Exercise for Instant Relief from Tennis Elbow Pain

In a recent entry, I've written a couple of wrist and forearm exercises that stretched and strengthened the affected muscles. These are the muscles outside of the forearm near the elbow.

However, I've recently discovered an exercise that more quickly alleviated my tennis elbow problem. The pain relief is easily discernible. I only did this easy-to-do exercise for three consecutive days and the relief from the pain was dramatic.




Noticeable Relief from Elbow Pain

Prior to this exercise, I always noticed a dull pain whenever I lifted my mug to drink coffee. The pain would be triggered as I twist my wrist to tip the mug. The best way to describe the pain is that it's dull and radiates from near the elbow along the outside of the forearm.

After three days of this wrist exercise, the dull elbow pain started to become "duller". On the fifth day, I remember not feeling the pain at all when tipping my coffee mug.





Primarily a Forearm Exercise

Strangely, this exercise is something I recalled when I read an old martial arts magazine many years ago. I don't know what the exercise is called but I remembered very well how it's done. That magazine article promised stronger and bigger forearms. I remember feeling an immediate "burn" on the forearms as a result of doing this exercise.

After benefiting from it, I looked around the web to know what this exercise is called. I found Some exercise gurus on the web calling it "Wrist Roller". Still, others call it "Hanging Weight Rollups".


Exercise Equipment

There are websites that have specialized equipment for this exercise. Actually, you could improvise to make it work. These are the items I used for this exercise.
  • One dumbbell bar with plates removed. Alternatively, you could use a short steel pipe, wooden dowel or broomstick.
  • Thin rope (1/4 inch thick, around 4 feet long).
  • 3-inch masonry (or concrete) nail.
  • 5-lb weight (barbell plate).
  • Duct tape


Wrist Roller Exercise Equipment Assembly

Here's the assembled exercise equipment as laid out on the ground.


  1. Tie one end of the thin rope to the middle of the 3-inch nail. Use a "clove hitch" or a similar knot so it's safely tightened.
  2. With a piece of duct tape, fasten the loose end of the thin rope to the nail to secure it further.
  3. Do the same (steps 1 to 3 above) with the other end of the thin rope to the middle of the empty dumbbell bar.
  4. Insert the nail into the hole of the 5-lb barbell plate as shown above.





Exercise Technique

  1. Stand straight and hold the dumbbell with both hands as shown below. The forearms should be parallel to the ground and the rope is fully extended. The 5-lb plate should be resting on the floor. This is the start position.


  2. Roll up the hanging weight by winding the dumbbell with a back and forth wrist movement. See the arrow in the photo below for the proper direction of the pull.


  3. When the rope has rolled up completely, unroll it by winding the stick in the opposite direction until the rope is fully extended again. Rest the weight on the floor back to the start position.
  4. Repeat the above steps twice. That completes a set.


Exercise Tips
  • Remove slack on the rope by coiling the rope slack a few times on the dumbbell.
  • Lower the start position to your abdomen level. Do this by forming a 90-degree angle at the elbow with the forearms still parallel to the ground. This removes the strain from the shoulders, but it also shortens the duration of the exercise.
  • Wear shoes to protect the feet in the event the weight drops unexpectedly.
  • As the forearms become stronger, you can increase the intensity of the exercise by adding 1-lb weights or by increasing the number of repetitions.
  • You can put foam cushion to make this exercise easy on the palms and fingers.



Go ahead, post your comment below!

David Francis said...

I'm just confused how can you do this kind of exercises when you are in pain? elbow injury

Blackdove said...

The "pain" was a dull one like other forms of tendinitis I've had. I don't feel pain DURING the exercise.

Cecil said...

These exercises are safe to use for those suffering from tennis elbow pain because you can choose the weight of the barbell plate according to what you lift at the moment. Start with few repetitions until you feel you can increase reps and weight. Gradual increase of weight ensures muscle development.

Anonymous said...

ok thanks