Tennis elbow doesn’t only happen to the seasonal tennis players! It can affect anyone who strenuously continues to use the forearm muscles. The actual term “tennis elbow” refers to lateral epicondylitis; pain and inflammation occurring at the outside of the elbow. This can be caused by many different reasons including weight lifting, rowing, work that requires heavy lifting of objects or even just yardwork!
There are several muscles in this area of the body including the wrist extensors. The group of wrist extensors start on the lateral epicondyle of the arm and are constantly challenged by using the hands/wrists/elbows each day! These muscles work to lift the back of the arm up as well as lift the fingers and provide stability for gripping objects. If there is inflammation in this region, there will be pain with something as simple as picking up your coffee mug in the morning.
How can you fix this?
● Eccentric Wrist extension
● Wrist Flexion
● Wrist Pronation/Supination (Check out these exercises on our YouTube channel! Pure Physio)
● Ball Squeezes: Squeeze a rubber ball or a small soft object and hold 5-10 seconds. Repeat 10-15 times to increase grip strength
● Resisted Finger Abduction: place a rubber band around fingers and spread fingers out against the resistance of the band. Complete 20 repetitions
The key to a successful recovery from lateral epicondylitis is strengthening these muscles, as well as improving shoulder strength and stability. Exercises to improve scapular stability can be found via our last blog post! As always, be sure to contact your physical therapist if pain persists or if you want to get the best plan of care for yourself! The professionals at Pure Physio can be an excellent resource. Contact us today at one of our convenient locations or schedule a free consultation for more information.