Many of our tennis elbow patients at Lattimore Physical Therapy have never set foot on a tennis court. People often develop this condition from repetitive movements with their arms raised — for example, painting, household repairs and throwing a baseball. If you’ve ever had tennis elbow, you know it can be very painful and limit what you can do with your hands. 

Many people notice the pain most in their wrist, but you may also feel it along the outside of your arm up to your elbow. Your grip in the affected hand might be weakened, and symptoms can feel worse during or after certain activities. If you don’t give your wrist a rest and seek proper treatment, tennis elbow can turn into chronic pain. 

There are some home remedies and physical therapy treatments that can help you heal faster. This article lists eight strategies that can speed up your healing time for tennis elbow and keep it from coming back.

How long can tennis elbow last?

Tennis elbow can last up to a few months or more than a year. There are a few different factors that can impact your healing process. The severity of the injury is one of them. It can also depend on what caused your tennis elbow and what treatments you’re receiving. Your overall health is another important factor. It often takes around six months to recover, but some people need more time.

Chronic tennis elbow is when the pain and inflammation last more than a few months. Without treatment, it can last for years. This is why it’s important to seek treatment from a physical therapist.

8 strategies to speed up healing time for tennis elbow

So what exactly is tennis elbow, you ask? It’s inflammation and swelling of the tendons at the back of your wrist that flex your hand backward. People with this condition often have tiny tears in their muscles and tendons, as well as stiffness from scar tissue that forms. It gets its name from the many tennis players who’ve developed an injury from too many backhands. Using a racket that’s too big or too heavy or gripping it incorrectly will commonly cause tennis elbow. 

Healing tennis elbow typically requires a combination of rest and rehabilitation. The first step is reducing inflammation and swelling. Next, the joint needs to be mobilized so any scar tissue will break up and the tissue fibers will be able to move properly. Gentle movement is an integral part of the process because it increases circulation and gets soft tissue moving. Finally, patients need to strengthen their muscles and create better habits with their movement patterns. These steps help prevent tennis elbow from coming back.

Feeling the burn from tennis elbow? There are some ways you can start to relieve your pain that work pretty fast. Try these methods first to reduce pain and inflammation:

• RICE — This stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Try to stay away from activities that aggravate your pain, if possible. Ice may help numb your pain, and compression and elevation help increase circulation. As your swelling goes down, you’ll be able to gradually start exercising your arm and getting your range of motion back. 
• Topical anti-inflammatory or NSAID — You can take your preferred nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) pain reliever for occasional pain. If that doesn’t help, a topical cream might be more effective. We try not to rely too much on pain relievers because we want you to use remedies that heal your pain, not mask it. 
• Immobilize your wrist — If you’re going to be up and about, or if your arm hurts when you go to bed, immobilization might help limit your pain. Even though it’s called tennis elbow, it’s often wrist movements that are the most painful. Find a splint that keeps your wrist from moving or wrap a towel around your arm when you go to bed. 
• Physical therapy — Several different physical therapy treatments can provide quick and effective relief. Your PT will likely use manual therapy to mobilize your joints and soft tissue. We also sometimes use electrical stimulation and transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENS) to relieve pain from tennis elbow. 

Exercises for strengthening as you recover from tennis elbow

Your wrist and elbow may continue to be stiff as you heal. Scar tissue will form, and when its job is done, it needs to be broken up and reabsorbed. Keeping nutrient-rich blood flowing through the area helps your body with this process. At that stage, you can begin strengthening your arm to be more resilient and prevent your tennis elbow from coming back. None of these exercises will require any special equipment. You’ll just need some household items like a can of beans or a pair of socks.

Once your pain and swelling have subsided, these exercises can help you keep soft tissue moving and strengthen your muscles:

• Wrist turns — These are pretty simple. All you have to do is extend your arms out forward with your palms facing down and twist your wrists inward and outward. Don’t push yourself to extend too far. As these become easier, you can hold a can of soup or vegetables to add some resistance. 
• Wrist stretches — Similar to the wrist turns, you’ll start this exercise with one hand outstretched, facing down. Use the other hand to push it down, bending your wrist forward. Then pull your fingers back to extend your wrist backward. Again, don’t push yourself too far with these. 
• Extended biceps curls — You’ll need your can of soup again for this exercise. Hold it out in front of you with your palm facing up and curl your arm, bringing the can toward you. Then extend your arm back out. Do about 15 reps and then switch to the other side. If the can of soup is too much at first, you can start with nothing in your hand. 
• Fist squeezes — For this one, you’ll need a stress ball or something you can squeeze, like a pair of socks. Hold it in one hand and squeeze slowly, pulsing it several times. Squeeze as hard as you can without hurting your wrist. Then repeat with the other hand.

Get personalized treatment for tennis elbow at Lattimore PT

Wrist pain from tennis elbow can really get in the way of your everyday life. If you let it go without treatment, it can get worse, increasing the time it will take to heal. Physical therapists specialize in treating musculoskeletal conditions like tennis elbow. It’s our job to listen to you so we can understand your symptoms and the movements causing your pain. With some simple assessments, we can get a good picture of what’s happening and create a treatment plan that’s tailored to your unique condition. 

With things like tennis elbow, overuse and repetitive movements are usually related to an activity that’s important to you. Whether it’s work, a hobby or home maintenance, avoiding it altogether usually isn’t an option. At Lattimore PT, we empower our physical therapists to help our patients problem-solve so their treatments will have a lasting positive effect. It often takes a combination of physical therapy treatments, home exercise, and lifestyle or movement modifications to keep tennis elbow at bay. Our PTs can help optimize your healing process so you can get back to doing the things you love.

Have any questions for us? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.