You heard about tennis elbow but you must know that it does not only affect tennis players – you might suffer tennis elbow as well. With this, you should know how to prevent it. Before everything, you should first understand the condition. Tennis elbow can affect people at any age but it is common at about age 40.
Tennis elbow is medically known as lateral epicondylitis. This happens when you strain the tendons in the forearm. This condition causes pain in the arm and elbow. You can have this condition if you have repetitive gripping activities especially if it involves using the thumb and the first two fingers over a long period of time.
The good news is that it can be treated at home while doing specific exercises. Before you do anything, you should seek https://nydnrehab.com/what-we-treat/tennis-elbow-lateral-epicondylitis/ first. Specialists will recommend best practices for preventing reoccurrence of tennis elbow. Here’s a list:
At home
When you are at home, it does not mean that you are less prone to tennis elbow. You should do exercises to strengthen and stretch your wrist or forearm muscles. Aside from exercising, you should make it a point to refrain making the same arm and hand movements over and over. If this is not possible, the least that you should do is to wear a brace and take breaks.
You should also learn how to utilise your upper arm and shoulder muscles. This will take the strain off the elbow. Additionally, refrain from bending or straightening your arm all the way. If you do exercise, do not forget to warm up and stretch.
When working
When you are at work, there is a possibility of tennis elbow. You should refrain working with a bent wrist. The best thing to do is to keep in straight as much as possible. Aside from this, you should also stick with smooth movements instead of erratic ones. Finally, you should talk to your boss and discuss changing the setup of your workstation to reduce the strain.
When using tools
If you are handling tools most of the time, you should learn how to prevent the reoccurrence of tennis elbow otherwise it will cost you your job. You can start with purchasing tools that have bigger grips. To help you more, you should wear gloves and add padding.
When it comes to holding the tools, make sure that you hold it with a looser grip. This will allow taking some tension of out your hand. Finding the right tools can make a difference. For your hammer, make sure that you find one with padding. This can help absorb shock reducing the strain on your elbow.
When playing
Whether you play for fun or professionally, you should ensure that you have the right racket to reduce the strain on your tendons. Always go for rackets that are lighter weight, larger grips and having softer strings.
If you have a coach, you will be taught the right form and the appropriate technique to avoid injury. You need to follow the instructions given to you otherwise it will cost you your performance. More importantly, you should use your whole lower body in every stroke – not just your arm.
