Stretching
Stretching plays an important role in the therapy of the tennis elbow, as it is a good alternative to other methods such as taping, bandaging and physiotherapy. The problem with a tennis elbow is, among other things, that the tendons involved are shortened, which causes pain. With the help of various stretching exercises it is possible to counteract this shortening.
Other goals are to loosen the muscles, to “make them supple” and to lengthen the tendons. It does not make sense to immobilize the affected arm in case of pain from a tennis elbow, as this will cause the shortening of the tendons to continue and possibly worsen. The stretching exercises can be performed several times a day during the acute phase.
Later it is advisable to stretch before and/or after the load. Stretching exercises before a sporting activity can reduce the risk of suffering a torn muscle fibre.
- A stretching variant is carried out as follows: The arm is stretched through the elbow joint and the inside of the forearm is turned so that it points upwards or forwards.
Then bend the wrist and with the fingers of the other hand press the already bent wrist backwards. You will feel a pull in your hand and forearm. The position should be held for 15-30 seconds and then slowly released. Over time, you will become more and more stretchy, so make sure that you do not stretch too much at the beginning.
- As an alternative to this stretching exercise you can also hang yourself from a pole. It is important to note that you only hold on with your hands and the arm muscles remain loose.
Prophylaxis
To prevent tennis elbow, it is important to warm up well and stretch the muscles before sporting activities that could overload the forearm, such as tennis or badminton. In addition, one-sided strain in everyday and professional life should be avoided as far as possible.
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