Two tennis elbow prevention exercises to use in Rockford, MI

Tennis players aren’t the only people who perform repetitive elbow movements, and anyone that does these types of movements regularly can develop tennis elbow. This issue is also called lateral epicondylitis. People who are more likely to develop tennis elbow include painters, construction workers and assembly line workers. If you’re worried about developing tennis elbow, there are two exercises that can help prevent this injury. 

1.   Towel twist

Exercises that are intended to help prevent tennis elbow tend to focus on strengthening the forearm muscles. However, it’s a good idea to warm up these muscles before doing any strengthening exercises, and the towel twist is just such a warmup exercise. 

To do the towel twist, you’ll need a small hand or dish towel. You’ll want to make sure you roll the towel up loosely before you start the exercise, and you should grasp the towel with one hand at each end. You’ll also want to focus on keeping your shoulders relaxed during the movement. 

Start the exercise by holding the towel out in front of you with your palms facing downward. Then, twist the towel like you’re wringing water out of it, and you can start by moving your right hand forward and left hand backward to produce the twist. Repeat this twisting movement with your hands moving in the same direction for a total of 10 repetitions. Then, you’ll want to twist your hands in the opposite directions for another 10 reps. 

2.   Wrist lift

Once you’ve warmed up the forearm muscles, you can move on to doing strengthening exercises designed to prevent tennis elbow. An example of this type of exercise is the wrist lift. 

Begin this exercise by laying your right arm on a table with your palm facing up. You’ll want to make sure that your wrist is hanging over the edge of the table, and you should grasp a light weight in your right hand. If you don’t have a weight, you can use a can of beans or a similar object. From this starting position, curl your wrist upward as far as you can and try to hold it in this position for three to five seconds. Once this time is up, slowly lower your wrist back to the starting position. Complete these steps a total of 10 to 15 times to do one set of wrist lifts. 

Come find out how Advent Physical Therapy in Rockford, MI, can help you with tennis elbow

People in Rockford, Michigan, who are looking for tennis elbow treatment and prevention can find it at Advent Physical Therapy. Our Rockford clinic offers free screenings for this condition and many others. We also have experience building personalized treatment and prevention plans for tennis elbow, and our plans often include therapy techniques such as: 

• Therapeutic exercises
• Manual therapy
• Kinesiology taping
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)

Are you ready to get our help treating or preventing tennis elbow? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.