Throwers elbow is a painful condition that can limit movement in your arm. Throwers elbow can affect more than baseball players and football quarterbacks. Others affected include those who play cricket, tennis and volleyball or who throw a javelin. This condition is chiefly an overuse injury where repetitive throwing motions inflame the forearm muscles. Unlike elbow injuries like tennis or golfers elbow, which affect only one side of the elbow, throwers elbow causes pain on both the inside and outside edges of the elbow. Stretches for your affected elbow can help relieve inflammation.
Arm Rotation
The arm rotation exercise is ideal to perform after you initially experience throwers elbow pain because it stretches the elbow without causing pain. To perform, lift the arms slightly away from your body and reach your hands back toward your chest. Keeping the wrists still, turn your hands toward the right, then toward the left as if your hands are windshield wipers. Repeat this back-and-forth exercise 10 times on each side.
Wrist Flexion/Extension
Because the throwers elbow exercise affects the forearm muscles, stretching the wrist helps reduce pressure on the elbow. The wrist flexion/extension exercise uses opposite motions to relieve pain. To perform, extend your arms in front of you to shoulder height with your fingers pointing downward. Flex the hands back toward your body, pulling them as far back as possible. Hold this position for three seconds, then point the fingers down, stretching your hands the opposite way. Continue flexing and extending your wrists for 10 repetitions either way.
Wrist Circles
Wrist circles are a method of adding flexibility to reduce pain in your elbow. Lift your hands slightly away from your body and slowly circle the hands in a clockwise position. Try not to hold tension in your wrists -- concentrate on keeping them as relaxed as possible. Perform five circles in a clockwise position, then repeat to rotate them counterclockwise for five repetitions. As you gain in strength, you can hold 1 to 2 lb. dumbbells.
Resistance Band Stretch
This exercise stretches the elbow through the use of a resistance band. Start by securing a resistance band to a heavy weight and placing it on the floor beside you. Wrap the other end around the wrist of your affected arm. Lie on your back on a bed with the arm extended away from your body, stopping just short of lifting it to elbow height. If you need extra support, you can place a rolled-up towel underneath the arm portion just above your elbow. The resistance band should create an added stretch as you hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Put the arm back to your side and then repeat two to three times.
