Elbow pain exacerbated by yard work can be frustrating especially with Spring clean up and early summer maintenance. There can be a number of reasons why you’re experiencing these symptoms, but some of the more common ones can be addressed early prior to seeking professional care.

Elbow pain typically manifests itself along the inside or outside border of the elbow joint. Some of the more common diagnoses are tennis elbow or golfers elbow even though you aren’t necessarily playing any recreational sports. The high probability of elbow pain in these regions is more than likely because of a common insertion of the muscles of the hand and wrist that either flex or extend your fingers and wrist. Starting to perform any activity in high volume after months of not using certain muscles can lead to an increased inflammation in the region more commonly referred to as an “-itis” or even to an overuse injury for prolonged issues.

Some easy ways to avoid the symptoms of pain in your elbow would be to check your mobility and strength in the region. Typical stretches used for the elbow are:

Wrist extension/flexion: with your elbow bent, take your uninvolved hand and provide overpressure into extension or flexion of your wrists. You should feel a stretch across the muscles that you’re passively lengthening. Be careful not to push too hard, slight discomfort is adequate.
Pronation/supination: with your elbow bent and your and in a position to give a handshake, provide overpressure with your uninvolved hand by rotation your arm into supination (holding a bowl of soup) or pronation (turning the bowl over). You should feel a stretch in both your elbow and wrist regions with these stretches.

Some typical strength exercises are:

Wrist extension/flexion: With your elbow bent and resting on a counter or table, have your hand hanging off the edge and holding a weight or some sort of resistance. Extend your wrist to work the extensors of the forearm. Turn your palm over to work the flexors. Typically for beginners in these exercises, 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions is appropriate.
Hammer Curls: Sitting or standing, hold onto a weight or resistance. Start by bending your elbow as if you were going to use a hammer to hit a nail. Use control through the motion going up and especially going down. Same as before, 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions is appropriate.

~Joseph Young, DPT