TENNIS ELBOW EXERCISES

Searching for something specific? Say, " slipped disc ". Just type it in here...

Custom Search

Tennis elbow exercise 1

These exercises are for the RIGHT ARM.

Stretch out your right arm so the elbow is straight. With your left hand, grasp the middle finger on your right hand (and perhaps more fingers, test it to get maximum stretch in the forearm). Now pull on the fingers (not so they pop out of their sockets), but if you have tennis elbow you will almost certainly feel a good stretch in the extensor muscles near the elbow. Repeat several times a day.

Tennis elbow exercise 2

This one's a bit more tricky.

Pronate your right arm (turn it inwards) as far as you can, with the elbow straight. Now reach over with your left hand, and interlace the fingers.

Now extend the LEFT wrist, using the muscles in your left arm, to stretch the muscles in the right forearm.

Get it? Clear as mud? I'll try and do a video of these in the next couple weeks.

Tennis elbow exercise 3

Now grasp your right fist with your left hand and flex the right wrist using your left hand. You should feel a stretch in the right elbow muscles.

Tennis elbow exercise 4

This exercise is not to stretch them, but to exercise them. You are going to use them...

As in exercise 2, pronate your LEFT arm, elbow straight, and cross over with the right hand. Interlace the fingers.

Now extend the RIGHT wrist, using the right extensor muscles. You will probably feel a little pain in the right elbow area. Not too hard... or you'll strain the muscles in your right arm.

A nice little benefit of this exercise, is that you are stretching the tennis elbow muscles in the LEFT arm at the same time.

ICE TREATMENT FOR TENNIS ELBOW

Do the same on the elbow, ice massaging the muscles and their origin on the lateral epicondyle until it's very cold. Now warm, say in the bath or shower. Repeat several times, alternating cold and hot.

CORTISONE TREATMENT FOR TENNIS ELBOW?

Tennis elbow research

J Hand Surg [Am]. 2008; 33(6)

The researchers tested for

1. Disability using the DASH (Disability Arm Shoulder Hand test)
2. ARM PAIN QUICK DASH ...
   
   
3. Pain (using a Visual Analog scale)

4. Grip strength

5. and Ineffective Coping Skills (using Pain Catastrophizing Scale: PCS)

one and six months after the injections.

The research was conducted using the "gold-standard" double-blind RCT (Randomized Clinical Trial). Neither the researchers nor the patients knew whether they were receiving the real treatment or the placebo; hence "double-blind".

HYPOTHESIS

RESULTS

At 6 months, DASH scores averaged 18versus 13 points, pain 2.4 versus 1.7 cm, and grip strength 98% versus 97%.

CONCLUSIONS:

1. Corticosteroid injection did not affect the apparently self-limited course of lateral elbow pain.

2. Perceived disability associated with lateral elbow pain correlated with depression and ineffective coping skills.

3. At one month, the cortisone group had significantly less pain, but after six months, the cortisone group lagged significantly behind the untreated group. DASH scores (disability) were higher for the cortisone group, and they had more pain (4.3 -vs- 3.7)

COMMENT

So it comes as no surprise that in the long term there was no scientific benefit from corticosteriod injections for Tennis Elbow.

Chiropractic management is based rather on ice, stretching, active exercises, various techniques such as Active Release Therapy (ART), and of course seeking out any subluxations in the lower neck, or of the first rib.

The correction of the first rib fixation needs to be done by your chiropractor, but you can help yourself by doing these tennis elbow exercises.

USEFUL LINKS

TENNIS ELBOW EXERCISES

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

TENNIS ELBOW EXERCISES