Tennis elbow, also known as elbow epicondylitis, is not a pleasant condition to experience, especially if you rely heavily on your elbow for work or sport. The good news is that you don’t have to wait to be a victim by taking proactive measures. Here is a brief look at some of the steps you can take to keep tennis elbow at bay.
Stay away from repetitive tasks
Elbow epicondylitis is usually caused by repetitive tasks featuring impact or hitting movements with the arms. Whether it is playing tennis, or repeated use of your arms to work with machines or other forms of tools, you must go slow on them, or possibly reduce the frequency of their use if you can as a means of preventing tennis elbow.
Exercise your forearm properly
Consider performing simple wrist flexes and wrist extensions daily. These exercises are well-known to target the muscles of the forearm and, if done correctly, will help to keep elbow epicondylitis at bay.
This is because the forearm muscles are directly attached to the elbow, and they need to be strong if you are to protect the elbow muscles, especially if you are normally involved in strenuous activities.
Learn to take regular breaks
Another way of avoiding injury and ensuring that you don’t have to worry about tennis elbow treatment, is to give yourself regular breaks whenever you feel your forearm becoming sore. Sports like tennis require a lot of arm movement and they can easily trigger pain in your forearms and elbows.
As such, it is highly recommended that you take lots of breaks in between matches. If you are engaged in such sports or work a lot with your elbows, it may also be a good idea to apply ice at least twice every day to help with the inflammation.
Learn how to use tools correctly
To stay safe from this condition when using tools, it is recommended that you should use tools with wider grips. It is also a good idea if you wear gloves or add extra padding to reduce the impact of the tool on your arm and elbows.
If your job involves hitting objects with a hammer, be sure to use the tool with adequate padding to help with absorbing the shock generated from the impact.
Consider using tennis elbow straps
If you feel an increase in pain or suspect that you are suffering from tennis elbow, you should consider seeing a doctor immediately. In the meantime, using a tennis elbow strap to ease the stress on your muscles while playing or working will greatly reduce discomfort.
However, ensure that the strap is not too tight since it can interfere with the effective flow of blood to your arms and wrist.
