Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a common condition that causes pain in the outer part of the elbow. One of the common treatment adjuncts for tennis elbow are braces that are worn on the painful area to support the weak forearm muscles. There is a huge variety of braces out there in the market but basically they all work by applying pressure to the forearm muscles and in turn supporting the area. This is very helpful in the acute phase with the forearm weakness and pain. However we need to know how to use the brace in the most efficient manner to get the maximum benefit out of it.
In this blog, we will discuss how the brace helps to heal your Tennis Elbow followed by ten tips to get the most effective use out of your brace.
Lets look at this video that tells you how a brace helps to heal your Tennis Elbow:
Here are the first four (out of ten) tips to get the most effective use out of your brace:
#1. Tennis elbow brace should always be worn on the forearm extensor muscles just below the lateral epicondyle (bony area of the outer elbow) and not on the elbow itself (unless you use a sleeve type of brace that can go over the elbow).
#2. You should wear the brace for all daily activities except when you are in the shower and doing your physiotherapy based exercises. Some people like to sleep without the brace once the acute painful phase is over as they are not actively using the arm while sleeping. But this is an individual preference.
#3. You can sleep with the brace on if you have an acute case of tennis elbow where you need to support your forearm and elbow 24/7
#4. Tennis elbow braces come in different sizes. Choose one that is fit enough to support you well but not tight enough to block off the circulation. Straps can loose a bit of their elasticity when worn for a period of time and depending on how frequently you wash them, if you live in a humid area or do activities with lots of sweating.
If you want to know more about tennis elbow, feel free to join my free community where we have a (free) training on "Simple solutions to manage your Tennis Elbow" with simple steps that you can implement starting today.
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