The elbow and wrist anatomy work in unison for all functions that occur at the wrist (source). As such, the rehab for both looks extremely similar. Here’s a quick run down on the motions that occur at the wrist and that the elbow controls.
Movements That Occur At The Wrist And Elbow
- Wrist Flexion
- Wrist Extension
- Pronation
- Supination
- Radial Deviation
- Ulnar Deviation
These 6 motions can be further grouped into 2 categories:
- Those that occur via the flexor muscle group
- Those that occur via the extensor muscle group
Wrist Flexor Group
The flexor group is located on the medial (inside) elbow. These muscles do not act directly on the elbow, yet they are lumped into the elbow. The function of these muscles are to flex, pronate (turn the palm down) and ulnar deviate the wrist.
What condition is an inflammatory response at the medial elbow? Golfer’s elbow. Why is this relevant? The rehab for Golfer’s elbow involves loading this muscle group by doing wrist exercises. See the rehab for Golfer’s elbow here.
Wrist Extensor Group
The wrist extensor group is located on the lateral (outside) elbow. The function of these muscles are to extend, supinate (turn the palm up) and radial deviate the wrist.
What condition is an inflammatory response at the lateral elbow? Tennis elbow. Why is this relevant? The rehab for Tennis elbow involves loading this muscle group by doing wrist exercises. See the rehab for Golfer’s elbow here.
The big takeaway here is that the elbow and wrist anatomy have a great deal in common. They work together synergistically. Because of this, the rehab looks nearly identical from injury to injury. See the rehab program below for wrist and elbow pain fixes.