How to Cure Tennis Elbow at Home

Tennis elbow is the colloquial term for lateral epicondylitis and is a common diagnosis of patients who experience elbow pain. The pain is often felt around the elbow and down the forearm and is exacerbated by bending back your wrist back or lifting heavy objects. Athletes, manual laborers and even mothers carrying their children can suffer tennis elbow.

Things You'll Need

• Anti-inflammatory medication such as aspirin or Tylenol
• Elbow brace
• Capsaicin ointment

Instructions

Steps

1. Rest. Probably the best and most-overlooked way to cure tennis elbow at home is to simply rest your arm and allow it time to heal. Avoid lifting heavy objects or putting other strain on your arm. Because it's thought that tennis elbow is caused by small tears in the tendons of the arm, allowing those tears time to heal is the best cure.

2. Try an ointment. You can treat elbow pain with a common over-the-counter pain relief ointment that is derived from hot peppers: capsaicin ointment. Follow the instructions on the package and apply at regular intervals.

3. Take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever. Aspirin, Tylenol, or other over-the-counter pain relievers can treat the pain and lessen the inflammation in your elbow. Follow the instructions that accompany the medication.

4. Ice it down. Applying a bag of frozen vegetables or an ice-pack to your elbow can help reduce the pain. Sports medicine professionals suggest applying cold 10-20 minutes at a time, no more than four times daily. Be sure to allow at least one hour between ice-downs.

5. Change your lifestyle. Try to determine what caused your tennis elbow in the first place and do what you can to change the use of your arm. You might be swinging the tennis racket incorrectly, lifting heavy items the wrong way, or doing some sort of repetitive motion that has caused the condition. Stretching before strenuous activity will also help.

Tips & Warnings

• If pain from tennis elbow persists for several days or is preventing you from flexing and using your arm properly, seek help from a physician. Other medical and surgical options can be pursued, but only a physician can recommend those options.

References

• WebMD
• Doctors Book of Home Remedies

Resources

• WebMD