Here are some exercises to help with tennis elbow.
Tennis Elbow Stretches for Flexibility
1) Wrist Flexor Stretch–Place the palms of the hands together in a “praying” position. Keeping the heels of the hands pressed together, gently raise the elbows. Hold for 6 seconds. Relax, and repeat 5-10 times.
2) Wrist Extensor Stretch–With your hands at your sides, roll your shoulders forward and place the backs of the hands together in front of you, elbows straight. Draw your hands up toward your chest, keeping the backs of the hands pressed together and close to your body. The elbows will automatically move out to the side. Hold for 6 seconds. Relax, and repeat 5-10 times.
3) Forearm Flexion Stretch–Sit on a chair, arm extended out in front of you. Straighten your elbow, palm facing down. Using the opposite hand placed on the back of your affected hand, gently bend the wrist down. Hold for 6 seconds and repeat 5 times. Relax completely between each stretch by placing your hands in your lap and taking a deep breath.
4) Forearm Extension Stretch–Sit on a chair with your arm resting on a table, elbow straight, palm down. With the opposite hand, gently bend the wrist and fingers back. Hold for 6 seconds. Relax completely between each stretch, and take a deep breath. Repeat 5 times.
Tennis Elbow Strengthening Exercises
1) Wrist Flexion–Sit in a chair with your elbow resting on the armrest, palm up, and your hand over the front edge of the armrest. Using a soup can, a bag of dried beans, a dumbbell, or other weight, bend the wrist all the way up. Hold this position for 1 second, and then relax slowly to the starting position. Gradually work up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions. When you can perform this easily, you may increase the weight ½ – 1 pound.
2) Wrist Extension–Sit in a chair with your elbow resting on the armrest, palm down, and your hand over the edge of the armrest. Using a soup can, a bag of dried beans, a dumbbell or other weight, bend the wrist all the way back. Hold this position for 1 second, and then relax slowly to the starting position. Gradually work up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions. When you can perform this easily, you may increase the weight ½ – 1 pound.
3) Towel Exercise–Fold a bath towel in half lengthwise. Hold onto one end with both hands, palms down. Roll the towel from end to end, first gripping with one hand, rolling it under, and then repeating with the other hand. Reverse, and unroll the towel. Do 5-10 repetitions each day. (Bath towels can vary considerably in size and thickness. Use a smaller, thinner one if your hands are small. It is not necessary to roll the towel all the way to the end to gain the benefit of the exercise.)
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