Your doctor may recommend the following self-care measures:
- Rest. Avoid activities that aggravate your elbow pain.
- Pain relievers. Try over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or naproxen (Aleve).
- Ice. Apply ice or a cold pack for 15 minutes three to four times a day.
- Technique.
Sleeping with tennis elbowTo avoid putting strain on your elbow while recovering from tennis elbow, you should sleep on your back and try to keep your arms in a straighter, more natural relaxed position. It helps to prop up each arm on pillows on either side of you.
Mild soreness in the elbow that comes and goes may improve in 6 to 8 weeks. Prolonged elbow pain and soreness may improve in 6 to 12 months. In some cases, the pain lasts for 2 years or longer. Severe elbow pain or tennis elbow that doesn't improve with 6 to 12 months of tendon rest and rehab may benefit from surgery.
COMPRESSION. This can be achieved by using an ACE wrap or a neoprene elbow sleeve. An elbow brace may be recommended to help support elbow tendons, thereby reducing tension and pressure on these tendons and relieving the inflammation.
The symptoms of tennis elbow include pain and tenderness in the bony knob on the outside of your elbow. This knob is where the injured tendons connect to the bone. The pain may also radiate into the upper or lower arm. Although the damage is in the elbow, you're likely to hurt when doing things with your hands.
Repetitive lifting or motions: Exercises that rely on repetitive lifting or repetitive motions of your elbow and wrist can agitate your injury. When you're working out in this condition, do as few repetitions as possible.
Some will suggest that wearing a brace to keep either your elbow or your wrist straight will help prevent pain at night while you sleep. This may work – but it may also have negative consequences.
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- Best Overall: Simien Tennis Elbow Brace at Amazon.
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What exercises should I do if I have tennis elbow?
- FINGER STRETCH WITH RUBBER BAND. Place a rubber band around your thumb and fingers, and slightly cup your hand.
- GRIP.
- DOWNWARD WRIST STRETCH.
- WRIST CURL (PALM UP, PALM DOWN)
- ELBOW CURLS (PALM UP, PALM DOWN)
- FOREARM PULL (OPTIONAL)
- FOREARM TWIST (OPTIONAL)
How tight should elbow sleeves be? Look for a snug fit. If the elbow sleeve is too tight it can do the opposite of what you're wanting, restricting flow and movement. On the other hand, elbow sleeves should not be loose because you lose out on the compression benefits.
In most cases, true tennis elbow which does not heal after 6 to 8 weeks is due to a non-inflammatory issue. 80% of these cases do not recover as the tendon matrix has been compromised by inappropriate loading such as the overuse of the tendon. This may lead to early wear and tear of the tendon matrix.
Although applying cold to your elbow will help alleviate some pain, heat is better for the long-term care of tennis elbow. Why? Heat actually promotes the flow of blood in your body by relaxing and expanding your muscles.
Deep tissue massage to the forearm is a very effective method of easing tennis elbow and healing it much faster than rest alone. Deep tissue massage will enhance circulation and combining this with friction therapy to the tendons on the elbow joint, positive results are seen.
Tennis Elbow SymptomsThe most common symptom of tennis elbow is an ache on the outside of your elbow. Over time -- from a few weeks to a few months -- the ache turns into a constant pain. The outside of your elbow may be too painful to touch. You can have tennis elbow in one or both arms.
I have had serious tennis elbow pain for several months, and tried a cortisone shot, but that didn't work. I started to use Tiger Balm and Instantly, the pain and stiffness went away.