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Preventing tennis elbow can be difficult.

Not putting a strain on the muscles in your forearm will help you to avoid the condition or stop your symptoms from getting worse.

The measures you can take that may stop tennis elbow from developing or coming back include to:

• stop the activity that is causing pain, or find another way of doing it that does not cause pain or stress
• avoid using your wrist and elbow more than the rest of your arm. It may also help to spread the load to the larger muscles of your shoulder
• get coaching advice to help you change or improve your technique if you play a sport that involves repetitive movements, such as tennis or squash
• warm up properly and gently stretch your arm muscles before playing a sport that involves repetitive arm movements
• use lightweight tools or racquets and make their grip size bigger, to avoid putting extra strain on your tendons
• wear a tennis elbow splint when you're using your arm (not while resting or sleeping) to stop further damage to your tendons. Ask a GP or physiotherapist for advice about the best type of brace or splint to use
• increase the strength of your forearm muscles (a physiotherapist can advise you about exercises to build up your forearm muscles)