Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is a physical condition that causes pain in the elbow joint. This is often caused when excess strain is put on the tendon in the forearm, which can cause inflammation and result in a lack of movement of the arm.

Tennis elbow is most likely a result of strenuous and repetitive movement by the arms and is common amongst people who play sports that require them to swing a racket of some sort, hence the name.

However, any person can develop this condition. Cases of tennis elbow require patients to go through some form of hand pain therapy and certain exercises. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss the different types of exercises a person can do to treat tennis elbow.

Wrist Turns

Working on your wrist is often a big part of hand physical therapy. To get your whole arm back in working order, you’ll have to start training it in small parts. In the beginning, you should start with a wrist turn. If your condition is really bad, you should do this without any weights or added force. You simply need to hold your elbow at a right angle and extend your hand forward with your wrist facing up or down. You can then begin to slowly rotate your wrist till it has changed positions and then slowly twist it back. You can add weights to this once your elbow begins to heal.

Towel Twists

Another exercise that you should try and ease in to is the towel twist.

This exercise should be used carefully and shouldn’t be done if movement in the arms is a big problem. This only requires a small towel. Start by relaxing your shoulders and holding a towel in both hands in front of your body. Slowly twist both hands in the opposite direction as if draining water.

hand-therapy

Elbow Bends

This exercise requires you to stand up straight with your arms lowered to your side. Slowly bend the arm upwards without moving it forward until your hand touches the shoulder. Keep this position for 15 seconds before slowly unbending your arm and then repeat.

The exercises you should be doing can depend on the level of damage that has been done to your elbow. Consulting with a hand physical therapist can help gauge the intensity of the problem. If you’re looking to get in touch with a certified hand therapist, our team at Able Hands Rehab will be able to help with all sorts of elbow and wrist treatments.