Our elbows go through hell on a regular basis, and we may not even realize how much stress we put on this poor joint every day. Whether you are playing tennis, basketball, baseball, golf or pretty much any sport that requires arm movements, you are running the risk of injuring that elbow. Let’s look at a few ways that you can keep your elbows happy and tickle your funny bone instead of breaking it.
1. Wear a proper brace.
If you are playing tennis or if you have a history of tennis elbow, you’ll need to get outfitted with a brace. Once you’ve strained this joint, it’s pretty likely that it’s going to happen again. A brace can greatly reduce the odds of re-injury and it will generally just feel better. You’ll be able to do more if you aren’t hampered by a sore elbow.
2. Warm up properly.
Brace or no brace, you’ve got to get stretching before you do anything. Your elbows are subjected to a lot of daily abuse and daily stretching can be very helpful for those that suffer from chronic elbow pain. Make sure that you never skimp on your warm up, you will regret it later.
3. Know your body.
Let’s say you’re playing baseball and you’re really giving it all you have. After a few throws, you might start to feel a dull ache in your elbow. As you keep throwing, it only gets worse. If you try to push past that pain and keep going, chances are pretty high you’re going to sprain or strain it. You need to know how to listen to your body and pay attention to these warning signs. You can look at this way, you can try to struggle through 15 more minutes of throwing, and risk not being able to exercise for six weeks, or you can quit after you feel that first ache and avoid injury.
4. Change up your routine.
Elbows are at such a high risk for injury because this joint is used so frequently and often in a repetitive fashion. Going back to our baseball analogy, if you keep throwing the same pitch for several minutes straight, your elbow is going to protest. Try changing up your routine so that you’re not using that elbow in the same way every time. Taking short breaks will help you exercise longer.
5. Wrap it up.
If you don’t have a brace, but you know you’re going to be using your elbow a lot, wrapping can be very beneficial. However, wrapping only works if it is done properly. Otherwise, you may actually increase your risks for spraining it. Ask your personal trainer or even a physical therapist to show you how to wrap your elbow. You may need someone else there to do it properly until you get the hang of doing it one handed on your own.
Even though our elbows are prone to injury, you can greatly reduce the risk by following the points above and knowing when to say when.
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