Best Tennis Elbow Brace: How to Find the Best Brace for Tennis Elbow Pain Relief and Healing
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Tennis Elbow, also known as Lateral Epicondylitis, is a common repetitive stress injury that affects the tendons in your forearm, particularly the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (ECRB) tendon. This condition can cause significant pain and hinder daily activities, especially those involving gripping or lifting. One of the most effective tools for managing Tennis Elbow is a brace designed to alleviate pain and support tissue healing.
But with so many options on the market, how do you find the best Tennis Elbow brace? This physical therapist-approved guide will help you understand what makes a brace effective and how to choose the right one for your needs.
Tennis Elbow is a result of overuse and repetitive motion, leading to microscopic tears in the ECRB tendon. The ECRB tendon lets you extend and abduct your wrist, involved in motions like gripping, holding, or twisting. When this tendon is overloaded, it can develop tiny tears, leading to pain and weakening. This is the essence of what Tennis Elbow is.
To be effective, a Tennis Elbow brace should be designed to do two things: 1) relieve pain and improve function by unloading the injured tissue; and 2) facilitate tissue healing for recovery beyond temporary pain relief. The best Tennis Elbow brace will reduce the load on the tendon when you use your hand, wrist, and forearm, giving the tendon the rest it needs to heal.
By reducing the load, the brace also protects the tendon from further injury and allows the healing process to begin.
The effectiveness of a Tennis Elbow brace hinges on two key features: load reduction and modification, and precise targeting.
An effective Tennis Elbow Brace should reduce the load on the ECRB tendon by redistributing some of the stress to surrounding healthy tissue, as well as taking some of that load itself.
Additionally, the brace should modify the direction of the load away from the injured tendon. This dual action helps alleviate pain and facilitates tissue healing.
A Tennis Elbow Brace must apply therapeutic pressure precisely on the injured ECRB tendon. Since the ECRB tendon is small—only about two-thirds of an inch long—the brace needs to focus its force right on this area. A well-designed brace will include a mechanism to target the ECRB tendon accurately, like a nodule, ensuring that the pressure is applied where it’s needed most.
When selecting a Tennis Elbow brace, consider these four factors to ensure you choose one that effectively relieves pain and promotes real healing:
An effective Tennis Elbow brace should not only provide immediate pain relief but also address the underlying issues in the tendon. Look for braces that are based on proven treatment techniques specific to Tennis Elbow. This scientific basis ensures that the brace is designed to do more than just mask the pain; it facilitates actual healing.
For example, Alleviate Tennis Elbow Brace has a basis in a clinical taping technique that has been used effectively in physical therapy. Called Mulligan's Taping, this is a specific Tennis Elbow taping method that reduces elbow pain, improves grip strength, and promotes tissue healing.
Furthermore, an effective Tennis Elbow brace should be able to immediately reduce pain and improve function (i.e., your grip strength). When selecting your brace, look for efficacy testing results that validate the brace's ability to perform these functions.
The design of the brace is crucial for its effectiveness. Here are some features to look for:
Counterforce Strap with Directional Force: A counterforce strap is essential for unloading the injured tendon. This strap should create a directional force that relieves the ECRB tendon, allowing it to rest and heal.
Nodule for Precise Pressure Application: A counterforce strap alone isn’t enough. The brace should also have a nodule or similar mechanism that applies precise pressure on the ECRB tendon, ensuring that the therapeutic force is focused on the right spot.
Easy Adjustability : The brace should be easy to adjust with one hand, allowing you to find the right tightness and maintain it throughout the day.
Low-Profile Fit : A low-profile brace can be worn comfortably under clothing, making it convenient for everyday use.
The materials used in the brace play a significant role in its effectiveness:
Rigidity for Counterforce: The brace should be made from a material that provides enough rigidity to create the counterforce needed for relief and recovery. Stretchy materials like knit fabric or unreinforced neoprene, while comfortable, cannot create the support needed to relieve and heal the tendon.
Non-Slip Surface: To keep the brace in place during movement, it should have a non-slip interior surface, such as a silicone nodule, that grips the skin without causing irritation.
Breathable and Comfortable Fabric : A breathable material ensures that the brace is comfortable to wear for extended periods, even during the sweatiest of your activities.
It’s easy to put on a Tennis Elbow brace, but it’s even easier to put it on wrong. To make sure you know how to put on the Tennis Elbow brace properly, and get the Tennis Elbow brace placement right, the good ones should come with tutorials or instructions.
You can learn more about how to wear a Tennis Elbow brace right to maximize the benefits here!
The best way to determine if a Tennis Elbow brace is effective is through simple tests that measure pain and function. We recommend a simple test-intervention-retest protocol, which we also use throughout our Tennis Elbow exercise program to make sure you are making progress with the treatment.
To test a brace’s ability to reduce pain, you can use the Maudsley’s test, a good Tennis Elbow test. First, do the test without wearing the brace and note your pain level on a scale of 0-10. Then, put on the brace and repeat the test. If the brace is effective (make sure you have it on correctly!), you should notice a significant reduction in pain.
For example, in the beta tests of our Tennis Elbow Brace, users reported an average 40% reduction in pain levels after wearing the Brace.
To test a brace for functional improvement, you’ll need a grip dynamometer to measure your grip strength. First, measure your grip strength without wearing your brace. Then, measure it again with the brace on. A good brace should result in a noticeable increase in grip strength.
In the same efficacy tests, our beta testers experienced an average increase of 7.5 pounds in grip strength with the Brace on.
Once you know what to look for in a good brace, ineffective Tennis Elbow braces are easy to spot. (And you’ll start seeing those generic braces everywhere.) Here are some red flags:
Simple Strap or Band: Braces that are merely a strap or band around your forearm without a nodule or counterforce mechanisms are unlikely to provide the targeted force needed to treat Tennis Elbow.
Super-Stretchy Material: Braces made from stretchy materials lack the structure needed to create a therapeutic force on the tendon.
Lack of Scientific Rationale: Braces without a scientific basis or efficacy testing may offer little more than placebo effects, relieving pain temporarily, without changing the problematic tissue that’s causing you pain.
No Change in Pain or Function: If you don’t notice an improvement in pain or function while or after wearing the brace, it’s likely not doing its job.
Using a generic or poorly designed Tennis Elbow brace can provide temporary pain relief, but won’t facilitate the healing process. Once you remove the brace, the pain usually returns, because the underlying tendon issues remain unresolved.
In other words, ineffective brace can keep you stuck in the rest-resume-pain cycle.
Worse, using braces that immobilize your arm lets your muscles weaken and decreases your load capacity, making you more susceptible to further injuries once you resume activity.
Finding a good brace is crucial for both pain relief and long-term healing. By focusing on braces with a solid scientific basis, precise targeting, and proper construction, you can ensure that you’re giving your tendon the support it needs to heal.
Remember, an effective brace should provide noticeable pain relief and improve your grip strength, helping you return to your normal activities faster and with less pain. Avoid generic, untested braces, and opt for one that has a basis in science and clinical practice. Your tendon—and your future self—will thank you.
Purpose of a Tennis Elbow Brace: A good brace should relieve pain and improve function by unloading the injured ECRB tendon and facilitating tissue healing beyond temporary pain relief.
Key Features of Effective Braces: Effective braces provide load reduction and modification by redistributing stress away from the injured tendon and apply therapeutic pressure precisely on the ECRB tendon using a nodule or similar mechanism.
What to Look for in a Brace: Choose braces based on a scientific rationale, with proper construction such as counterforce straps, nodules for precise pressure, easy adjustability, and a low-profile fit for comfort.
Materials Matter: Effective braces should use rigid materials for proper support, have a non-slip surface, and be breathable and comfortable for extended wear.
Alleviate was founded by a patient-and-clinician duo to bring the effective chronic pain treatment from physical therapy offices to everyone's home. Get the full Tennis Elbow System to follow the Alleviate Method, or start with a Tennis Elbow Brace.
Luke Ferdinands, Physical Therapist & Co-Founder
A New Zealand-trained physical therapist with over 20 years of experience, Luke developed the Alleviate Method to bring the gold standard of physical therapy care to everyone's home. Luke leads the development of physical tools and digital physical therapy content, focusing on driving clinical outcomes for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions like Tennis Elbow, Plantar Fasciitis, Runner's Knee, and more.
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