
Start slow with your tennis elbow treatment. Remember above everything
else that you must pace yourself—not strain yourself. Tennis
elbow treatment should be like any other soft tissue injury, using
the following process:
R.I.C.E.R:
Rest:
Resting your injury is essential for your tennis elbow before
you attempt to fix it with physical therapy.
Ice:
Doctors always recommend that you keep ice on any serious muscle
or tendon injury to reduce the swelling—it will help your injury
heal as well as reducing inflammation.
(side note:) Another tennis elbow treatment that will
help you is, if you do take pain medication: avoid aspirin, acetaminophen,
and other fever reducer/antipyretic. Instead use something with an
anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, to keep the swelling down.
Compression:
Get a wrap for your arm and wrist. This is another way to keep
the swelling down and to keep your muscles and tendons from being
further abused by helping keep them compressed and in place.
Elevation:
Whenever you can, try to elevate your injured arm—this will
help keep your arm from additional pain and swelling due to too much
blood in the injured place. Lifting your arm reduces the amount of
blood flowing through the arm.
Referral:
Do not try to do it all yourself, get a medical specialist to
have a look at the injury and determine tennis elbow treatment for
you.
When you have to receive tennis elbow treatment for any serious tennis
elbow condition—which is considered a Repetitive Stress Injury,
(RSI) so as soon as you begin to improve you should start, gently
with a couple of resistance tennis elbow exercises. Of course, you
want to start simple, and work your way up to things like dumbbells.
If you strain to re-gain strength before the tendons and muscles
are ready, you can considerably undo any progress you may have made—or
even make the problem worse. Once you can use dumbbells (even very
light ones) we suggest that you try various exercises.
For example:
- Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit down.
- Lay your forearms down your thighs.
- Be sure that your hands are hanging over your knees.
- Your palms should be facing upwards.
- Begin by curling the weight upwards at the wrist and lowering
slowly.
Another example:
- Try a simple tennis elbow treatment like squeezing a ball in your
hand.
- Hold the ball firmly as possible (momentarily) before releasing.
You can find great resources and individual instructors who can help
you along the way, too. There are a few very good tennis elbow treatments
and exercises such as this one that could be great for your tennis
elbow.
However, Let your tennis elbow treatment vary depending on how well
you feel—but always remember to include a few movements or exercises
for tennis elbow treatment as part of your regular schedule twice
every day. Your overall strength should get better.
Don’t worry—you can still keep in shape by doing lower
body cardiovascular tennis elbow treatments such as running, elliptical
exercise, and hiking, etc. Of course, you want to start simple, and
work your way up to things like dumbbells.
If you strain in attempt to re-gain strength before the tendons and
muscles are ready, you can considerably reverse the progress you might
have already made. You could even make the problem worse, causing
extra damage by straining the already torn tendon.