Tennis elbow is a condition in which the muscle and tendon along the outside of the elbow become sore and inflamed. Typically, this occurs in athletes and others who perform repetitive arm motions while gripping an object tightly. It's not just tennis players who get tennis elbow. If you're a golfer, a landscaper, a carpenter, or a hockey player, you're at risk for this condition, too. Luckily, the secret to preventing tennis elbow is just to keep your forearm muscles strong and conditioned. Performing these two exercises each day will go a long way towards keeping you free of outer-elbow soreness.
Forearm Extensions
This exercise will strengthen the muscles in the top of your forearm. Grab a light weight (1 or 2 pounds will do) and sit with your arm stretched across a desk or small table. Your wrist and hand should hang off the end of the table, but your forearm should be planted firmly on the table. Make sure the back of your wrist is pointing towards the ceiling. Then, let your wrist drop so that the weight curls towards the table. Slowly raise your wrist, feeling the strain through the top for your forearm. Hold this position for 5 seconds, and then uncurl your wrist, lowering the weight back down. Start by performing just 5 reps per day with each wrist, and build to 20 reps per wrist each day.
Forearm Flexions
This exercises strengthens the opposing muscles in the forearm – those that are responsible for curling your wrist towards the inside of your elbow. Grab the same weight as before and sit with your arm across the desk again, wrist and hand hanging off the table. But this time, sit with your elbow facing down against the table and the front (palm side) of your wrist facing the ceiling. Curl your wrist up, bringing the weight towards the ceiling. Hold this position for 5 seconds, and then lower the weight down again. Start with 5 reps per wrist each day, and build to 20 reps per day.
If you begin feeling a pulling sensation, stiffness, or soreness in your elbow and forearm, this is a sign that you're developing tennis elbow. Take a few days off from the activity you believe is causing the problem, and it should fade away. If it does not, contact a physical therapist from a company like Physical Therapy Center PC who can analyze the severity of your condition and prescribe some more targeted exercises to ensure you recover properly.
Share2 June 2016
Before you head out for a family vacation, you must take the time to consider every possible emergency that could arise. Medical emergencies can come up at any given time. Because of this, you should spend a little time looking into different health care clinics before you leave your home. Map out locations along the way, as well as locations around your destination. This will give you the opportunity to look into online reviews and find the facilities that will provide your family with the best possible care during a stressful time that you should be enjoying rather than stressing. Learn how you can prepare your health before a trip, during, and after.
