Watch this BEFORE you use a TENNIS ELBOW STRAP!

Tennis and Golfer's Elbow straps have been a go-to for elbow pain for years. They come with downsides and risks and may not be doing what you think they are for your condition. In this video find out what they can and CAN'T do for your elbow pain, how to wear one properly and some better alternatives.

Burke Selbst PT OCS is a licensed physical therapist, adventurer and educator and is the owner of Focus Physical Therapy in Bend Oregon, a multispecialty and multidisciplinary sports, spine and orthopedic clinic serving all ages with one-on-one care.

DISCLAIMER: Any information on injuries and treatments available on this channel is intended for general guidance only and is not a substitute for personalized and individualized advice by a qualified health professional. The videos, posts, and comments contained in this video are not medical advice or a treatment plan and are intended for general education and demonstration purposes only. They should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any health, medical, or physical condition. Don’t use these videos to avoid going to your own healthcare professional or to replace the advice they give you. Consult with your healthcare professional before doing anything contained in this video. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Focus Physical Therapy, Inc, its officers, employees, and contractors for any and all losses, injuries, or damages resulting from any and all claims that arise from your use or misuse of this video’s content. Focus Physical Therapy Inc. makes no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this content. Use of this video is at your sole risk.

[allanlombard]

Ok I’ve sorted mine and I’ve come back here to share how I did it. I do motorcross and I damaged mine properly!! I tried everything including 3 cortisone injections. I also bought that silly strap which actually hurt it even more. Mine was torn on the tendon and the muscle was torn causing pain from the tendon, down about 5cm. NOTHING worked. Rubbing it sideways, up and down, icing it, etc etc etc…It was so so bad, I couldn’t do anything-had it for 5months.

I started to read all the comments and picked up two bits of info.

I bought a simple hot water bottle. I started every evening after supper, to put the hot water bottle on my arm and hold it there until it cooled down. I got it as HOT AS POSSIBLE!! For as long as possible. I also did it some afternoons. While doing it I kept my arm as STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE!!!

Then, I went to sleep with my arm STRAIGHT and never bent it in the night. I used extra pillows to keep it STRAIGHT. I did this for 3 weeks thinking I’m still going to have to go for an operation.. when one day I woke up and it felt sore, but a different sore. Because I’d kept it STRAIGHT for as long as possible, it had a chance to recover. The heat from the hot water bottle brought blood supply to the area and it healed.

I went for a slow ride yesterday and the rest of my body is sore, but not the tennis elbow.

I’m still doing the hot water bottle!!!! I’m NOT getting this pain again I am determined!!!

HEAT AND OXYGEN & KEEPING IT STRAIGHT WHEN YOU SLEEP.

Try it, don’t use ice, and don’t try anti inflammatorys because you need it inflamed and hot!!!

Good luck!! 👍
Allan

[davidcoleman]

Well, the problem with mine is overuse because of my job, but unless somebody can pay me to stay at home and rest, I can’t really stop doing what I’m doing.

[philserna]

So I went ahead and did as you prescribed. The price for the brace was reasonable however the guitars were expensive. I couldn't decide what guitar to get so I bought 2 of them. 1 by someone named Martin and another by someone named Taylor. The brace must really work because now I can play them both. I didn't even need to practice.My 64th note scales are flawless on my Martin and my sweep picking arpeggios are effortless on my Taylor.Now I need to find the brace that helps me play the piano. I want to be able to play Flight of the Bumblebee or Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concierto. Here we go.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[mjharrisleeds]

Hi I'm a plasterer & had severe tennis elbow. I couldn't even lift my forearm. I couldnt sleep . All the physio exercises did nothing for over 6 months. I was then offered injections and surgery which both would of had negative side effects. Then i tried the clasp within days the pain had reduced after a month I could work again. It changed my life and was the only thing I found to relieve the pain. 5 years on I've had no lasting issues so long as I wear it at work. I suppose everyone is different and have different results. Just use what gets results for you

[jermremyx]

I have tennis elbow issues in both of my arms from working at a desk full time. I use two wrist braces and do random stretches and strengthening exercises. Nothing is improving my situation, so I finally just went ahead and got forearm braces to see if it does anything different. I really have come to the conclusion that I will just have to take time off from work through workers comp, unfortunately.

[theepimountainbiker]

Thank you, as a guitar player the capo really explained how the brace works in language I can understand. Wow is it painful to play a guitar with this condition in your left elbow, got it from shoveling snow 🤦 I also bike to and from work, holding the handlebars is painful too.

[greekveteran]

A doctor showed me not to wear the brace directly to the point that hurts as you do kind sir, he told me to put the point of presure, exactly after that point. So that's like half an inch in further, from where you showed.
It makes sence, because as you said, it acts like the guitar gadget, so to help the damaged muscle, we have to put the brace right after the point we feel the pain!!

[ketobarbelle]

I’m dealing with this now, and it was caused by doing some exercises with a different grip. I can do my powerlifting with my barbell, no problem - but externally rotating kills it. So I stopped those exercise - but I found the tennis elbow strap made things MUCH, MUCH worse. Using kinesiology tape in an X configuration crossing right over the tendon from the mid-forearm to the middle of the upper arm is helping me so much, along with red light therapy to try to speed up healing. As long as I’ve got the tape on, I have little to no pain and can work out pretty normally - but I know I’m probably going to have to have this tape on for a few months straight to let it properly heal.

[aidantuckwell]

The elbow strap helped me heal initially (when I finally stopped using my arm after many months of injury) and then I would use it only if I felt inflammation. Moving back into using my hand/arm for strenuous work I would carry a wrist strap, or even body tape I could support my fingers with (I would put Elastoplast cut thin, down the top of each finger, or sometimes around my palm). The wrist strap was I think the most helpful in the end, and I wore it for a year when I felt any inflammation in my wrist, or before pushing myself. Now after a couple of years Im feeling strong, and though I get a bit of inflammation when doing strength exercises, Ive found its fairly temporary/mild if I use straps when needed. Its great to be able to actually work out again

[jaqua]

I had tennis elbow in both my arms 10 years ago. I had a cortisol injection in both arms, my left side, and the pain was gone. My right arm, I had a total of 3 injections, then had tennis elbow corrective surgery, and that fixed the issue. After 9 years, my left arm pain has reoccurred, I had 2 more injections, and sadly, it gave me steriod induced Diabetes which I'm trying to reverse. The pain went away for a few months, and I refused to have another injection. I will look into elbow support for the time being, but ultimately, surgery on my left arm seems to be the way forward. Exercises, for me, make my pain worse.

[natel]

That was very helpful. I appreciated the explanation of how the strap works via the guitar. I am getting back into Fencing, and switching weapons (sabre to epee), so the grip is totally different as well as the type of motion. The strap helps address the pain while I'm also building up strength via the Theraband flexbars (I use red and green, depending on the motion). I'll have to try wrist braces as well, but I'm pretty sure the grip change is more of the problem for me than the wrist motion changes.

[mz]

I'm so glad that I found this channel !!!!
Everything you have posted has been beneficial to my wellness. Thank you for caring about humanity, wishing you many more years of health and safety. Thank you.

[DescartesDooley]

So, this is for those of you that are experiencing long term pain that is seemingly chronic. Its been 6 months for me. I had tried both rest and physio exercises, and a combination of both. I had days of relief, but in general, the issues were ongoing. Then, I discovered the Athlean X kettle bell routine for tennis elbow. This was the beginning of realization. The kettle routine was giving me relief but not permanent. I did start to notice that when this routine popped my elbow joints, I would get almost instant relief, but with residual tenderness at the tendon. To be expected I suppose for a tendon under constant strain. So, I remembered I had seen one or two vids that suggested some Tennis elbow is actually a fruit of joint dysfunction and misalignment. I went back and sought out more vids on this issue, and came up with a couple of exercises/movements that are designed to pop the joint back into alignment. Guess what, I went from having a day of pain and restricted motion to near instant relief. So, for me at least it seems my joint is out of whack. This makes sense for me. I was aggressively chopping wood when I triggered my Tennis elbow. So, for me at least, it seems I need to focus on alignment and also strengthening the arm muscles. This goes for the shoulder too. I'm taking a holistic approach to building my arm back up. Good luck.

UPDATE: 4 months after posting this comment I am more or less back to normal feeling and function with my elbow. It does want to slip out of alignment from time to time, but a simple pop stretch movement usually sets things back. I have been in good shape for quite a while. Initially I was doing popping and stretching several times a day for the first few weeks before my elbow was comfortable being back in alignment . I will continue to pop and build back muscle strength as needed.

[mariachristinahernandez-vj]

This video is so helpful and I myself have tennis elbow and been suffering for months now. I was considering using a counter force brace until
i saw this video. Im currently using Mueller green wrist brace which helps a lot in restricting my arm activities. It helps just like what this video suggests. So glad I watched this. No need for counter force strap.

[craigborgardt]

I've used that wrist brace for carpal tunnel issues but it is impossible to use for sports such as golf. Good info though...very complete and overall helpful.

[zak]

Great videos Burke, as a keen golfer with a chronic left elbow issue, your rock climbing experience and extremity focused physiotherapy is a huge help for me. Appreciate your effort.
Thanks!

[jimleffler]

It's incredible the timing of things sometimes, but then again there's supposedly no such thing as coincidence. I didn't search for this video yet I've been having this Exact problem on just my left elbow and I believe it's from heavy lying dumbbell extensions. I'd saw another video suggesting gripping hard, repetitive etc could cause it so I'd backed off but also broke out that strap a couple of days ago. 😮😮😮 So, amazed I came across this, but not totally. Universe is incredible. Thanks for the video, it helped

[roneyviota]

Can you make a video about elbow self care and healing for massage therapist over use ?

[hankbrown]

I recently developed tennis elbow in both arms, with the left being the worst. But I wasn't sure how to use these straps that my son sent me when he heard the bad news. Now I do. So thanks. Also an aside, in 1968 when a sophomore in college I purchased a brand new Guild D35 dreadnought guitar which I still have and play. Played out all through college and then in 2000 when our kids left for their college educations, I started playing out again and have really enjoyed it. Nice illustration with the capo. Now what I need is a wrist brace.

[aparajito]

Very cool demo! Focus on the fundamentals communicates a very sincere and deep understanding of the subject matter!