Jane, 28, was a fine tennis player in the tennis circuit. She used to practice hard and stretch herself to the extent of getting injured sometimes. It was not a wonder, considering that she had been playing for almost a decade, when her elbow finally gave up. Her elbow had swollen and she was experiencing a lot of pain in the area. She was miserable as she could not pursue the love of her life, tennis. Finally, she went to the doctor and found out that she had elbow tendonitis. But thankfully, it was not very bad. The doctor suggested her a few exercises specially for her elbow. Lets see what the doctored ordered for her with regards to healing her elbow. But before that, a sweeping description of what exactly is elbow tendonitis would be essential. Here it goes.
Elbow Tendonitis
Elbow Tendonitis is a condition when the muscle tendons that are attached to the elbow joint are swollen, on account of extreme stress on those tendons or repetitive action performed by the elbow. Naturally, these two things can take a toll on the elbow. It is bound to show some signs of resistance due to its overuse. What do you do in such a case? Well, you need to take medicines as well as do some exercises. The following text will tell you about some elbow tendonitis exercises.
Exercises for Elbow Tendonitis
Forearm Extensor Stretch: If the pain is associated with tennis elbow, this exercise is beneficial. For this exercise, first position your hand straight in front of your body. Bend the wrist so that your fingers are pointing to the ground. Now with the other hand, gently push your palm towards your body. In case you want to stretch more, make a fist instead of leaving the fingers lose. Do this approximately within the intervals of 3 hours, at least thrice for a duration of around 40 seconds.
Forearm Flexor Stretch and Supination: For this exercise, again stretch your arm straight in front of your body with the palm facing upwards. Now, bend the wrist such that the palm faces outwards and the fingers point down. Then, use the other hand for pushing your fingers towards your body. This will create a tension in the forearm. Hold the position for around 30 seconds or so, once you feel an adequate stretch in the forearm.
Arm Stretch: This is again one of the easiest and effective elbow tendonitis exercises. To do this exercise, stand at arm’s length from the wall, with the back of the hand on the wall and fingers pointing down. Induce a stretch by pressing against the hand gently. Do this twice or thrice a day whenever you get time.
Strengthening Tendons with Weights: Have a light weighing thing at your disposal. Then for performing this exercise, hold the weight in your hands with your thumb pointing up. Then twist or turn your wrist inward and then outward as much as you can. Remember that in this exercise, only your wrist should move, akin to hammering a nail.
Hand Squeeze: This is an exercise where you hold the tennis ball in your hand and then squeeze the ball firmly. Hold it for three seconds. Do this till you feel a slight tiring sensation in your muscles. But make sure that you do not induce pain. For more on similar exercises check out
- Tennis Elbow Exercises
- Physical Therapy for Tennis Elbow
After you do these exercises to deal with elbow tendonitis, do not forget to massage your elbow by rubbing the affected area for a few minutes. You can also apply an ice pack to the elbow. This is very important because just as you have stretched the tendons and muscles for good, you need to sooth the tired muscles as well.
Elbow tendonitis exercises are ultimately all about strengthening those muscles and giving them flexibility. If the reasons are something other than just exertion of those tendons, like for example infection of the bursa, then along with the exercises you might need to take medication. But generally it is not a very serious problem if dealt well with.
