An elbow strap applies targeted compression to specific areas of your elbow or arm and is helpful for treating tennis or golfers elbow. It can apply compression to the medial or lateral tendons of the elbow and thereby help to relieve the pain of these two injuries.
Elbow straps are also, generally speaking, the most economically priced elbow braces that you can buy. They are also easier to put on than either elbow sleeves or elbow sleeves with straps. The patient does not need any special manual strength or dexterity to apply a strap as he or she would (for example) to pull on and adjust a high compression elbow sleeve. No adjustment is necessary other than making sure the patient is wearing it in the correct place on the arm or elbow.
Although it is useful for treating tennis or golfers elbow, an elbow strap has limited applicability in other circumstances. For example, it will not help to treat general elbow soreness or tired arm muscles. Those conditions require larger coverage areas than a single precise spot. Elbow strains are also not ideally treatable using this type of elbow brace.
Another limitation of some straps is their inability to apply adjustable compression. This means that the patient will not be able to adjust its compression (or comfort) level to suit different situations. However, some elbow straps use Velcro or other similar attachments that allow the owner to adjust the compression level as necessary.
How Often Should The Elbow Strap Be Worn?
Generally speaking, we would suggest (at a minimum) wearing the strap in any situation requiring activity that may aggravate the symptoms of tennis or golfers elbow. This means that the patient should wear the strap whenever he or she needs to perform activities requiring high gripping forces. If the strap is not unduly comfortable, we would suggest wearing it at all times for optimum results.