Tennis Elbow Exercises

CanDo Flex Bar for Tennis Elbow Exercises and Golfer’s Elbow

The CanDo Flex Bar is a versatile exercise tool for tennis elbow exercises and more. It helps facilitate eccentric exercise of the forearm. It is a natural rubber bar designed for exercises that target the hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow. Lightweight and portable and is available in different resistance levels (red, green, blue). So to accommodate various fitness levels and rehabilitation needs. Research shows that eccentric exercises are best for rehabilitation of tendinopathies of the elbow. Namely tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.

What are Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow?

Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are terms used to describe different tendinopathies of the elbow. Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a degenerative overuse condition that causes pain on the outer aspect of the elbow. It typically results from repetitive wrist extension, pronation, or supination during manual labour. Golfer’s elbow, or medial epicondylitis, involves a similar pathological process but occurs due to repetitive wrist flexion. While the term “epicondylitis” suggests inflammation, this is typically only present in the early stages of the condition. These tendinopathies can develop from any repetitive activity that stresses the wrist and forearm, involving wrist extension (as in tennis elbow) or wrist flexion (as in golfer’s elbow), and are not limited to tennis or golf.

How can the CanDo Flex Bar help?

Eccentric exercises are the most well-researched and effective type of exercise for treating epicondylitis. These exercises involve lengthening the muscles while they are under load. For both tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, eccentric exercises have been shown to promote tendon healing. The Flex Bar is used to perform eccentric exercises targeting the wrist extensor muscles for tennis elbow and the wrist flexor muscles for golfer’s elbow, helping to repair tendon fibres and reduce pain. Studies comparing eccentric exercises to other types of exercises have demonstrated superior pain reduction with eccentric training.

How to Use the CanDo Flex Bar for tennis elbow exercises

The Tyler Twist is the name given to an eccentric exercise for lateral epicondylitis that you can do using the CanDo Flex Bar:

1. Hold the FlexBar vertically, with the affected arm, with your palm facing you, and your wrist extended.
2. Grasp the top end of the bar with your other hand, palm facing away from you, and twist the bar.
3. Extend both elbows in front of you, turning the bar horizontally, maintaining the twist.
4. Slowly release the bar with the affected side while maintaining tension with the uninjured side.
5. Repeat: Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions, twice a day.

How to Use a flexBar for golfers elbow

The Reverse Tyler Twist is a similar exercise that you can do with the CanDo Flex Bar for medial epicondylitis:

1. Hold the FlexBar vertically with the affected hand on the bottom with your wrist flexed, and palm facing towards you.
2. Place the other hand on top of the bar, palm facing away from you.
3. Twist the bar so that the palm of the affected hand faces away from you.
4. Straighten your arms, turning the bar horizontally while keeping the affected hand’s wrist in flexion.
5. Slowly unwind the bar with the affected hand, bringing your wrist into extension (palms facing up).
6. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions, twice daily.

When using the CanDo FlexBar to assist with rehabilitation from injury, it is best to begin with a lighter resistance, and when it is comfortable and easy to do 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps, then progress on to a heavier resistance.

CITATIONS

1. Chen, Z., & Baker, N. A. (2021). Effectiveness of eccentric strengthening in the treatment of lateral elbow tendinopathy: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Hand Therapy, Volume 34, Issue 1, Pages 18-28. https:  //doi.  org/  DOI
2. Prudêncio, D.A., Maffulli, N., Migliorini, F. et al. Eccentric exercise is more effective than other exercises in the treatment of mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 15, 9 (2023). https ://doi .org/  10.1186/  s13102-023-00618-2