Relieve Your Tennis Elbow With These 5 Natural Remedies
Tennis elbow is swelling of the elbow tendons, which is a medical condition that not only athletes get. Although treatment to alleviate this injury often requires the help from a specialist, you can use natural remedies as a first aid to help relieve swelling and joint pain.
What is tennis elbow?
Lateral epicondylitis, better known as tennis elbow, is an elbow disease that takes place when the elbow is overused. In general, athletes who play tennis often suffer from this disease. However, you can suffer from tennis elbow if you do any activity involving the continuous use of this articulation.
Tennis elbow consist of swelling in the tendons between the forearm muscles and the outside of the elbow. This happens when you frequently repeat certain movements, causing pain and tenderness in the elbow. To treat it, people usually need physiotherapists and even surgery when the injury is severe.
Natural remedies to relieve tennis elbow
Natural remedies are also a great option to relieve tennis elbow, and even in milder cases, they can help control it completely. Here are five of them.
Ginger compresses
Ginger has multiple properties used in natural medicine to treat different diseases. It relieves colds and, due to its anti-inflammatory properties, it’s used to reduce swelling of the muscles and tendons.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of grated ginger (60 g)
- 1 bag of cotton
- 1 cup of hot water (200 ml)
What to do
- Grate the ginger until you get 4 tablespoons.
- Wrap the ginger in a bag of cotton and soak the compress in hot water for one minute.
- Take the compress out of the water and let it cool.
- Apply to the affected area for 15 minutes and repeat until you see an improvement.
Read this article too: The Medicinal Benefits of Ginger and 5 Ways to Add it to Your Diet
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy as a tennis elbow treatment consists of using hot and cold water compresses on the affected area. The heat will relieve pain and activate the circulation, while the cold water will reduce the swelling of the muscles and tendons.
Ingredients
- 1 air-tight bag
- 2 thin towels
- 2 containers
- Ice cubes
- 2 cups of water (500 ml)
What to do
- Heat enough water in a container, pouring it into a bag and sealing it.
- Wrap the bag with a towel.
- In another towel, wrap a considerable amount of ice cubes.
- Apply the hot compress on your elbow for three minutes.
- Remove the hot compress and apply the cold one for a minute.
- Alternate both for half an hour.
Turmeric
Curcumin is an ingredient in turmeric, that has anti-inflammatory properties. Like ginger, it also acts as a natural painkiller. It also contains many antioxidants that make injuries heal faster, so it’s widely used to treat joints.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder (15 g)
- 1 cup of milk (250 ml)
- ½ tablespoon of honey (12 g)
What to do
- In a cup of fluid milk, add a tablespoon of turmeric and stir.
- Heat the mixture over low heat and add the honey.
- Drink a cup in the morning and one at night for at least 2 weeks.
Check out this article too: Incredible Benefits of Turmeric Juice
St. John’s Wort infusion
St. John’s wort is widely used in alternative medicine to reduce swelling. It has very prominent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Thanks to its ease of use, you can use it in an infusion, in compresses, or even buy it in supplements.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of crushed St. John’s wort leaves (30 g)
- 1 cup of water (250 ml)
- Sweetener (to taste)
What to do
- Heat a cup of water and, when it’s about to boil, add the tablespoons of St. John’s wort.
- Remove from heat and let stand.
- Strain the mixture.
- Sweeten to taste and drink at least two cups a day.
Garlic compresses
Garlic is known to activate blood circulation and treat cardiovascular diseases. Also, since it contains a large amount of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and sulfur, it’s a natural remedy for elbow pain relief. The disadvantage is that garlic has a strong smell, but it’s worth using it due to its many benefits.
Ingredients
- 5 garlic cloves
- Towels
What to do
- Peel the garlic gloves.
- Crush them to make a paste.
- Apply it on the affected area and place the towel over it.
- Leave on for 20 minutes.
Elbows may suffer from many muscle injuries. It’s best to avoid sudden movements and take all the necessary safety precautions. However, in case of an injury, it’s important to know how to relieve your pain.
Natural home remedies help a lot when it comes to relieving pain and reducing swelling. If you don’t feel better, don’t hesitate to go see a specialist.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Adamuz Cervera FJ, Nerín Rotger MA. El fisioterapeuta en la prevención de lesiones del deporte. Rev fisioter (Guadalupe). 2006; 5 (2): 31-36
- Hortal Alonso RM, Salido Olivares M, Navarro Alonso P, Candelas Rodríguez G. Epicondilitis. Seminarios de la Fundación Española de Reumatología. 2005; 6(2): 79 – 88
- Struijs, P. A. A., Buchbinder, R., & Green, S. E. (2012). Tennis Elbow. In Evidence-Based Orthopedics. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444345100.ch92
- Kraushaar, B. (1999). Current Concepts Review Tendinosis of the Elbow ( Tennis Elbow ). Jbjs.