BEGINNING steps to manage elbow pain
In our previous blog, we covered a common elbow diagnosis of elbow pain, which is pain typically found on the outside of the elbow from repetitive activities. This blog aims to provide you with some steps to take if you are struggling with elbow pain. These exercises can be beneficial to most types of elbow pain, not just tennis elbow. These are a good starting point, but we recommend seeing a Physical Therapist to help guide these exercises and progress them safely for you!
Eccentric Wrist Extensions with a dumbbell:
2-3 sets of 6-12 reps with a light dumbbell
Mild discomfort is okay, but if you have sharp pain, decrease weight or reps.
Wrist flexor Curls with Dumbbell:
Begin with a light dumbbell and most of your forearm supported. Make sure to keep the entire motion slow and controlled.
2-3 sets of 6-12 reps
Wrist pronation and Supination Combo:
2-3 sets of 30-45 seconds using a light dumbbell
If you do not have a dumbbell, you can use a hammer for these. The high up you grab on the handle, the easier.
Soft tissue work:
Using a lacrosse/tennis ball like we do in the video may be beneficial before activity as it will temporarily reduce pain and tightness.
We recommend 1-2 rounds of 30-45 seconds on each of the tender spots, but avoid the bone as this will be quite painful
Do the elbow straps help?
The straps you see on people’s elbows during upper body activities are a SHORT TERM relief option. If properly put on, these straps will help decrease the amount of tension on the tendon where it attaches to bone. This is a short term option and can be used in conjunction with Physical Therapy.
As always, it is best to have the guidance of a Physical Therapist while managing an injury. If you are dealing with stubborn pain, give us a call at 512-481-2777 and get scheduled to work with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy.
The above videos are for information use only and should not be taken as medical advice.