How to Choose the Best Tennis Elbow Brace
We have reviewed some of the best elbow braces available on the market to help you find the right one. However, it is important to know how to choose the best elbow brace for tennis elbow and what important features you need to consider.
What Is a Tennis Elbow Brace?
For many tennis players, a tennis elbow brace is a crucial part of their equipment, certainly more important than tennis shoes. For some, it may even be more important than their tennis racket.
Tennis elbow braces are designed to prevent and relieve the symptoms associated with tennis elbow. These braces are worn during and after practice or games and work by applying compression to improve blood flow, decrease inflammation and swelling, and provide support to your forearm tendons and muscles during gameplay.
Different Types of Elbow Braces
Although there is a variety of different products you can find online to help with your tennis elbow, there are three main types of elbow braces:
Sleeve Elbow Brace
One of the most popular types of elbow braces is the sleeve elbow brace. It offers lightweight support, which means it is pretty comfortable and can be worn under your clothes without anyone even noticing. These braces slip over the whole elbow joint.
On the downside, sleeve elbow brace can bake you feel unbalanced when you play, especially if you only wear it on one arm. They are also not as adjustable like strap elbow braces. However, sleeve braces provide strong support for the entire elbow, allowing you to play freely, without any fear of pain.
Strap Elbow Brace
The other most popular type of tennis elbow braces is the strap elbow brace. This brace comes with one or more Velcro straps and it provides exceptional support. However, the biggest advantage of strap elbow braces is the ability to adjust to any tension and position.
Strap elbow braces sit below the elbow joint. As we said, you can choose the exact position yourself but the strap should be somewhere along the forearm, preferably a bit higher up.
Dual-Support Elbow Brace
The third most popular tennis elbow brace is the dual-support brace. As the name says, this brace offers dual support thanks to the two straps that connect on both sides of your elbow. This allows tendons to rest and recover even as you play because the brace is not too restrictive.
However, these braces are designed to restrict your range of motion and prevent another elbow injury, so you may not be able to play as freely as you would like.
Others Types of Braces
While tennis elbow braces are meant to be worn when you play tennis, there are other elbow/joint braces you can wear when you are resting, like braces that you wear overnight. These braces are usually made of cotton and they are commonly bulkier than tennis elbow braces but they can help you stabilize your muscles when you sleep.
You can also try out the athletic tape, arm sling, or even wrist wraps if you are struggling with any type of joint injury. Wrist wraps are great for weightlifting but you can also wear them when you play tennis.
Materials for Tennis Elbow Braces
Tennis elbow braces are made from a variety of materials, so there are many options to choose from and find the one that suits you the best.
- Neoprene – Perhaps the most common material used for tennis elbow braces is neoprene. This material is breathable and comfortable. It also provides moisture absorption to help with excessive sweating. Neoprene is also resistant to stretching, so it is one of the most durable options on the market.
- Nylon and Spandex – This unique blend is also pretty common and provides many benefits. First of all, this mix of materials is lightweight and extremely comfortable. Also, nylon and spandex blend provides temperature regulation and moisture absorption thanks to the unique fibers that keep your arms dry at all times.
- Nylon Mesh – Like the mix of nylon and spandex, nylon mesh can also help in regulating temperature. This material is flexible, breathable and comfortable.
- Silicone – Although silicone is not used to make the brace itself, some braces have a silicone lining that prevents slippage. This lining tightly grips to the skin and provides additional joint support. And despite the tight grip, these tennis elbow braces are still pretty comfortable.
Is Tennis Elbow Treatable?
The good news regarding tennis elbow is that it goes away. This type of injury occurs when the tendons in the forearm become strained but it can heal on its own. Of course, the time it will take for your elbow to heal depends on the severity of the injury.
Tennis elbow braces can help with the recovery but if you really want to speed up your recovery there are a few things you can try:
- Ice the elbow to reduce swelling and pain. Do this every 3-4 hours for 20-30 minutes until the pain is gone.
- Certain medications can also help, especially aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds (NSAIDs). However, these meds can also have side-effects, so take them occasionally and only when you are feeling pain.
- Range of motion and stretching exercises can increase flexibility in your elbow and reduce stiffness. Also, physical therapy is good for stretching and strengthening the muscles.
- Surgery may be a necessary option in some more severe cases.
Conclusion
Dealing with an injury that affects you when you play tennis can be very frustrating, especially when that injury is a tennis elbow. However, you can still play your favorite sport even if you suffer from this injury if you wear tennis elbow braces.We hope that our guide and our reviews of the best tennis elbow braces have been helpful and that you have found the perfect tennis elbow brace for your needs.
