How to Get Rid of Pain From Tennis Elbow

You do not have to be a tennis player to get "tennis elbow." In fact, it is an extremely common diagnosis. The technical term for this condition is lateral epicondylitis. It means that you have overused or applied too much force to the wrist. Often the backhand is to blame for tennis players, or repetitive motions in other cases. It can happen suddenly or gradually. The result is pain in the wrist or elbow area, and it can get so severe that even shaking hands hurts. But the pain can be minimized with proper care.

Instructions

• 1

  Rest the elbow and wrist. According to Anybody's Sports Medicine Book, the sooner you recognize the pain as tennis elbow and take care of it, the better off you will be. You need to stop doing the activities that caused the initial injury. If you recognize pain early, resting for a day or two may bring relief. For severe cases, you may need to completely rest the area for a week to 10 days.

• 2

  Apply ice or cold packs. You can freeze water inside a small paper cup and do an ice massage over the affected area. Since there is inflammation involved, ice can minimize the swelling and reduce the pain. Apply cold therapy for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time. If you catch tennis elbow early, icing and stretching the muscles can quickly reduce the pain and get you back to all activities.

• 3

  Use a sling or counterforce device. A simple sling over the shoulder and under the elbow can immobilize the arm to reduce the chance of additional injury. It will also make you less likely to open doors, shake hands, and other simple activities that cause pain. A counterforce device such as a Cho-Pat splint puts pressure so that the muscle will stabilize and lessen pain.

• 4

  Stretch the muscles attached to the elbow and wrist. To stretch these, extend your arm out in front of you. You may want to have the elbow bent to start. Make sure your palm is facing down. Then use your other hand to bend the hand of the affected elbow underneath as far as you can stand it. Keep stretching and gradually straighten the arm so there is no bend in the elbow.

• 5

  Once the pain has subsided, strengthen the muscles to reduce the chance of getting tennis elbow again. According to Anybody's Sports Medicine Book, the best exercise for strengthening is reverse wrist curls. You can do these by resting your arm on a table or chair arm and letting the hand and wrist dangle off. Then lift your hand up and press the wrist back so knuckles are aiming toward the forearm. Try 10 repetitions.