Imagine that! I get tennis elbow by playing game on my smart phone!
Well, I learnt a lot about elbow pain from that experience. It has been about 2 months and my elbow is just beginning to feel normal. I guess I did not get enough rest.
What to do for Tennis Elbow?
Rest the forearm, Ice the painful area for 15 min every 2 hours. Repeat about 3 times. Compress the area. I bought a elastic strap for this purpose. It is useful especially when I need to use the forearm muscles.
I found out that Tennis Elbow in my case, is caused by unaccustomed use of the wrist extensor muscles.
The other common cause of Tennis Elbow is really by playing tennis - but using improper techniques such as excessive wrist force during backhand or using too heavy a racket.
Age is also a factor or rather lack of strength and flexibility in the arms and wrist. So it is good to work up gradually when playing tennis.
I also found out that a similar condition is called Golfer's Elbow. Caused by playing golf but for the same wrong reasons.
My recovery take a while because I did not follow the recommendation. Maybe it will work for you.
In the first 3 days, stretch your forearm extensor and flexor muscles by doing this. Straighten your arm, palm down and pull down your fingers. Feel the stretch in your forearm. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat 5 times. Next turn your palm upwards and pull your fingers upward. Again hold for 20 seconds and repeat 5 times.
In the 4th to 10th day, do strengthening exercises using a light weight. Isolate the extensor and flexor muscles by resting your wrist on your knee while sitting down. Lift the weight using your wrist with your free hand holding your wrist. Lift the weight with your palm facing up. Do it slowly and hold for 2 seconds before lowering. Repeat 15 times to complete a set. Do 3 sets each day. That would strengthen the flexor muscle. Repeat the process with your palm facing down to exercise the extensor muscle.
