Are you someone who is suffering from tennis elbow but you don’t play tennis? This is more common than you think. The reason for that is “tennis elbow” is a general term for lateral elbow pain. It has nothing to do with whether you play tennis or not. In fact, most individuals with lateral elbow pain do not play tennis.

This condition is common in individuals who perform activities with a high degree of repetition. This includes things from heavy manual labor to those who type at a computer all day long. Now just because a person does these activities does not mean they will develop this problem. It is only an observation of the population of people more likely to seek treatment for said condition.

You may be wondering why repetitive activities? There are several reasons, but the most common is the repetitive strain on the muscle in the performance of activities can lead to the lateral elbow pain. These injuries are more likely to occur when the muscles are fatigued, especially day after day. What may initially be perceived as tightness one day could become pain days later if the same activities continue to be performed without rest.

But I have a job to do. True…and that is fine. There are some easy to do movements/stretches that are effective at reducing the strain into the elbow/forearm muscles. These can be done while at your desk at work or even on the job site…And they do not take long to do which is the best part.

What are these movements/stretches you ask? Here are 2 easy ones to try

1. With your elbow straight pull your fingertips towards the sky then pull them down toward the floor. Hold each 10-15 seconds 3 reps. Perform these 2x/day
2. Holding a water bottle at one end, rotate bottle so your closed palm points down then reverse so it points to the ceiling. Perform 10 reps in each direction 2x/day

Understand there will be some individual variation from person to person and there is no guarantee that either will work for you. If you do not find them helpful for have been struggling for more than 4 weeks with pain, consultation with a medical professional is advised. Not sure where to begin? Click the following LINK to request a phone consultation to learn more.