Tight and weak elbow tendons can cause inflammation in the elbow tendon, leading to conditions such as golfer's elbow and tennis elbow. Rest often helps, but the better solution is to strengthen and stretch your forearms regularly as part of a prevention program. To address the elbow tendon, focus on exercising the wrist, because the elbow tendons connect to the wrist.
Fist Flexion and Extension
A flexion and extension exercise can strengthen and stretch the muscles and tendons of your elbow and forearm. Make a fist with one hand to engage your forearm muscles and tendons. Clenching your hand strengthens the forearms isometrically, which means it engages the muscles without a joint moving. Then flex your wrist forward to strengthen the muscles on the underside of your forearm and stretch the muscles in the back of your forearm. Extend your wrist backwards to stretch the front of the forearm and strengthen the back of your forearm.
Weighted Wrist Extension
Use a dumbbell or other weight such as a soup can or kettlebell for a more challenging wrist extension exercise to strengthen elbow tendons. Hold the weight in your hand with the palm face down and your arm resting on a table. Curl your wrist upward. Feel the muscles in the back of your forearm contract. Keep the wrist up for two seconds, then straighten it.
Weighted Wrist Flexion
The weighted wrist flexion works the opposite muscles as the wrist extension exercise. Hold a weight in your hand with the palm facing up. Then curl the wrist upward and hold for two seconds. Straighten the wrist to complete the exercise.
Weighted Side-to-Side Exercise
The weighted side-to-side exercise strengthens the deviator muscles of the forearm, the muscles that move the wrist sideways. To perform, hold a weight in your hand and turn your forearm so that your palm faces inward and the weight is vertical. Bend the wrist upward and then downward.
You can do this exercise without a weight if using a weight places too much stress on the tendons or muscles.
Wrist Rotation Exercise
The wrist rotation exercise strengthens the muscles that twist the wrist. These are the supinator and pronator muscles. The supinators turn the palm to face upwards and the prontators turn the palm to face downwards. To perform, begin in the same position as the side-to-side exercise, then twist the wrist outwards and inwards.
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