3 Tennis Elbow Prevention Exercises

Tennis elbow is caused by damaged tendons and is a common injury for tennis players and people who use their arms extensively. To help you get rid of tennis elbow, here are some simple exercises you can do at home to prevent it from reoccurring.

1. Stretch

Start by extending your elbows up to the maximum point where it does not hurt. Hold the stance for 20 seconds. You can do this 5 to 10 times daily. As the days go by, you can increase the extension point. Extend as far as you can go without hurting your ailing elbow.

"Prayer stretches" can also help. To do this, you will have to place your arms in front of your chest and join your palms as if you are praying. This will also help your wrists develop flexibility. This stretch is also useful to prevent sore wrists from tennis.

2. Improve Flexibility

Start by placing your arm on a table with the palm faced upwards. Then try to reach your thumb using your pinky. Repeat with the ring, middle and index fingers, holding each for about 10 to 20 seconds.

Another exercise is to make a fist and rotate the wrist slowly. Stretch as much as you can. Or you can place your palm on the table face down and flip it so that it's facing up. Repeat this 20 times.

3. Improve Strength

Once you have regained your elbow's overall health, you can perform a number of strength training to ensure that it can withstand injury. A good exercise is to place your arm on a bench and carry a light weight in your hand. Curl your wrist to bring the weight towards you, and perform the action for 10-15 times. Do this daily and increase the weight as you go along.

You need to know that if you have an ailing elbow, you are better off resting it. Do not try to play with an injury as the results can be permanently damaging to your body and your performance will suffer too. The moment you acquire the injury, make sure you use an icepack on the elbow. Take anti-inflammatory medicines wherever needed.

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Find out how to get rid of tennis elbow and discover which treatments are the most effective at relieving pain.