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Prevent tennis elbow in Mattawan, MI, with these two exercises

The elbow is used for many more daily tasks than many people realize. Just think about how hard it would be to raise a glass from the table to your mouth without your elbow. However, normal activities like this can become painful and more difficult if you have tennis elbow. This condition is when the tendons on the outside of your elbow become inflamed and painful, and it’s typically caused by some form of repetitive elbow movement. If your goal is to prevent tennis elbow in Mattawan, Michigan, there are two exercises that can help.

1. Fist clench

Preventing tennis elbow may be a goal for two groups of people. The first group is people who have already had this issue and don’t want it to come back; the second is people who do repetitive elbow movements and want to avoid getting tennis elbow. One therapeutic exercise that can help these people meet their goal is the fist clench.

To begin the fist clench exercise, you’ll need to grab a rolled-up towel or a small stress ball, and this exercise will also require a flat surface like a table or counter. Get into the starting position for this exercise by holding the towel or ball in your left hand, and then you’ll lay your forearm on the table or counter so that your palm is facing up.

From this starting position, squeeze the towel or ball with your hand. Hold the squeeze for about 10 seconds and then relax your hand. If you can’t hold the pressure for 10 seconds, hold it for as long as you can and work your way up to a 10-second hold. Repeat the squeezing and relaxing steps with your left hand until you’ve completed eight to 10 repetitions and then switch to your right hand and repeat the steps with that hand.

2. Dumbbell supination

Another exercise that can help prevent tennis elbow is dumbbell supination. Supination is the act of rotating the forearm and hand so that the palm faces up, and this action is performed by a large muscle in the forearm called the supinator. Increasing the strength of this muscle can help decrease strain on the tendon that attaches it to the elbow, which may help prevent tennis elbow.

You should begin the dumbbell supination exercise by grabbing a two-pound dumbbell. If you don’t have a weight this size, you can use a large can of soup or vegetables instead. The starting position for this exercise will require you to sit in a stable chair, and once seated, you’ll need to rest your left elbow on your left knee. While in this position, you should be gripping the weight with your palm facing toward the ground. From the starting position, slowly rotate your forearm so that your palm is facing up and then slowly allow your arm to return to the starting position. Repeat these steps until you’ve completed 15 to 20 reps with each arm.

Armor Physical Therapy can help you find other ways to treat and prevent tennis elbow in Mattawan, MI

Mattawan residents who need help treating or preventing tennis elbow need look no further than your local Armor Physical Therapy clinic. Our clinic offers free screenings that can be used to identify issues that could cause tennis elbow. Using this information, we will then build you an individualized plan to address these issues, and your plan may include therapy methods like: