Last summer I got a nasty case of tennis elbow. I haven't played all winter and have kind of let myself go a bit. I want to be able to play three or four times a week and not have a recurrence of the tennis elbow. Do you know of any exercises that might help? Thanks.

-- Melpru

Melpru, you need to strengthen the muscles of your arm, forearm and wrist to help guard against tennis elbow.

Traditional biceps curls performed with the palms facing forward are OK, but I like to do hammer curls which use the muscles of the forearm, too. Start out seated with dumbbells in your hands, palms facing your sides. Curl the weight up without rotating your forearm and lower it under control. Make sure you keep your upper arm still and at your side throughout the motion.

For your triceps, try doing triceps extensions with dumbbells. Standing or seated, hold a dumbbell straight overhead. Use your opposite arm to hold your upper arm upright and stable. Slowly lower the weight behind you and then straighten your arm until you return to the starting vertical position.

For the biceps and triceps exercises, initially choose weights that will allow you to complete 12 repetitions. Work up to 15 reps before you increase the resistance. You can work up to a couple of sets of each exercise.

For your wrists and forearms, do wrist curls and wrist extensions. Hold a light dumbbell in one hand while seated. Place your forearm on top of your leg with your palm facing up. You can stabilize your forearm with the opposite hand. Curl the dumbbell by flexing your wrist toward you and then lower it, letting the dumbbell roll into your fingers. Do this 12 times. Rotate your forearm then place it on your thigh with your palm face down. Raise the dumbbell by extending your wrist and then lowering it back down. Do this for both arms.

These are some exercises that will help you strengthen your arms. You still need to examine why you got tennis elbow in the first place. With the advent of oversized racquets made from lightweight composite materials, tennis elbow is not as prevalent as it once was. It can still occur from poor stroke production, bad mechanics or gripping the racquet handle too tightly. Meet with a tennis pro and have him or her check out your swing. He might see something that either causes tennis elbow or aggravates it. Check your grip to make sure you can relax your hand between shots. Build your grip up a little to make it easier to hold your racquet without squeezing too hard.

You can also wear a splint designed to give your arm support and alleviate the pain of tennis elbow. You can obtain a splint from: The Saunders Group, (800) 456-1289 or Cho- Pat, (800) 221-1601, www.cho-pat.com.

Good luck, Melpru!

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