If your elbow is stiff and hurts when you lift a cup or turn a door handle, NHS inform says exercises that bring back movement and strength help recovery. The health information site run by NHS 24 in Scotland sets out 4 exercises with videos for elbow muscle or joint problems: elbow flex and extend, palm up/palm down at a table, and a wrist flexion hold and wrist flexion strengthening with the wrist over the table edge. Keep pain within 0 to 5 out of 10, start with 2 to 3 repetitions and build to at most 2 sets of 15, and get advice if not better within 6 weeks. Here is the page as written.
1. Flex and extend, palm up/palm down, wrist flexion hold, wrist flexion strengthening — 4 exercises, the last 3 at a table.
2. Start with 2 to 3; 2 sets of 8, 2 to 3 times a day; at most 2 sets of 15.
3. Pain within 0 to 5; stop if worse or new pain; advice if not better within 6 weeks.
First — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Who for | Useful for people with a new elbow problem. If you’ve been diagnosed with a elbow condition or had recent elbow surgery, follow your healthcare professional’s advice | After surgery, your clinician comes before this article |
| Why | Getting movement and strength back matters — it supports tissue healing and gets you moving again. You may not return to usual levels at once and progress may start slowly, but a gradual return to normal activities gives the best short and long term results | — |
| At first | Listen to your pain, especially early on. Symptoms may increase slightly at first but should ease with time; regular practice can improve movement. If there is discomfort, medication prescribed by a GP or pharmacist may help you keep exercising | In Korea, ask a doctor or pharmacist (our gloss) |
| Safety | In a safe place, only if you feel well enough. If you start to feel unwell, stop at once | — |
The 4 elbow exercises — NHS inform
| Exercise (video title) | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elbow flex and extend (video 0:16) | Standing or sitting. Start with both arms hanging by your side. Bring one arm up to touch the shoulder, hold a few seconds, slowly lower. Up and down is one repetition | — |
| 2. Palm up/palm down (0:18) | Sitting. Rest the back of your hand on a table. Gradually lift your hand so the thumb points to the ceiling, then place your hand face down on the table. Slowly return. The page counts bending the wrist “from left to right” as one repetition | A forearm-turning movement (our gloss) |
| 3. Wrist Flexion Hold (0:33) | Forearm supported on a table, wrist over the edge, palm to the ceiling. Make a gentle fist and bring your hand up in line with the forearm. Hold a few seconds, then relax | The page gives no repetition definition for this one |
| 4. Wrist Flexion Strengthening (0:35) | Arm supported on a table, palm up, gentle fist. Use your other hand to bend the wrist up as far as you can, then slowly lower it as far as you can without the other hand’s support | The lowering is the working part (our reading) |
The names are the page’s video titles and the times are video lengths. All four videos come to 102 seconds (our sum). The same site has separate tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow exercise pages, which we didn’t read this time.
How much pain is OK, how many — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain score | Rate pain out of 10 (0 = none, 10 = the worst you’ve had). 0 to 3 minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable, 6 to 10 excessive | — |
| During | Keep pain within 0 to 5. If it goes above — fewer repetitions, slower movement, more rest between movements | Changing one of the three may be enough (our reading) |
| After | Exercise shouldn’t make your elbow pain worse overall. New exercises can cause short-term muscle pain while the body adapts, but it should ease quickly and be no worse the morning after | The next morning is the test |
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | New exercises: 2 to 3 repetitions at a time | — |
| Often | Small amounts through the day — for example every hour | — |
| Build | As it gets easier and if you feel able, add 1 or 2 repetitions every few days | “A few days” has no number in the source |
| Sets | When you can do more, break into sets — more at a time, less often. This builds strength. For example: 8 repetitions → rest a minute → another set of 8, 2 to 3 times a day | 2 sets of 8 = 16 at a time; 2 to 3 times a day = 32 to 48 (our sum) |
| Aim | Increase over time to a maximum of 2 sets of 15 — repeating strengthens muscles and tendons | 30 at a time is the ceiling (our sum) |
In numbers, the page’s example is 2 sets of 8 = 16 at a time, or 32 to 48 a day at 2 to 3 sessions. The target of 2 sets of 15 is 30 at a time (our sums). You can do all the exercises together, or start with one or two and add more. Unlike the calf, ankle and foot pages, the elbow page has no stretching section (no 20 to 30 seconds) — all four are movement and strengthening exercises.
To count how many days it takes to reach your target from a starting number and step, use the planner in how to build up exercise when it hurts.
Three sums — our example
| Example (ours) | Up to 15 in a set | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start at 2, add 1 every 2 days | 13 steps → 26 days | Our example, taking “a few days” as 2 |
| Start at 3, add 2 every 3 days | 6 steps → 18 days | 3 → 5 → … → 13 → 15 |
| The 6-week mark | 6 weeks = 42 days | Get advice if not better within 6 weeks |
When to stop and when to get advice — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Stop | Stop if exercises make symptoms worse or cause new pain | — |
| Advice | If your elbow pain worsens while following this advice, talk to a healthcare professional | In Korea, orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine (our gloss) |
| 6 weeks | If it hasn’t improved within 6 weeks, talk to a healthcare professional | 6 weeks = 42 days (our sum) |
Pain on the outside of the elbow, worse when gripping, is covered in tennis elbow; stiff wrists and fingers in wrist and hand stretches.
Checklist
- ☐ A new elbow problem? After a diagnosis or surgery, your clinician first
- ☐ The last 3 (2 to 4) at a table; 3 and 4 with the wrist over the edge
- ☐ A gentle fist
- ☐ Start at 2 to 3; sets of 8 → a minute’s rest → 8, 2 to 3 times a day; at most 2 sets of 15
- ☐ Pain 0 to 5; stop if worse; advice if not better within 6 weeks
Questions that remain
Should I use a weight such as a dumbbell?
All four are done without weights, and the page doesn’t say to add any. In 4 the other hand lifts and you lower on your own.
Are these for tennis elbow too?
NHS inform has separate pages for tennis and golfer’s elbow. We didn’t read them this time; if you’ve been diagnosed, follow those or your clinician.
Sources
- NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) — Exercises for elbow problems — source (no update date shown on the page; checked 28 October 2026). Who it is for, why, at first, safety; 4 exercises (elbow flex and extend, palm up/palm down, wrist flexion hold, wrist flexion strengthening) with video lengths; the 0 to 10 scale and 0 to 5; pain after; 2 to 3, every hour, 1 or 2 every few days; the set example (8, a minute, 8, 2 to 3 times a day); at most 2 sets of 15; when to stop; 6 weeks. No stretching section on this page.
- Not read. The 4 videos (titles and lengths only); the self-management page (linked only); the site’s tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow exercise pages.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column, “our sum” and “our example”, and the Korean care gloss.
Where to check further
- Orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine — no better after 6 weeks, or worse.
- A physiotherapist — form and how many.
Written on 28 October 2026. The content is from NHS inform; the glosses are ours.
