Tennis elbow is an overuse injury characterized by irritation and inflammation of the tendon on the outer side of the elbow. It’s also known as lateral epicondylitis. You don’t have to be a tennis player to develop this condition! It’s also common among plumbers and painters.
The most important thing to know is that you should rest your elbow until you feel a significant improvement. Straining your elbow while you’re in pain can cause tennis elbow to get worse. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to see a physical therapist for a personalized treatment plan.
The following are some ways you can care for your tennis elbow at home:
- The RICE method — This stands for rest, ice, compression and exercise. These are the best ways to care for tennis elbow during the initial rest period. You should avoid using your arm or putting any strain on your elbow until your pain subsides.
- Cardiovascular exercise — While you’re staying away from activities that hurt your elbow, cardiovascular exercise can help speed up the healing process. This will improve circulation, carrying fresh nutrients and oxygen to injured tissue.
- Gentle stretching — As your pain improves, some gentle stretching can help ease stiffness and restore your range of motion. Start with simple stretches like wrist extensions and rotations. To do wrist extensions, hold your hand out in front of you with your palm facing out and tilt your fingers back toward your face. For wrist rotations, hold your arm parallel to the ground with your elbow at a 90-degree angle. Twist your hand upward so your palm is facing up, and then turn it back down again.
- Therapeutic exercise — Once your pain has decreased enough that you can handle more movement, targeted exercises can help restore healthy movement. Simply clenching your fist several times and holding a can of soup to add some resistance to wrist exercises can be helpful.
- Strengthening — When you’re pain-free and your range of motion is mostly restored, strengthening your elbows and wrists will help prevent reinjury. Slowly increase the weight you’re using for wrist flexion, extension and rotation exercises.
See a physical therapist for a personalized tennis elbow treatment plan
Is pain from tennis elbow slowing you down? Taking it easy while you’re injured can keep your condition from getting worse. You should also consider seeing a physical therapist. A PT can provide personalized treatments for tennis elbow to help you make a full and fast recovery. Physical therapy is usually covered by insurance, and at REPAIR SI, we accept self-pay clients as well.
Not sure if physical therapy is right for you? We can help. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.