How to Cure a Tennis Elbow - Is There Painless Way?

(Last Updated on May 11, 2024 by Henry)

Tennis Elbow –

How to Recognize Tennis Elbow? What are the common symptoms? What should you do if you’re affected?

Is there a painless way how to cure a tennis elbow while staying at home? In most cases, absolutely.

But how to self-diagnose Tennis Elbow in the first place to know exactly what you’re dealing with?

Do you feel pain in your elbow & forearms while performing your regular everyday tasks?

This could be it. Fortunately, it’s not complicated to spot Tennis Elbow & you can usually do it on your own.

Tennis Elbow – A Classic Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

The most common symptom of tennis elbow is an ache on the outside of the elbow. Over the course of a few weeks or months, this ache can turn into chronic pain. As a result, the outside of your elbow can also become severely painful to touch.

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What Are The 7 Important Steps to Cure Tennis Elbow?

Here is Your Main “Battle Plan”

1st Step – Apply Heat & Cold – Start things off by using ice packs to reduce swelling in tendons. 3 x per day up to 10 mins. You can also try keeping your elbow warm by applying a heat pack – It’s proven to be effective in relieving pain.
2nd Step – Use Painkillers – Using anti-inflammatory drugs, and OTC medicine such as aspirin or ibuprofen can be great. Also, muscle relaxants & prescribed drugs if necessary – To reduce swelling & inflammation in your tendons & soft tissue.
3rd Step – Start Physical Therapy – Do this ASAP! This is the key to getting rid of pain – Medicine is a temporary solution for pain, and exercising can be a permanent one. Once pain is under control, focus on stretching & especially working on muscle balance.
4th Step – Use Elbow Sleeves – Using a brace, splint, and sleeve is an excellent & very smart move – You’re technically creating an extra tendon for your body to protect you & help your muscles to sit in the correct position & prevent further injuries.
5th Step – Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatment – This procedure involves injecting a portion of the patient’s own blood into affected tissues. This is an excellent option if resting, heat, cold & physical therapy have not been effective enough.
6th Step – Cortisone injections – If other forms of treatment haven’t helped, patients with severe pain can effectively reduce pain with cortisone injections – Although, this is rather a temporary solution with possible adverse effects.
7th Step – Surgery – In rare cases, if the condition won’t respond well enough to conservative treatments & there’s possible structural damage in the elbow area, surgery can be a good, viable option. Very few patients ever require surgery.

Your Main Focus Should Be On Resting & Physical Therapy – Doing Stretches & Building Muscle Balance

Before You Proceed with Exercises Have a Brief Yet Conclusive Overview

What Exactly is Tennis Elbow?

Tennis Elbow is one of the most common types of tendonitis (Tendonitis) – A condition in which case, the tissue connecting muscle to bone, becomes inflamed. More precisely, the forearm muscle connects to the elbow.

Tennis Elbow, also known as Lateral Epicondylitis is a common medical condition, that is treatable by medical professionals. It’s usually self-diagnosable & requires no lab tests or imaging.

Lateral Epicondylitis is a medium-term condition that usually resolves itself within months.

It affects more than 200,000 people in the US per year. The most common age group this condition affects is between 30 to 50 years old. It may also occur in younger & older age groups, in both men & women.

Although Lateral Epicondylitis is termed tendonitis there are few inflammatory changes in the tissue & therefore it is considered more of a mechanical problem with degeneration of the tendon.

What is Lateral Epicondylitis?
Lateral Epicondylitis is known as Tennis Elbow – An irritation of the tissue connecting the forearm muscle to the elbow. It’s a common injury that is usually self-diagnosable & requires no lab test & also usually heals with minor treatment.
What are the Symptoms of Lateral Epicondylitis?
The primary symptom is pain – With Tennis Elbow, pain usually occurs on the outside of the elbow. (Opposite version of Golfers Elbow – A condition that causes pain on the inner side of the elbow). In some cases, pain can also spread into your forearm or wrist. Sometimes it’s the combination of both, depending on how severe the case is. That area is also tender to touch. Any motion of the elbow can also be painful & limit your activities.
What Causes Lateral Epicondylitis?
Tennis elbow can be caused by repetitive wrist & arm motions – Pain is usually produced by activities that place stress on the tendons, for example gripping or lifting movements. It’s believed that muscle overuse or trauma causes a microscopic tear in the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle. The Lateral Epicondyle of the humerus is a small, tuberculated eminence, curved a little forward, & giving attachment to the radial collateral ligament of the elbow joint. Also to a tendon common to the origin of the supinator & some of the extensor muscles.
How to Diagnose Lateral Epicondylitis?
Diagnosing Lateral Epicondylitis starts with a physical examination that includes your medical history. In most cases, lab tests or imaging are not required. If necessary diagnostic tests are applied, such as X-ray imaging or Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): To spot abnormalities, confirm diagnosis & more importantly, to rule out other possible conditions.
How to Treat Lateral Epicondylitis?
Tennis Elbow is usually treated with rest, OTC medicine & physical therapy – To reduce pain, the main focus is on giving hands a proper rest & using anti-inflammatory pain relievers if it’s necessary. As well as cold & hot therapy. Resting is important to reduce inflammation & thus also reduce pain. It should be paired up with wearing a brace, counter-force splint, or sleeve to prevent further injury & trauma. To help tendons heal, physical therapy & stretching can be beneficial to recover faster. A good alternative can be platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment. In severe pain cases, Cortisone injections are usually helpful. As a last resort, if other forms of treatments are not effective enough, surgery is also a viable option.

Start With Stretching & Light Exercises for Warm-Up

More Flexibility Is Good

It’s a smart idea to start things off slowly with stretching & light exercises to reduce stiffness & add more flexibility. Remember, at the same time, when putting in effort to recover as quickly as possible, let’s also avoid further injuries. Accommodate your body with new exercises & go step by step. Start testing what can you do, & how can you do it.

Once you’re familiar with the drill, don’t hesitate to add intensity – Step it up & add some strengthening exercises. Having more muscle mass in the right spot can make a world of difference.

Muscle is like a cushion that protects your joints. You should focus on building more balanced muscles. In that way, you help to take off the strain from overused muscles.

If You’re Trying to Treat Tennis Elbow At Home

Follow These 4 Steps

Rest a lot – Resting your fingers, wrist, & forearm muscles to allow your tendon to heal
Reduce Pain – Use OTC anti-inflammatory medicine, or ice packs for 10 to 15 minutes at a time
Protect Your Arm – Wear a counter-force brace during activities that require grasping or twisting the arm
Start Physical Therapy – Once the pain is gone, & you’ve rested enough, start with stretches & light hand exercises

1 Rest Alot

Resting also means modifying your activities. Try not to do things that hurt your arm. Rest your fingers, wrist & forearm muscles to allow your tendon to heal. Initially, you should limit the activity that’s causing the condition. Limit aggravating activity instead of total rest is recommended.

Also, try to modify your grip techniques & use different equipment. For example, if you’re literally a tennis player, use a different size racket. In addition, use different techniques such as a 2-handed backhand. Keep testing different scenarios to see what’s effective enough & works best for you the best.

2 Reduce Pain

Use Over-the-counter medication if necessary. Aspirin & Ibuprofen work well. It’s useful to use anti-inflammatory medications in the Tennis Elbow case, which may help alleviate the pain. It’s important to reduce inflammation in your tendon as quickly & as much as possible.

The more effectively you can reduce inflammation, the quicker the pain associated with Tennis Elbow goes away. Alternatively, you can use ice or cold packs for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Feel free to do it several times a day.

3 Protect Your Arm

Always do this to prevent further injuries. Using an elbow brace or sleeve technically creates an additional tendon for you that protects your arm. Also, keeping your tendons & muscles in place can be excellent for speedy recovery.

This is a great one that many folks tend to ignore for some reason. Using an elbow brace, a band that is worn over the muscle of the forearm, or just below the elbow, helps to reduce the tension on the tendon. By taking off the pressure from the tendon, you’re allowing it to heal faster.

4 Start Your PT

Rest up, get rid of pain & then start with your Physical Therapy ASAP. As soon as the pain is gone, it’s time to start with your physical therapy to prevent further symptoms of Tennis Elbow. By doing so you’re putting in work to prevent & stop acute pain from becoming chronic pain.

Stretching & strengthening exercises may be helpful to treat symptoms & prevent this condition from re-occurring in the future. There are multiple exercises that you can do at home every day. They’re simple & usually require no more than a couple of minutes of your time.

What Are The Best Training Tools to Cure Tennis Elbow?

Rehab Tennis Elbow with Training Equipment that Help to Build Muscle Balance

Focus on Hand Extensors & Flexors

At Tennis Elbow case we’re likely looking at Repetitive Strain Injury. So, you want your focus on stretching exercises as well as working both your extensor & flexor muscles in your arms to build more muscle balance.

Building equalized muscle in your forearms is the key to getting rid of Tennis Elbow & having healthy, pain-free hands.

Working on your extensors is incredibly important – This is the part most folks ignore & never work on, & can be one of the major factors in getting into trouble in the first place. Take advantage of that: Work your hand extensors.

Your hand recovery training tool set should include multiple different resistance levels. This way you ensure you have plenty of room for progression as well as a way to go easier if the one tool you are using becomes overwhelming.

It’s better if it’s on the easy side than just too difficult, to avoid injuring yourself further. Having a whole set of tools means a more versatile approach, so you can regain your strength, and heal quickly & effectively.

#1
Expand-Your-Hand Bands

#2
Gaiam Hand Therapy Kit

#3
SideWinder ProXtreme

Sidewinder ProXtreme adjustable wrist roller

Simple hand bands are the absolute #1 training tools to cure the Tennis Elbow in a pain-free way. You should own a pair no matter what. The vast majority of folks never train their extensor muscles.

No better way to work your hand extensor muscles & build muscle balance than using simple rubber hand bands. Not training extensors at all is a recipe for disaster – Working hand, finger & forearm muscles in one direction only.

To avoid that you want to focus on counter-movements to achieve muscle balance. Using hand bands is fun & simple. It requires no more than a couple of minutes of your time per day.

Doing so also has long-term benefits if you’re using them on a regular basis. On top of that, rubber hand bands are easily portable. Put one around your wrist or throw it into your pocket.

Rubber Exercise Balls are one of the most effective & common approaches for hand therapy. These are excellent for developing crush-grip strength, clenching & squeezing.

Be it rehab for a dislocated finger, recovery from stroke, arthritis, tendinitis or simply weak hands that need tuning up. Exercise balls are also one of the few, if not the only way to work your finger adduction movements.

These are a big part of your regular hand therapy. You can grab, clench, squeeze & do stretching movements with all fingers. These are great to increase your overall hand health, make weak hands stronger & also help to relieve stress from hands.

Build up your pinch grip as well as your overall crush grip strength. Tune up your thumb & finger flexor muscles. Exercise balls are also highly recommended for warm-up before starting a hand gripper training session.

The wrist roller is one of the most useful tools to treat a Tennis Elbow. Get your wrists stronger in every direction. Adjustable wrist rollers are highly effective because compared to regular wrist rollers, adjustable one uses neither rope nor weight plates.

This makes it excellent for rehab purposes. It’s designed to move in one motion, in a smooth & safe way. No sudden moves & no dropping weights, resulting in less further injury or complications.

It’s a fun device, great for rehab & also outstanding later on for progressing in overall grip strength. The idea is to train both wrist flexor & extensor muscles that help to build strong wrists in all directions.

Also thanks to the additional focus on extensors it helps to build muscle balance in your forearms. Adjustable roller resistance levels begin with virtually no resistance, making it an excellent rehab tool.

Tennis Elbow – Frequently Asked Questions

#1 Can You Get Tennis Elbow from Falling?

Yes – It’s direct trauma that can easily be the underlying cause for this condition.
Direct blow to the elbow can result in swelling & tear of the tendon that leads to tendon degeneration.

Usually, Tennis Elbow is caused by repetitive motions & overuse of the forearm muscles but it may also be caused by direct trauma such as with a fall, car accident, or work injury.

For speedy recovery, it’s recommended to give your hand plenty of rest & consult with a medical professional to rule out possible fractures, complications caused by trauma, or other related conditions.

Activities that include sudden extreme moves or force could also injure the tendon further. It’s important to avoid these actions while recovering from Tennis Elbow.

#2 What Muscles are Affected by Tennis Elbow?

Tennis Elbow affects your forearm muscles that extend your wrist & fingers.

Your forearm tendons, often called extensors, attach the muscles to bone.
They attach on the lateral epicondyle.

The tendon usually involved in tennis elbow is called the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (ECRB).

#3 How Long Do You Recover from Tennis Elbow??

It’s a medium-term condition that usually resolves within months.

In most cases tennis elbow effectively responds to rest, ice & pain medicine, rehab exercises & counterforce braces.

This condition takes time to heal & having patience helps to avoid further complications.

Surgery is considered a last resort when all other non-surgical treatments have already failed.

#4 What to Do if You Have Bruised Your Elbow?

Start with giving your hand rest & place an ice pack on the sore area for 10 to 15 minutes, three times a day. Use a compression bandage to reduce swelling.

Your main goal should be to protect & keep the elbow area from getting any further injuries. Rest & avoid the activities that caused your injury. If that’s not possible, try to modify these activities to put less strain on your elbow.

Depending on how severe the case, is & if bruising has caused additional possible injuries or trauma, you should consider consulting with your doctor for better medical evaluation.

Most elbow pain improves with simple home treatments & resolves itself.

#5 What's the Difference Between Tennis Elbow & Golfer's Elbow?

Tennis elbow is commonly known as a degeneration & inflammation of the tendons that join the muscles of the forearm on the outside of your elbow.

It often happens as a result of strenuous overuse of the muscles & tendons of the forearm & around the elbow joint.

Tennis Elbow is also known as lateral elbow pain or Lateral Epicondylitis.
Lateral means involving the tendons that attach to the bone on the outside.

The opposite version of the Tennis Elbow is called Golfer’s Elbow, Medial Epicondylitis that affects the inner side of the elbow.

#6 How Often is Surgery Needed for Tennis Elbow?

In rare cases surgery is needed for Tennis Elbow – This option is only needed when other treatment options won’t bring effective enough results.

Surgery is considered when the pain has become incapacitating & has not responded to conservative, non-surgical treatment & symptoms have already lasted more than six months.

Surgery involves removing the diseased, degenerated tendon tissue.

There are two surgical approaches available:

Traditional Open Surgery – Procedure that includes performing an incision
Arthroscopy – Instruments are inserted into the elbow joint through small incisions

Both options are performed in the outpatient setting.

Recovery from surgery: Physical therapy that includes daily exercises to regain the motion of the arm.

It involves a strengthening program focusing on gaining functional strength & will be necessary for you in order to return to prior activities.

You can expect post-surgery recovery to take about 4 to 6 months.

#7 How Long Does it Take for a Cortisone Injection to Work?

Usually, the immediate effect is from the local anesthetic injected.

This is expected to wear off in a few hours.

Cortisone is a strong anti-inflammatory steroid that starts working in about 2-7 days and its effect can last for several days to a reasonably long time.

#8 What Types of Treatments are Used for Tennis Elbow?

Non-surgical approach (Conservative) – Using pain relievers, modifying activity & physical therapy.
Surgical Approach – Procedure that involves removing the diseased, degenerated tendon tissue.

1Non-surgical:

Rest / Modifying activity
Elbow brace/sleeve
Medication/ice / heat
Physical hand therapy

2Medical approaches:

Steroid injections
Shockwave treatment
Ultrasound treatment
PRP treatment

3Surgical approaches:

Surgery
a) Traditional Surgery
b) Arthroscopy
Recovery from surgery

Steroid injections – A steroid can be used as a strong anti-inflammatory medication. It can be injected into the elbow area. Usually, three (3) is the maximum amount of injections that should be given.

Shockwave treatment – This is a new type of treatment, available in the office setting. Statistically, it has shown success in up to 60% of patients. This procedure involves a shock wave that is delivered to the affected area around the elbow – It’s usually used as one of the last resorts prior to the consideration of surgery.

Ultrasound & heat treatment – In addition to other forms of treatments, these particular treatments could be an effective solution & may prove useful for tendon & soft tissue recovery.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment – A new type of therapy that involves an injection of a portion of a patient’s own blood back into the damaged tissues. The idea of the procedure is that regenerative chemicals & cells in the blood will enable the tendons of the elbow to heal themselves.

To start any of these 4 treatments, you have to consult with a medical professional

#9 What Stretches Should You Do for Tennis Elbow?

Wrist Flexor Stretching Exercise

Extend your arm in front of you
Turn your palm up
Bend your wrist by pointing your fingers toward
Use your other hand & gently bend your wrist
Bend your wrist with the other hand until you feel a moderate stretch
Hold the position for 15 to 20 seconds
Rinse & Repeat – Do it up to 4 sets

#10 Is Tennis Elbow Acute or Chronic Injury?

Tennis Elbow usually starts out as an acute injury – It’s a physical injury that resolves within weeks or months.

In acute injury cases, there’s acute pain which is the body’s normal response to physical injuries & damage such as infection or cut.

Acute pain is a temporary type of pain that usually comes fast & also resolves fast – Something that goes away in a few weeks or months if treated in the correct way.

However, in some cases, acute pain can also become chronic pain, when the underlying cause is difficult to treat.
One of these conditions can be the Tennis Elbow which becomes a chronic injury.

If Tennis Elbow symptoms have lasted more than 6 weeks, this is considered to be a sub-acute injury.

If the Tennis Elbow has not been healed & it’s gone beyond the 3-month mark, chances are it’s likely Chronic Tennis Elbow.

Even When You’ve Cured the Injury – Keep Working on More Muscle Balance

Balanced Muscles, Pain-Free Hands

Muscle overuse through repetitive motions can lead to Repetitive Strain Injury. That can be work-related & non-work-related – Some specific activity that places stress on tendon attachments. Also, stress on extensor muscles increases possible strain on tendons.

Doing the same movements over & over again fatigues the most dominant muscles & can lead to muscle imbalance. Unbalanced muscles can be a recipe for disaster that needs to be fixed quickly. It does not happen overnight, it’s rather a process over months. Fortunately, simple minor adjustments can make a notable difference for you.

One of the highly recommended solutions is to consistently work on counter-movements to restore muscle balance, meanwhile giving as much rest as possible to your dominant, over-used muscles that may cause pain in your elbows, wrists, or forearms.

If your arms hurt, preferably avoid strenuous activities & movements such as lifting too heavy. Or splitting blocks into the half with your elbow in karate style..

Remember to Wear Counter-Force Brace

Brace is Like an Extra Tendon for You

For some reason, a lot of folks still tend to neglect this part. Don’t be one of those people. Brace is already a proven, reliable & effective measure.

It’s already known that an elbow counterforce brace is a simple, yet highly effective mode of treatment for elbow tendonitis taking the form of either tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow.

Doing so relieves Tennis Elbow & Elbow Tendonitis Pain. Compression in the elbow sleeve helps to stimulate blood flow – It helps to improve circulation to reduce inflammation & relieve elbow pain.

The compression also stabilizes the muscles in the elbow area, preventing further symptoms. You should take full advantage of that if you want to get well & recover as quickly as possible.

It’s specifically designed for one of those conditions like Tennis Elbow to help you relieve pain & get you healed up quickly. In many cases, it effectively prevents further injury.

Orthopedic Surgeons Warn that You Should Avoid Cortisone Steroid Injections

It’s a Temporary Fix, with Possible side effects

In the severe case of Tennis Elbow, using anti-inflammatory steroid injections such as Cortisone is initially a good option. A lot of patients have been very satisfied with the results.

However, the effect won’t last permanently & within months eventually wears off.
There’s a risk & it has led to even more intense pain than before injections.

Yet Another Route – Kinesiology Therapeutic Tape

Recover As Olympic Athletes Do

This is very similar to a counter-force brace & elbow sleeves. KT Tape is highly favored by many top athletes around the globe to heal up multiple, very different injuries. One of them could be Tennis Elbow.

However, I recommend KT tape for those who don’t want to be complete beginners & are willing to learn more fancy tricks. Why? You must know HOW to tape – This is the hard part – The question is not about how effective the KT tape is, it’s the opposite, it’s very effective but… It’s not too easy to get this tape applied the correct way if you don’t have any experience with it.

My suggestion would be to find a partner who’s willing to help you with taping. Preferably, in the ideal case, someone with relevant experience – Such as certified chiropractic, who likely can be an ideal individual for the taping task.

It’s yet another alternative solution to help you get your Tennis Elbow treated & healed up. It’s great & highly effective.

Thanks for Stopping By

Have Questions?
Please Leave A Comment

4 thoughts on “How to Cure a Tennis Elbow – Is There Painless Way?”

Sethu says:

June 28, 2017 at 7:57 am

I had a pain in my elbow two weeks ago. Couldn’t lift a thing. All my works got delayed. At the time of pain, I used ice packs but to no avail. The next day pain got worse. I think while sleeping, I might’ve positioned my arms in unfavorable ways.

Though days passed, I still occasionally feel some sore in my elbow. Your article is an eye opener and I will definitely put the tips into practice.
Again, I’m all in for KT tape. If it’s effective, I’ll surely try it.

1. Henry says:
  
  June 29, 2017 at 2:37 am
  
  Sounds like you’ve stretched your tendon. That is some of the more annoying pain there is. Judging by intensity of pain & how much you can move your elbow, make sure tendon isn’t snapped off. For that, I’d strongly recommend to get a medical professional check it for you.
  
  If it’s not that drastic, general recipe is to rest, ice, elevate. Give it plenty of rest & fixate it into safe position with elbow sleeve or brace. Depending on spot of injury, KT tape could work but someone with knowledge how to apply it has to do it for you.
  
  Rest of it is just long boring wait & attempts to avoid further injury.
  
Shawn F. says:

June 29, 2017 at 3:20 pm

Very good article on how to cure tennis elbow. I found this article very informative. It definitely gives a lot of step by step instructions on how to cure the dreaded tennis elbow. I have a couple friends who play tennis and I will definitely be passing this along to them. I have also bookmarked the site to reference for future stories. Keep up the great work!

Thanks,

Shawn

1. Henry says:
  
  June 30, 2017 at 4:48 am
  
  I’m glad I could help. Thanks for showing your support & sharing my articles.

How to Cure a Tennis Elbow – Is There Painless Way?