4 Elbow Range of Motion Exercises

If you have elbow pain or an injury to your elbow, wrist, or shoulder, you may benefit from physical therapy (PT) to improve your elbow's range of motion (ROM), or its ability to move in a range of directions without pain.

Although therapeutic modalities like electrical stimulation and ultrasound may be used during your elbow rehab, exercise should be the mainstay of your physical therapy program. Your therapist will likely develop a home exercise program for you to do to improve your elbow ROM and strength so you can get back to normal use of your arm.

This article provides a step-by-step exercise program that your physical therapist may prescribe to improve your elbow's strength and range of motion.

Elbow ROM exercises can be performed two to three times per day or as often as prescribed by your physical therapist or healthcare provider. You should feel a slight stretch as you perform each of the elbow ROM exercises; if any exercise causes an increase in pain, though, you must consult your healthcare provider.

1

Get It Bending: Elbow Flexion

Physical therapist helping man bend elbow

kali9 / Getty Images

Elbow flexion refers to your ability to bend your elbow. To improve your elbow flexion ROM:

  1. Stand with your arm at your side.
  2. Actively bend your elbow up as far as possible, then grasp your forearm or wrist with your other hand and gently add pressure.
  3. Hold the bent position of your elbow for five to 10 seconds, and then release the stretch by straightening your elbow.
  4. Repeat the exercise 10 times.
2

Straighten It Out: Elbow Extension

To improve your ability to fully straighten your elbow, you must work on elbow extension ROM exercises. To do this:

  1. Sit in a chair with your elbow resting on a table. You may want to rest your upper arm on a pillow or folded towel for comfort.
  2. Straighten your elbow out all the way, and then apply pressure to your forearm or wrist to add pressure to the stretch.
  3. Straighten your elbow out as far as you can with pressure, and hold the stretch for five to 10 seconds.
  4. Release the stretch and allow your elbow to bend a bit.
  5. Repeat the exercise for 10 repetitions.

You can also add a bit of stretch to your elbow extension by holding onto a 2- to 3-pound weight.

3

Turn It Over: Forearm Supination

The ability to turn your wrist over so your hand faces up is called supination, and this motion occurs at both your elbow and at your wrist joint. To improve your ability to supinate your hand, perform the forearm supination ROM exercise.

To do the exercise:

  1. Stand or sit with your arm at your side and your elbow bent about 90 degrees.
  2. Keep your elbow at your side and turn your wrist and hand over so your palm faces up.
  3. To add pressure to the stretch, use your opposite hand and reach underneath the forearm of your supinated arm. Grab your wrist and gently add pressure by turning your hand further into supination. When a stretch is felt, hold the position for five to 10 seconds.
  4. Repeat elbow supination ROM for 10 repetitions.
4

Forearm and Elbow Pronation

Forearm pronation refers to your ability to turn your hand over so your palm faces the floor. This motion is extremely important in performing tasks such as pouring a cup of coffee or playing the piano.

To perform the forearm pronation ROM stretch:

  1. Stand or sit with your elbow bent 90 degrees and tucked in at your side.
  2. Turn your hand and wrist over as far as possible, then reach your other hand over the top of your forearm.
  3. Grab your wrist, and turn your arm further into a pronated position.
  4. Hold the position with pressure for five to 10 seconds, and then release the stretch.
  5. Repeat the pronation ROM stretch 10 times.

Progression

Once you improve your elbow ROM with these exercises, your physical therapist may then prescribe strengthening exercises. These may include hand-gripping exercises with a towel, a handheld exercise device called the DigiFlex, or therapy putty.

You may also start to work on forearm strengthening with a dumbbell, and biceps and triceps strengthening may be required to help strengthen the muscles around your elbow and arm.

Summary

Elbow range of motion (ROM) exercises are a critical part of elbow, arm, and shoulder physical therapy. The goal of ROM exercises is to perform a range of movements in all possible directions without pain. Elbow ROM exercises improve your ability to bend and straighten your elbow and turn your arm over. Most exercises require nothing more than a towel for comfort, and can be done daily to improve your arm's strength and mobility.

Elbow ROM exercises should ultimately reduce pain, not make it worse. If an ROM exercise hurts you, stop doing it, and consult with your physical therapist about what to do instead.

3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Frydman A, Johnston R, Smidt N, Green S, Buchbinder R. Manual therapy and exercise for lateral elbow painCochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Jun; 2018(6): CD013042. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013042

  2. Güleçyüz MF, Pietschmann MF, Michalski S, et al. Reference values of flexion and supination in the elbow joint of a cohort without shoulder pathologies. Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:1654796. doi:10.1155/2017/1654796

  3. Kim J, Yim J. Effects of an Exercise Protocol for Improving Handgrip Strength and Walking Speed on Cognitive Function in Patients with Chronic Stroke. Med Sci Monit. 2017;23:5402-5409. doi:10.12659/MSM.904723

Brett Sears, PT

By Brett Sears, PT
Brett Sears, PT, MDT, is a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience in orthopedic and hospital-based therapy.