Exercises for Tennis Elbow are easy enough to learn – The hard part is knowing when to do them! Should you rest awhile before starting your Tennis Elbow exercises – wait for inflammation to go down first, rest a certain length of time or just jump in and start doing them?
If you do your rehab exercises at the right time in your healing process they should help your recovery – BUT, if you do them at the wrong time or in the wrong way they can just as easily:
- Aggravate your pain,
- Worsen your Tennis Elbow injury, and
- Set you back weeks in your recovery!
Why is that?... Why don’t the exercises always “work” the way they're supposed to?
Podcast: Tennis Elbow Exercise Myths And Mistakes
Here's an improved, better-sounding version of the podcast that you can download and keep by clicking the "download" link under the player below:
First of all, let's take a look at the typical advice you tend to get from well-meaning Physical Therapists, trainers and internet personalities about when to do rehab exercises…
Tendonitis / Inflammation Myth: “Get The Inflammation Down First!”
Many will tell you that you need to get the inflammation down first before exercising.
There's More To Tennis Elbow Exercises Than It Seems
This is a major misunderstanding at best, because inflammation is actually part of your healing process, and not your enemy…
Because this is such a key point, please be sure to see my post and video:
Tossing The Tendonitis Myth – Why Tennis Elbow Is NOT Inflammatory
The danger is, if you DO succeed in stopping all your inflammation – Then you’ve stopped your healing process.
The Rest Myth – “Rest It First For Several Weeks”
Many “authorities” will also advise you to rest – for quite a long time before attempting any exercises.
I know this goes against the common wisdom again, but rest by itself is often overrated. It can be totally useless, because it doesn’t necessarily help the healing process.
I can guarantee you, based on my experience treating so many of you, that countless Tennis Elbow sufferers before you have been shocked to discover the pain often returns with a vengeance…
After weeks or even months of rest, the pain comes right back, once they pick up their racquet, return to their work – or try to do those rehab exercises.
For more see: How Important Is Rest In Treating Tennis Elbow?
The “Just Do It!” Myth – “No pain, no gain!”
Nevertheless, some authorities will tell you to “just do it!” Start doing the exercises now – What are you waiting for? No pain no gain!
They seem to think exercise is all you need to strengthen your way to recovery.
And that can sometimes work, especially for less serious cases, but unfortunately, a lot of people hurt themselves following that advice.
It often takes more than just exercise (or rest followed by exercise) to recover from tendon problems like Tennis Elbow.
The big problem here is that none of these recommendations take into consideration how the healing process works with tendons in real life!
Here’s something almost no one understands – And you’ll be light years ahead of the crowd once you get this:
Fact: Tendons Heal Very Slowly
Think of how your skin heals from a small cut or a scrape…
A scar forms, the wound closes, and the scar gradually fades.
You can count on seeing the steady progress of healing over several days or weeks – The point is it’s very consistent and predictable, isn’t it?
Not so with tendons!
When it comes to tendon injuries, the healing process is really slow – And that’s if you’re lucky!...
If you’re not lucky it can simply stall on you, which is why resting is often completely useless.
The healing of the tendons involved in Tennis Elbow is notorious for grinding to a halt – If it even gets started in the first place.
And it can remain incomplete not just for a few weeks, but often months or even years. This is the real challenge!
And the key thing with exercise is that it’s most beneficial when it’s done during the mid-to-latter stages of healing and repair…
Of course, that means there has to BE some healing and repair of the tendon first, before exercises will help make it stronger.
Your muscles heal much faster than your tendons, and although those exercises may be just right for your muscles – your tendons may not have healed at all, so they can’t handle the stress.
Which means if you start them too soon they’re likely to aggravate your injury.
If Your Tennis Elbow Healing Has Stalled
So, what do you do if your tendon healing has stalled?
Well, don’t expect exercise to help – It might if you’re lucky, but chances are it won’t magically get healing started again.
And neither will resting, hoping and waiting.
Okay, then what’s the alternative? Is there anything that does help those tendons heal?
Absolutely! In my opinion the best treatment to help the healing process – has to include hand’s-on direct manipulation of the tendons.
If the healing process in your tendon has stalled, you need to stimulate that tendon a lot to help keep it going.
I don’t believe there’s a better way than treating the tendon by hand with the right therapy – not massage really, I’m talking about something a lot more focused.
And the good news is you can learn how to do it yourself.
A few minutes a day with the right muscle and tendon therapy techniques can accomplish what months of resting, hoping and waiting fail to do – Keep the healing process going.
When the healing and repair process is going strong THEN exercise will help strengthen the muscle and the tendon – and not just aggravate it!
Learn the best tendon self-treatment techniques from a real Neuromuscular Therapist who treats Tennis Elbow every day. I'm standing by ready to be your Tennis Elbow Tutor!
Learn To Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow Through Video Lessons:
I'll be your personal tutor guiding you through easy-to-follow video lessons, where you'll learn all the therapy techniques, key stretches and essential exercises you need to help you take charge and break your vicious elbow pain and injury cycle... (No special equipment or gimmick devices needed!)
Just watch the videos, follow along and start putting an end to your elbow pain today.
Learn more and get started here: Tennis Elbow Classroom Self-Help Program
Have you ever heard of treating a tennis elbow or any other ligament or tendon injury with prolotherapy?
Absolutely. I need to do an article on Prolo as well as PRP. Working on the Golfer’s Elbow program (finally!!) right now, but that is next on my list for upcoming posts and possibly videos!
How do you identify the point at which it is safe to begin rehab exercises? Also, I have watched your video on gym resistance training – but at what point in my recovery should I start working out again? Is it right away if I avoid the exercises that really stress my elbow tendon? Yes, I know I can do cardio and legs – I’m referring to upper body workouts.
Hi there, I recently started exercising again (didn’t stop due to injuries, stopped due to no motivation to exercise lol) but now I’m ready and determined to reach my ideal physique. I exercised my shoulders yesterday after an intense chest workout, I did front raises, lateral raises and bent-over lateral raises with one dumbbell (alternated each hand side, did 3 sets of 8 reps) however, after working out I didn’t feel any pain on my right elbow and I went to sleep gracefully but then I woke up and I noticed when I tense my right arm or move it in to a bicep-curl type motion it would mildly sting for a bit. Did I sleep on my right elbow too much and cause this or was this because I did too many reps on my first time working shoulders in about 3 months? Do you think I should lower the reps? Luckily this didn’t effect my left elbow but only my right although I still want to workout today since it’s my biceps/back day. Please reply, thank you!
Hi Paul, If that was your first time working out your shoulders in 3 months, I would guess that you over did it. Forget about the reps – I would drop one of those sets entirely. 3 sets is a lot to be starting out with. If I were you I would do one light, “warm up” set followed by one “moderate” set for awhile. Go easy and be careful. This is how Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow starts for a lot of people who lift weights.
So I have tendinitis in my left arm for 3 1/2 years. Actually more like tendinosis. Have had therapy, Cortizone shots and a tenotomy over that time. Was making some improvement in healing and then fell off a bike and broke my wrist on the same arm with the tendinitis. Also broke my ankle so was in a wheelchair for seven weeks. Wrist is completely healed but tendinitis/tendinosis has re-flared and now developing tendinitis in my other arm from overuse and compensation. Seriously, is there any hope? Do you really offer anything different that’s going to make a difference? I used to be so fit and active but have really been out of commission for years. It drives me crazy.
Sure there’s hope! Do I offer anything different? (I sure hope so. I haven’t spent years writing and publishing all of this and creating these programs just to have a hobby.) Yes, it’s harder to treat yourself and to put in the time and energy every day than to have a professional treat you, but it’s a lot less expensive. I’m going to be straight with you, though, about Cortisone shots. It’s a mistake and it slows peoples recovery significantly, in my experience. If you’ve had more that one, you have to work really hard to reverse the healing-inhibiting effect they have.
Hello , so i had tennis elbow from one year and took anti infl for a total of 2 months ( for a week took pills then later gel then in 2 months took.. etc) I didn’t took care very well from. I am a pianist and my fingers are my future.. I need help. I started from 2 weeks ultrasound therapy and electric therapy and start making my tendons strong again. And i am getting pain in my forearm. Should I continue straightening my tendons? Is this pain good ? Should I continue playing the piano? I am having serious depression. Please answer me. Please.
I’m sorry to hear you’re having such a difficult time, Christian. I’ve worked with quite a few musicians and when you guys get these injuries, it seems it’s harder on you than it is for anyone else!
I’m sorry, I also am having a difficult time understanding what your question is. I don’t know what you mean by “straightening your tendons” – can you clarify? (I don’t know whether you should continue playing or not, though. That’s not something I can advise you on. You’re going to have to make that call on your own.)
Hello, i had tennis elbow for about 2 years, then finally tennis elbow surgery back in May of 2022. It’s been about 13 weeks post surgery. Not sure what caused the tennis elbow, could have been a mix of workouts and using chainsaw a lot. I started working out again, trying to do some rehab type workouts for the elbow with light weights, forearm, shoulder, upper arm, etc type workouts. I still have a some pain in elbow. I have already increased the weight and moved on to bench pressing some.
I just want to know if i’m doing the right thing by working out or should i wait a little while longer?
Hi Corey, just curious, did you have a partial or full tear, or no tear? If it was torn, do you know how big, where exactly, etc? I myself have a tear, wondering what my possible outcomes are…