Exercise is good for you, research has shown over and over again that exercise boosts your immune system, lowers the risk of many diseases, and can help to extend your life. In short, you should be exercising several times every week. Of course, the problem with exercising is that it increases your risk of injury. That’s one of the reasons that stretching before and after exercise is so important.
What may surprise you is that tennis elbow is not just caused by playing tennis, it’s a condition that everyone should be aware of.
What Is Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is the name given to an inflammation that occurs on the bony lump on the outside of your elbow. This is caused by excess stress being placed on the muscles that join your elbow and allow you to straighten your wrist.
The injury is common among tennis players. However, you don’t have to play tennis to suffer from this condition. Any activity that requires you to straighten your wrist repeatedly can cause a tennis elbow.
The problem with this is that it can be difficult to know when you’re at risk. That’s why you need to read the preventative advice and take sensible precautions.
You may feel that it won’t happen to you. But, if it does you’ll realize that this condition can be very painful and prevent you from using that arm and hand properly.
You should note that a similar condition causes pain on the inside of the elbow but this is referred to as ‘Golfer’s elbow’.
How To Prevent It
Avoiding the injury where possible is the best course of action. This starts with looking at your daily activities and visualizing how your wrist and elbow are working. You may not realize how often you are placing strain on the elbow, thinking about your daily activities will help you to identify risk areas.
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Avoid the Activity
The simplest approach to avoiding tennis elbow is not to do anything that could cause it. However, this isn’t a viable option as many factors can create the issue. Avoiding all of them will stop you from doing many daily activities. That’s less healthy than risking the injury.
But, if you know you’re likely to get tennis elbow from a specific activity you should see if this can be avoided. If you need to practice for whatever reason, watch out for the intensity you put into it and the clothing you wear on. Put on the best performance tennis shoes and go easy.
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Space It Out
If the specific activity can’t be avoided, then it’s time to look at your schedule and try rearranging it into smaller sections. For example, if you play tennis for an hour every day and you’re starting to feel the pain, reduce your time to thirty minutes and have a break before you do another thirty minutes.
It can help your elbow recover.
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Stretch
You should also start stretching your elbow and arms. It’s best to speak to a reputable therapist, such as this physiotherapy Botany. They can assess your current fitness and inflammation levels. They’ll then be able to show you the best exercises for you and your current activity level.
Doing these regularly can help to prevent tennis elbow from occurring.
