By Anne Clarke
The following are a combination of treatment methods that work together to heal your tennis elbow. Tennis elbow treatment should be like any other soft tissue injury treatment, and therefore will require using the following process:

R.I.C.E.R:

o Rest:

Resting your injury is essential for your tennis elbow before you attempt to fix it with physical therapy.

o Ice:

Doctors always recommend that you keep ice on any serious muscle or tendon injury to reduce the swellingit will help your injury heal as well as reducing inflammation.

(side note:) Another tennis elbow treatment that will help you is, if you do take pain medication: avoid aspirin, acetaminophen, and other fever reducer/antipyretic. Instead use something with an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, to keep the swelling down.

o Compression:

Get a wrap for your arm and wrist. This is another way to keep the swelling down and to keep your muscles and tendons from being further abused by helping keep them compressed and in place.

o Elevation:

Whenever you can, try to elevate your injured armthis will help keep your arm from additional pain and swelling due to too much blood in the injured place. Lifting your arm reduces the amount of blood flowing through the arm.

o Referral:

Do not try to do it all yourself, get a medical specialist to have a look at the injury and determine tennis elbow treatment for you.

When you have to receive tennis elbow treatment for any serious tennis elbow conditionwhich is considered a Repetitive Stress Injury, (RSI) so as soon as you begin to improve you should start, gently with a couple of resistance tennis elbow exercises. Of course, you want to start simple, and work your way up to things like dumbbells.

If you strain to re-gain strength before the tendons and muscles are ready, you can considerably undo any progress you may have madeor even make the problem worse. Once you can use dumbbells (even very light ones) we suggest that you try various exercises.

For example:

1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit down.

2. Lay your forearms down your thighs.

3. Be sure that your hands are hanging over your knees.

4. Your palms should be facing upwards.

5. Begin by curling the weight upwards at the wrist and lowering slowly.

Another example:

1. Try a simple tennis elbow treatment like squeezing a ball in your hand.

2. Hold the ball firmly as possible (momentarily) before releasing.

You can find great resources and individual instructors who can help you along the way, too. There are a few very good tennis elbow treatments and exercises such as this one that could be great for your tennis elbow.

However, Let your tennis elbow treatment vary depending on how well you feelbut always remember to include a few movements or exercises for tennis elbow treatment as part of your regular schedule twice every day. Your overall strength should get better.

Dont worryyou can still keep in shape by doing lower body cardiovascular tennis elbow treatments such as running, elliptical exercise, and hiking, etc. Of course, you want to start simple, and work your way up to things like dumbbells.

If you strain in attempt to re-gain strength before the tendons and muscles are ready, you can considerably reverse the progress you might have already made. You could even make the problem worse, causing extra damage by straining the already torn tendon.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, recreation, education and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about tennis and tennis accessories, please visit Tennis Elbow.

Tennis Elbow.

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