3 Exercises for TENNIS ELBOW
I wrote all about golfers elbow HERE and the same exact principles will apply to tennis elbow, the exercises will just change slightly.
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Elbow pain is common in golfers, oftentimes derived from tendinopathy (a long-term form of tendinitis).
Basically, the tendons surrounding the forearm / elbow region get used heavily and get exposed to high velocities in our golf swing.
Because of this, they can damage overtime if we don't properly prepare and strengthen the area.
What is TENNIS ELBOW?
Tennis elbow is the unfriendly neighbor to golfers elbow.
It is represented by pain on the lateral (outside, if your palm is facing forwards) side of the elbow/forearm area.
It's caused by long-term exposure to high velocity activity, or, more commonly, sudden increases in volume of high velocity activity.
I often hear of tennis and golfers elbow popping up in the spring time after going months without hitting a golf ball.
You go from not swinging a golf club for 5 months to two jumbo buckets... no wonder your elbow pain flairs up.
How do we fix tendinitis / tendinopathy?
We need to load the tendon!
Unlike muscular tissue which does a great job at healing itself post injury, tendons are more stubborn. They need to be guided towards the proper adaptations.
In order to do so, we need to load them directly.
This is why the TENNIS ELBOW exercises will differ slightly from the GOLFERS ELBOW exercises... we are loading a slightly different tendon.
THREE EXERCISES FOR TENNIS ELBOW
Isometric exercises are the BEST starting point for those battling tendinitis related injuries.
Isometrics work to simultaneously LOAD and RELAX the tendon which will create the adaptations necessary for future resilience and it also has an immediate short-term pain relief effect.
Therefore, exercise #1 is a ISOMETRIC SUPINATION.
*Accumulate 2-3 minutes of actively flexing / contracting against the immovable force.
The tendon that effects TENNIS ELBOW has two primary responsibilities that need to be loaded.
First is SUPINATION, which we are loading and working to strengthen in exercise #1.
In order to strengthen the extension pattern and promote tendon healing, try THIS WRIST EXTENSION EXERCISE.
In the video above, I am showing you a full range of motion wrist extension. If this is painful for you as somebody with tennis elbow, I want you to complete this same exercise in an isometric form.
Simply raise your wrists to a 180 degree position and hold for an extended period of time as opposed to moving your wrists up and down.
* Accumulate 2-3 minutes in that isometric position or complete 3 sets of 15 reps.
EXERCISE #3... LOADED SUPINATIONS
This is an exercise we should be progressing in to as the large range of motion that it takes us through can be stressful on a tendon.
GIVE ALL THREE A TRY AND LET ME KNOW HOW THEY GO!
CONCLUSION
Tennis and golfer's elbow are no fun.
They can be debilitating and painful.
But there are things we can do to help treat symptoms and build future resilience!
Add these two exercises to your strength training program.
And join a SCRATCH program if you aren't already!
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Carter Schmitz
Founder and Head Coach - SCRATCHGolfTraining.com
CSCS, TPI
Carter is a strength and conditioning coach out of the Milwaukee area working with athletes, in-person and virtually. Having helped hundreds of athletes, ranging from the middle school to the professional level and beyond, Carter brings a breadth of experience and knowledge to every athlete he works with. He launched SCRATCHGolfTraining.com in the summer of 2021 to help empower golfers to greater performance and longevity.
Carter believes ALL golfers are athletes, and they should be training accordingly.
Become a SCRATCH Athlete today, and start training like the ATHLETE you are!
