Pain on the outside of the elbow that makes turning a door handle or lifting a cup hard — what can you do at home for tennis elbow? NHS inform, the health information site run by NHS 24 in Scotland, sets out 5 exercises for people diagnosed with tennis elbow, with videos (2 minutes 13 seconds in total, our sum). After elbow flex and extend and palm up/palm down come three wrist extension exercises — a hold, strengthening, and strengthening with a weight, for which it suggests something like a tin of beans. Keep pain within 0 to 5 out of 10, start with 2 to 3 repetitions and build to a maximum of 2 sets of 15, and get advice if there is no improvement within 6 weeks. Here it is as written.
1. Five exercises — flex and extend, palm up/palm down, wrist extension hold, strengthening, and strengthening with a tin.
2. 2 to 3 at a time, every hour → 8 × 2 sets, 2 to 3 times a day → up to 2 sets of 15.
3. Pain within 0 to 5; stop if worse or new pain; get advice if no better within 6 weeks.
First — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Who for | The exercises in these videos are suitable for people who have been diagnosed with tennis elbow | Not diagnosed yet? See someone first (ours) |
| Why | Getting movement and strength back supports tissue healing and gets you moving. You may not return to usual levels straight away and progress may be slow at first, 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 get easier. Prescribed medicine from a GP or pharmacist may help you keep exercising | — |
| Safety | Somewhere safe, only if you feel well enough; stop at once if you feel unwell. First time? Read the guidance below first | — |
Tennis elbow exercises: 5 — NHS inform
| Exercise | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| ① Elbow flex and extend (0:16) | Standing or sitting. Start with both arms by your side. Bring one arm up to touch the shoulder, hold a few seconds, then 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. Lift the hand so the thumb points to the ceiling, then place it face down on the table, and slowly return. Left to right is one repetition | — |
| ③ Wrist Extension Hold (0:33) | Forearm supported on a table, wrist over the edge. Make a gentle fist and bring the hand up in line with the forearm; hold a few seconds, then relax. Clenching and returning is one repetition | The text doesn’t say which way the palm faces |
| ④ Wrist Extension Strengthening (0:33) | Forearm supported. Use your opposite hand to raise the wrist as far as you can, then slowly bend it down as far as you can without the other hand’s help | The other hand lifts; you lower on your own (our reading) |
| ⑤ Wrist extension strengthening with weight (0:33) | Forearm supported, holding a small weight such as a tin of beans. Raise the wrist with the opposite hand, then slowly control it down without help | Reads as the next step once ④ is easy (our reading) |
Video lengths are as shown on the page; together they come to 133 seconds, or 2 minutes 13 seconds (our sum). The written steps follow the video titles in order, so we paired them in order.
How it differs from golfer’s elbow — NHS inform
| Item | Tennis elbow page | Golfer’s elbow page |
|---|---|---|
| ①② | Flex and extend, palm up/palm down | Same |
| ③–⑤ | Wrist extension hold, strengthening, with weight | Wrist flexion hold, strengthening, with weight, palm facing the ceiling |
| Dose, pain, 6 weeks | Start 2 to 3, up to 2 sets of 15, 0 to 5, 6 weeks | Same |
We also read NHS inform’s golfer’s elbow exercise page. The two share the first two exercises and the dose and pain rules; only the last three differ — the wrist is extended (tennis elbow) or flexed (golfer’s elbow). The four general elbow exercises are in elbow exercises (NHS inform).
How much pain is OK — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain score | Rate pain out of 10 (0 = none, 10 = the worst you have had). 0 to 3 minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable, 6 to 10 excessive | — |
| During | Keep pain within 0 to 5. If it goes above, do fewer, go slower, or rest longer between movements | Changing one of the three may be enough (our reading) |
| After | Your existing elbow pain should not be worse overall. New exercises can cause short-term muscle pain, but it should ease quickly and be no worse the next morning | The next morning is the test |
How many and how often — NHS inform
Add exercises to your routine gradually. You can do all five together, or start with one or two and add more as you get comfortable.
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Begin new exercises with 2 to 3 repetitions at a time | — |
| Often | Small amounts through the day — for example every hour | — |
| Build | As it gets easier, add 1 or 2 repetitions every few days | “Few days” has no number |
| Sets | When you can do more, use sets — e.g. 8 repetitions, rest a minute, another 8, 2 to 3 times a day | 8 × 2 = 16, so 32 to 48 a day (our sum) |
| Aim | Increase over time to a maximum of 2 sets of 15 | 30 at a time (our sum) |
In short: start with 2 to 3, a little every hour, add 1 or 2 every few days, then switch to 8 × 2 sets, 2 to 3 times a day, building to a maximum of 2 sets of 15. This page has no “stretching” section (20 to 30 second holds) — all five are listed as movement and strengthening exercises.
Days to reach 15 — our examples
| Example (ours) | To 15 | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start at 3, add 2 every 3 days | 6 steps (3 → 5 → … → 15) → 18 days | We took “a few days” as 3 |
| Start at 2, add 1 every 3 days | 13 steps → 39 days | Inside 6 weeks (42 days) |
| 6 weeks | 6 weeks = 42 days | Still no better: get advice |
To plan your own start and step, use the planner in how to progress exercise with pain.
When to stop and get advice — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Stop | Stop if exercises make symptoms worse or cause new pain; stop at once if you feel unwell | — |
| Talk to someone | If your elbow pain worsens while following the advice, talk to a healthcare professional | In Korea, orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine (ours) |
| 6 weeks | If it hasn’t improved within 6 weeks, talk to a healthcare professional | 6 weeks = 42 days (our sum) |
What tennis elbow is, how long it lasts and when injections or surgery come in is in tennis elbow (NHS).
Checklist
- ☐ Diagnosed with tennis elbow? If not, see someone first
- ☐ Forearm on the table, only the wrist over the edge
- ☐ Start at 2 to 3, every hour, add 1 or 2 every few days → up to 2 sets of 15
- ☐ Pain within 0 to 5 of 10, no worse the next morning
- ☐ The tin only once ④ is comfortable
- ☐ Stop if worse or new pain; get advice if no better within 6 weeks
Questions that remain
How heavy should the tin be?
The page only says “a small weight such as a tin of beans” and sets no weight. Choosing one you can lower slowly while staying within 0 to 5 fits the page’s rules (ours).
Palm down?
The tennis elbow text gives no palm direction. The golfer’s elbow page says “palm facing the ceiling”, so extension reads as the opposite, but that is not the page’s wording. Check the video (ours).
Should I wear a brace or strap?
This page doesn’t cover braces.
Sources
- NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) — Exercises for tennis elbow — source (no review date shown; page metadata modified 28 July 2026; checked 5 November 2026). Who it is for, why, at first, safety; the 5 exercises (video titles, lengths, movement, one repetition); the 0 to 10 scale and 0 to 5; pain after; 2 to 3, every hour, 1 or 2 every few days, 8 × 2 sets 2 to 3 times a day, up to 2 sets of 15; when to stop; 6 weeks.
- Not read. The content of the 5 videos (we used the written steps only); the self-managing an elbow problem page (linked only); NHS inform’s tennis elbow condition page.
- What we added. Exercise numbers, the video total, the “worth noting” column, our sums and readings, the Korean care gloss.
- Also read. NHS inform — Exercises for golfers elbow (page metadata modified 13 March 2026; checked 5 November 2026). Used only in the comparison table.
Where to check further
- Orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine — if no better after 6 weeks, or worse.
- A pharmacy — painkillers to help you keep exercising.
Written on 5 November 2026. The content is from NHS inform; the glosses are ours.
