Little Leaguer's Elbow Exercises

Your healthcare provider may recommend exercises to help you heal. Talk to your healthcare provider or physical therapist about which exercises will best help you and how to do them correctly and safely.

You may do the stretching exercises right away. You may do the strengthening exercises when stretching is nearly painless.

Stretching exercises

• Wrist active range of motion, flexion and extension: Bend the wrist of your injured arm forward and back as far as you can. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Wrist stretch: Press the back of the hand on your injured side with your other hand to help bend your wrist. Hold for 15 seconds. Next, stretch the hand back by pressing the fingers in a backward direction. Hold for 15 seconds. Keep the arm on your injured side straight during this exercise. Do 3 sets.
• Sleeper stretch: Lie on your injured side with your hips and knees flexed and your arm straight out in front of you. Bend the elbow on your injured side to a right angle so that your fingers are pointing toward the ceiling. Then use your other hand to gently push your arm down toward the floor. Keep your shoulder blades lightly squeezed together as you do this exercise. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Strengthening exercises

• Mid-trap exercise: Lie on your stomach on a firm surface and place a folded pillow underneath your chest. Place your arms out straight to your sides with your elbows straight and thumbs toward the ceiling. Slowly raise your arms toward the ceiling as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower slowly. Do 2 sets of 15. As the exercise gets easier to do, hold soup cans or small weights in your hands.
• Eccentric wrist flexion: Hold a weight or hammer handle in the hand of your injured side with your palm up. Use the hand on the side that is not injured to bend your wrist up. Then let go of your wrist and use just your injured side to lower the weight slowly back to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10. Increase the weight you use when this exercise is easy to do.
• Resisted wrist flexion: Hold a weight or hammer handle in the hand of your injured side with your palm up and bend your wrist up. Raise it up on a count of 3 and lower it on a count of 3. Do 3 sets of 10. Increase the weight you use when this exercise is easy to do.
• Prone plank: Lie on your stomach on the floor with your elbows bent and your forearms resting on the floor. Lift your hips and knees off the floor and try to stay in this position while keeping your back flat. Work up to holding this position for at least 1 minute. Do 3 sets.
• Resisted shoulder external rotation: Stand sideways next to a door with your injured arm farther from the door. Tie a knot in the end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door at waist level. Hold the other end of the tubing with the hand of your injured arm. Rest the hand of your injured arm across your stomach. Keeping your elbow in at your side, rotate your arm outward and away from your waist. Slowly return your arm to the starting position. Make sure you keep your elbow bent 90 degrees and your forearm parallel to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Build up to 2 sets of 15.
• Forearm pronation and supination strengthening: Hold a soup can or hammer handle in your hand and bend your elbow 90 degrees. Slowly turn your hand so your palm is up and then down. Do 2 sets of 10.