it takes to get better depends on the severity of your symptoms. You want to be sure to follow your therapist’s advice and program. And listen to your body. If 10 reps hurt, start with five. If doing them every day feels like a strain, try every other day and work your way up.
To give you an idea of what physical therapy might involve, here are some of the general exercises:
Finger stretch:
- Touch your fingers to your thumb and put a rubber band around them, including your thumb.
- Slowly open your thumb and fingers all the way, then close them.
- Repeat up to 25 times.
Ball squeeze:
- Hold a tennis ball or soft rubber ball in your hand.
- Squeeze and release up to 25 times.
Do this stretch up to three times a day. If it causes you pain, use a softer object, like a sponge or balled-up socks.
Wrist flexor stretch:
- Hold your arm straight out so your elbow isn’t bent and your palm faces up.
- Use your other hand to hold the fingers of your outstretched hand and bend it. back toward your body until you can feel it in your inner forearm.
- Hold for 15 seconds.
- Repeat three to five times
Wrist extensor stretch:
This is just like the last stretch, but your palm faces down instead of up:
- Hold your arm straight out so your elbow isn’t bent and your palm faces down.
- Use your other hand to hold the fingers of your outstretched hand and bend it back toward your body until you can feel it in your outer forearm.
- Hold for 15 seconds.
- Repeat three to five times.
Wrist turn:
- Bend your elbow at a right angle by your side so it forms an L.
- Hold your hand out palm up.
- Gently turn your wrist so your palm faces down.
- Hold for 15 seconds.
- Repeat three to five times.
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