Tennis elbow from lifting weights can turn routine exercises such as rows, curls, deadlifts, pull-ups, or farmer carries into surprisingly painful movements. The pain usually develops around the bony outside of the elbow and may extend into the upper forearm. Gripping a dumbbell, carrying a plate, straightening your wrist, or even picking up a coffee mug can become uncomfortable.
Despite the name, you do not need to play tennis to develop tennis elbow. Weightlifting is one of many activities capable of repeatedly loading the forearm muscles and tendons that attach near the outside of the elbow. Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine specifically lists weightlifting among activities associated with the condition.
The solution usually is not complete, indefinite rest. Successful recovery more often involves reducing the loads and movements that are currently irritating the tendon, correcting training errors, progressively rebuilding forearm capacity, and gradually returning to normal lifting.
At Mount Prospect Health Centre in Newark, NJ, patients with elbow pain and sports-related overuse injuries can be evaluated to determine whether symptoms actually fit tennis elbow or another condition requiring a different approach.
What Is Tennis Elbow From Lifting Weights?
Tennis elbow is commonly called lateral epicondylitis, although clinicians also use terms such as lateral elbow tendinopathy or lateral epicondylalgia.
It affects the common extensor tendon where several forearm muscles attach near the lateral epicondyle—the bony prominence on the outside of your elbow.
One muscle frequently associated with the condition is the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB). This muscle helps stabilize and extend the wrist.
Loaded gripping and repeated wrist extension place demand on this tendon system. With insufficient recovery or a sudden increase in training stress, the tendon’s capacity can be exceeded.
For a lifter, that overload might come from:
- Rapidly increasing training volume
- Suddenly lifting heavier weights
- High-volume pulling sessions
- Frequent heavy gripping
- Adding new exercises without gradual progression
- Training through recurring elbow pain
- Excessive wrist extension while gripping
- Combining gym training with a manual job requiring repetitive gripping
- Returning to heavy training too quickly after time off
Tennis elbow is therefore less about one “bad” exercise and more about the relationship between load, technique, frequency, recovery, and tendon capacity.
What Does Tennis Elbow From Weightlifting Feel Like?
The most characteristic symptom is outer elbow pain from lifting or gripping.
You may notice:
- Tenderness directly over or just below the outside of the elbow
- Aching or burning pain extending into the forearm
- Pain while gripping a bar or dumbbell
- Pain lifting a weight with the palm facing down
- Pain during wrist extension
- Reduced grip strength
- Pain carrying grocery bags
- Pain shaking hands
- Pain turning a doorknob
- Pain picking up a coffee cup
Tennis elbow typically becomes worse with gripping and resisted wrist extension. Cleveland Clinic also notes that symptoms can include sharp or burning outer-elbow pain and weaker grip.
What Tennis Elbow Usually Does NOT Cause
Classic lateral elbow tendinopathy does not normally cause significant:
- Numbness
- Pins and needles
- Loss of skin sensation
- Electric sensations into the fingers
Those symptoms raise greater concern for a nerve problem and deserve an appropriate evaluation.
Why Does Lifting Weights Trigger Tennis Elbow?
People often assume the elbow joint itself is being overloaded.
The problem is frequently farther down the mechanical chain.
Your forearm muscles stabilize the wrist while your hand grips the weight.
Imagine performing a heavy row. Your fingers must hold the handle while the wrist extensors resist the tendency for the wrist to collapse under load.
Now repeat that gripping demand across:
- Deadlifts
- Pull-ups
- Lat pulldowns
- Barbell rows
- Dumbbell rows
- Shrugs
- Farmer carries
- Curls
- Kettlebell exercises
The forearm tendons can accumulate substantial training volume even though you never perform a direct “forearm exercise.”
Repeated loaded gripping and wrist extension are recognized mechanisms associated with lateral elbow tendinopathy.
Tennis Elbow Gym Exercises That Commonly Aggravate Symptoms
There is no permanent list of exercises everyone with tennis elbow must avoid.
An exercise becomes a problem when its current load, volume, grip requirement, or technique repeatedly aggravates your symptoms faster than the tendon can recover.
During an irritated phase, these movements commonly deserve modification.
1. Heavy Deadlifts
Deadlifts require sustained high-force gripping.
If simply gripping the loaded bar increases outer-elbow pain, repeatedly testing a heavy deadlift may keep the tendon irritated.
This does not mean deadlifts permanently cause tennis elbow or must be eliminated forever.
You may temporarily need to reduce:
- Weight
- Total sets
- Rep volume
- Frequency
- Grip-intensive accessory work performed in the same session
2. Heavy Barbell and Dumbbell Rows
Rows combine repeated gripping with substantial loading.
A common problem is letting the wrist bend backward while pulling.
That creates additional demand on the wrist extensors—the same muscle-tendon group commonly involved in tennis elbow.
3. Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups
These require the forearms to support much of your body weight.
If gripping the bar immediately reproduces outer-elbow pain, temporarily reducing volume or choosing a better-tolerated variation may be appropriate.
4. Farmer Carries
Farmer carries are intentionally grip-intensive.
That makes them useful for grip training when the elbow is healthy but potentially provocative when the common extensor tendon is already highly sensitive.
Heavy carries may need temporary reduction rather than repeatedly being used as a “test” of whether the elbow has healed.
5. Heavy Reverse Curls
Reverse curls place the forearm in a pronated position and can heavily recruit the wrist and forearm musculature.
If they reproduce lateral elbow pain, they are usually a poor exercise to force during an active flare.
6. Heavy Wrist Extension Exercises
Direct wrist-extension strengthening is eventually useful in many rehabilitation programs.
The problem is dosage.
Jumping directly into heavy wrist-extension curls when the tendon is highly irritable is different from progressively loading the tendon with controlled rehabilitation exercise.
7. High-Volume Kettlebell Work
Kettlebell training can combine gripping, ballistic loading, wrist stabilization, and repeated cycles of acceleration and deceleration.
If your elbow symptoms worsen as the session continues, temporarily reducing volume or load may help.
Should You Stop All Weight Training?
Usually, not automatically.
If only certain exercises provoke the elbow, it may be possible to continue training around the condition.
For example, you may still tolerate:
- Lower-body machines
- Leg presses
- Bodyweight lower-body exercises
- Core exercises
- Cardiovascular training
- Selected upper-body movements that do not aggravate symptoms
The objective is to reduce unnecessary tendon overload without becoming completely inactive.
Complete rest can reduce symptoms temporarily, but if the tendon is never progressively reloaded, it may still lack the capacity required when you return to normal lifting.
Exercise-based rehabilitation—including progressive resistance—is an important component of lateral elbow tendinopathy management.
5 Grip Mistakes That Can Irritate Tennis Elbow
Training technique matters because the forearm must stabilize both your grip and wrist position.
Grip Mistake #1: Letting the Wrist Bend Back Under Load
One of the most useful corrections for lifters is to examine wrist position.
If your wrist repeatedly falls backward into extension while holding a heavy dumbbell or bar, the wrist extensors must work harder.
Rather than thinking only about squeezing harder, aim for a stable, relatively neutral wrist during exercises where that position is appropriate.
Grip Mistake #2: Squeezing Every Weight as Hard as Possible
Heavy compounds naturally require a strong grip.
But some lifters maintain maximal gripping force during every warm-up set, cable movement, curl, carry, and accessory exercise.
That creates additional cumulative forearm load.
Use the amount of grip necessary to control the equipment rather than deliberately crushing every light handle throughout an entire session.
Grip Mistake #3: Allowing Technique to Deteriorate as You Fatigue
Early sets may look controlled.
Later sets may involve:
- Excess wrist extension
- Jerking the weight
- More aggressive gripping
- Poor forearm alignment
- Compensatory movement
Tendon load can change substantially when form deteriorates.
Grip Mistake #4: Suddenly Increasing Grip-Heavy Volume
Imagine progressing from:
6 pulling sets per week → 18 pulling sets + farmer carries + heavy deadlifts.
Your back muscles may tolerate the change.
Your elbow tendons might not.
Tendons adapt to loading, but abrupt increases can exceed their current capacity. Progressive build-up of activity is recommended for preventing and rehabilitating tennis elbow.
Grip Mistake #5: Ignoring the Total Load Outside the Gym
Your elbow does not know whether tendon stress came from a dumbbell or your job.
A person who lifts four days per week and also spends the workday gripping tools, carrying materials, painting, cutting, or performing repetitive hand movements has a much higher total upper-extremity workload.
Mayo Clinic specifically identifies repeated occupational wrist and arm activity as a tennis-elbow risk factor.
Tennis Elbow vs. Normal Post-Workout Soreness
Delayed-onset muscle soreness and tendon pain behave differently.
| Feature | Normal Muscle Soreness | Possible Tennis Elbow |
| Location | Muscle belly | Focal outer elbow/common extensor region |
| Trigger | Usually follows unfamiliar/intense training | Often gripping, wrist extension and lifting |
| Tenderness | Spread through muscle | More focal near lateral epicondyle |
| Grip weakness | Usually minor | Common |
| Everyday tasks hurt | Less common | Coffee cup, handshake or doorknob may hurt |
| Duration | Often settles within days | May persist or repeatedly return |
Persistent focal pain during the same movements deserves more attention than ordinary post-workout soreness.
Could Outer Elbow Pain Be Something Other Than Tennis Elbow?
Yes.
Not every case of elbow pain lifting weights is lateral epicondylitis.
Possible alternatives include:
Radial Tunnel Syndrome
Radial tunnel syndrome can produce pain near the outside of the elbow and may resemble tennis elbow.
One clue is that maximal tenderness may occur several centimeters farther down the forearm instead of directly around the lateral epicondyle. Resisted supination can also reproduce symptoms.
Cervical Radiculopathy
A nerve problem originating in the neck can refer symptoms toward the elbow or forearm.
Neck pain combined with numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain traveling farther down the arm warrants consideration of a cervical source.
Elbow Joint Problems
Arthritis, cartilage disorders, instability, and other joint conditions can cause lateral elbow discomfort.
Acute Tendon or Muscle Injury
Sudden pain following one forceful repetition—particularly with bruising, swelling, deformity, or major weakness—should not automatically be treated as gradual-onset tennis elbow.
Clinical reviews emphasize that several nerve, joint, and cervical conditions can mimic lateral epicondylitis.
How Is Tennis Elbow Diagnosed?
Most cases can initially be evaluated through medical history and physical examination.
A clinician may ask:
- When did the pain begin?
- Did training volume recently change?
- Which exercises cause pain?
- Is the pain directly over the lateral epicondyle?
- Does gripping reproduce it?
- Does wrist extension hurt?
- Is grip weaker?
- Are numbness or tingling present?
- Did one traumatic repetition start the problem?
- What physical tasks do you perform at work?
The examination may assess elbow and wrist movement, grip strength, tenderness, resisted wrist extension, forearm rotation, and neurological findings.
Mayo Clinic notes that history and physical examination are frequently sufficient, with X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, or other testing reserved for situations where another condition is suspected or additional information is necessary.
Do You Need an MRI for Tennis Elbow?
Usually not at the beginning.
Imaging may be useful when:
- Symptoms are unusually severe
- The diagnosis is unclear
- Significant trauma occurred
- Symptoms persist despite appropriate treatment
- Another tendon, nerve, joint, or bone problem is suspected
An MRI is not required simply because outer-elbow pain appears during curls or rows.
Tennis Elbow Recovery: Why Rest Alone Is Usually Not the Whole Plan
Tendons need appropriate load.
Too much load can aggravate symptoms.
Too little load for too long can leave the tendon poorly prepared for a return to heavy training.
That is why rehabilitation often progresses through a cycle such as:
reduce provocative loading → maintain tolerable activity → restore movement → progressively strengthen the tendon → restore grip capacity → return to gym-specific loading
AAOS recommends stretching and strengthening the muscles attached to the affected tendon and describes improved endurance and resistance to repetitive stress as early goals of rehabilitation.
Tennis Elbow Exercises: What Rehabilitation May Include
Exercises need to match your current symptom level rather than your pre-injury strength.
Gentle Wrist-Extensor Stretch
A commonly used stretch involves straightening the elbow and gently flexing the wrist so the muscles along the outer forearm lengthen.
The stretch should be controlled rather than forced aggressively through sharp pain.
Isometric Wrist Extension
An isometric exercise produces muscular force without substantial joint movement.
For example, you may hold the wrist in a stable position against light resistance.
Isometric loading may form one part of a progressive strengthening program.
Slow Wrist-Extension Strengthening
A light dumbbell can be used to progressively train the wrist extensor muscles.
The load may initially be very small.
The important variables are:
- Resistance
- Repetitions
- Speed
- Frequency
- Symptom response
Eccentric Wrist-Extensor Loading
During eccentric training, the muscle-tendon system works while gradually lengthening.
Systematic-review evidence suggests eccentric exercise can improve pain and strength when incorporated into lateral elbow tendinopathy rehabilitation.
That does not mean eccentric exercise is the only useful treatment or that heavier is automatically better.
Grip Strengthening
Grip capacity may eventually need to be restored because weight training depends heavily on it.
But grip exercises should be progressively dosed rather than immediately performing maximal squeezes when gripping already hurts.
How Much Pain Is Acceptable During Rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation should not become a competition to tolerate pain.
An individualized therapist may sometimes allow mild, controlled discomfort during tendon loading depending on the stage of recovery.
However, modify the exercise if you experience:
- Sharp or rapidly increasing pain
- Major loss of grip afterward
- Symptoms that keep escalating set after set
- Significant worsening that does not settle
- New numbness or tingling
- Sudden weakness
The objective is progressive adaptation, not repeatedly provoking a flare.
Should You Use Lifting Straps?
Lifting straps can reduce the amount of gripping required during certain pulling exercises.
That may make some lifts more tolerable while the forearm is recovering.
But straps should not become a way to ignore severe pain and continue loading an injury exactly as before.
Think of straps, when appropriate, as one possible load-management tool, not a treatment for the tendon itself.
You still need to restore grip and forearm capacity before returning fully to unrestricted training.
Are Neutral-Grip Exercises Better?
Sometimes.
Some lifters find neutral-grip handles more comfortable because they allow the wrist and forearm to remain in a more natural position.
Examples might include:
- Neutral-grip pulldowns
- Neutral-grip cable rows
- Hammer-style curling variations
However, “neutral grip” is not automatically safe for every person.
If the exercise reproduces your familiar outer-elbow pain, changing the handle does not make the tendon ready for the load.
Use symptom response rather than the name of the grip as your guide.
What About Elbow Sleeves or Counterforce Braces?
A counterforce strap is worn around the upper forearm rather than directly over the painful bony point.
Some patients use one to temporarily reduce symptoms during selected activities.
Wrist braces may also be recommended in some situations to reduce stress on the wrist extensor muscles. Cleveland Clinic includes elbow/wrist bracing among conservative treatment options.
Bracing can help manage symptoms but does not replace progressive strengthening and training modification.
Ice or Heat for Tennis Elbow?
Cold may temporarily reduce discomfort after an aggravating activity.
Heat may feel helpful for forearm stiffness before gentle movement.
Neither one rebuilds tendon capacity.
Use temperature treatment primarily for symptom relief while the longer-term rehabilitation plan addresses strength, load tolerance, and technique.
When Can You Return to Heavy Lifting?
Do not base your return only on whether the elbow feels fine while resting.
A better return-to-lifting decision considers function.
Before returning to previous heavy loads, you ideally want substantial improvement in:
- Everyday gripping
- Wrist extension
- Forearm strength
- Exercise tolerance
- Grip strength
- Next-day response to training
WebMD suggests that return to previous activity becomes more appropriate when gripping and weight-bearing are no longer painful and the involved elbow has regained comparable strength and movement.
A Gradual Return Might Look Like:
Stage 1: Modify painful exercises and begin rehabilitation loading.
Stage 2: Reintroduce light gym movements that do not significantly provoke symptoms.
Stage 3: Increase volume before testing maximal intensity.
Stage 4: Progress pulling and gripping demands.
Stage 5: Resume heavier rows, deadlifts, carries, curls, or sport-specific training.
There is no requirement to jump from rehabilitation dumbbells directly back to your previous working weight.
How Long Does Tennis Elbow Recovery Take?
Tennis elbow often improves, but tendon recovery can be slower than many lifters expect.
Cleveland Clinic states that recovery often takes around six months, although symptoms can range from a few months to more than a year, with some people taking up to approximately 18 months.
That does not mean every lifter will be unable to train for six months.
It means full tendon recovery can take time, while appropriately modified training and rehabilitation may occur during that process.
Recovery depends on factors such as:
- How long symptoms existed before treatment
- Training volume
- Tendon irritability
- Grip-heavy occupational demands
- Strength deficits
- Smoking and general health
- Whether provocative loads are repeatedly reintroduced too quickly
Why Does Tennis Elbow Keep Coming Back When You Lift?
Recurrence frequently reflects a mismatch between what the tendon can tolerate and what training asks it to tolerate.
For example:
You rest for two weeks.
Pain settles.
You immediately return to the same weights, number of sets, grip-intensive exercises, and technique that produced symptoms.
The tendon has not necessarily rebuilt enough capacity to tolerate that workload.
A more sustainable return involves progressively rebuilding the specific demands you need.
For a recreational lifter, that may mean grip endurance.
For a powerlifter, it may eventually mean heavy barbell pulling.
For a construction worker who also trains, rehabilitation must account for both gym and occupational load.
Can You Prevent Tennis Elbow When Weightlifting?
Not every case can be prevented, but sensible training habits may reduce risk.
Progress Loads Gradually
Avoid dramatic increases in both volume and intensity at the same time.
Keep the Wrist Controlled
During grip-heavy movements, avoid unnecessarily allowing the wrist to collapse backward under load.
Warm Up for the Work You Are About to Do
Use lighter preparatory sets before high-load pulling or gripping.
Track Total Pulling Volume
Rows, pull-ups, deadlifts, curls, carries, and direct forearm work all contribute to forearm workload.
Recover Between Sessions
Repeatedly training irritated tissue without sufficient recovery can perpetuate symptoms.
Address Pain Early
Mild recurring outer-elbow pain is easier to modify than a condition that has been provoked for months.
When Should You Get Elbow Pain Checked?
Arrange a professional evaluation when:
- Pain keeps returning every workout
- Grip strength is declining
- Everyday tasks have become painful
- Symptoms persist despite reducing aggravating activity
- You cannot progress your training
- Pain regularly affects sleep
- You are unsure whether the problem is actually tennis elbow
Cleveland Clinic recommends evaluation for severe pain, significant movement difficulty, swelling/discoloration, sleep-disrupting pain, or persistent symptoms.
Seek Earlier Assessment After a Sudden Injury
Do not assume a sudden traumatic elbow injury is tennis elbow if you experience:
- A loud pop
- Immediate major weakness
- Extensive bruising
- Visible deformity
- Significant swelling
- Inability to normally move the elbow
These findings can suggest a more substantial injury.
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation for Tennis Elbow
Physical or occupational rehabilitation can be particularly useful when the problem is interfering with lifting, work, or everyday gripping.
A rehabilitation professional may assess:
- Pain location
- Wrist-extensor strength
- Grip strength
- Elbow and wrist mobility
- Shoulder strength
- Nerve-related symptoms
- Exercise technique
- Work demands
- Weekly training load
Treatment can then progress from symptom management into progressively heavier forearm loading.
Clinical practice guidelines for lateral elbow tendinopathy include exercise therapy among key rehabilitation interventions, and evidence supports resisted forearm training rather than relying only on passive treatment.
AAOS also provides a therapeutic exercise program emphasizing forearm stretching and progressive strengthening. AAOS therapeutic exercise program for tennis and golfer’s elbow
Tennis Elbow Treatment in Newark, NJ
If outer elbow pain from lifting keeps interfering with your workouts, job, grip strength, or daily activities, the first step is confirming what is actually producing the pain.
Mount Prospect Health Centre has served the Newark, NJ community for more than 25 years and works with patients from Newark, East Orange, Irvington, Belleville, Bloomfield, Harrison, Kearny, and surrounding Essex County communities.
Depending on the findings and individual needs, conservative care may involve rehabilitation exercise, physical or occupational therapy approaches, manual therapy, activity modification, ergonomic guidance, and other non-surgical strategies.
Learn more about tennis elbow treatment in Newark, NJ.
Because repetitive strain at work can add substantially to gym-related tendon loading, you may also find our guide to chiropractic care for work-related repetitive strain injuries useful.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis Elbow From Lifting Weights
Can lifting weights cause tennis elbow?
Yes. Repetitive loaded gripping, wrist extension, and sudden increases in training stress can contribute to lateral elbow tendinopathy. Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine specifically lists weightlifting among activities associated with tennis elbow.
Should I stop lifting weights if I have tennis elbow?
You may not need to stop all training. Temporarily reduce or modify exercises that clearly reproduce your elbow symptoms while continuing activities that are well tolerated. Your rehabilitation should eventually rebuild the forearm’s capacity for loading.
What weightlifting exercises are worst for tennis elbow?
There is no universally “worst” exercise. Heavy deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, farmer carries, reverse curls, and wrist-extension exercises can be provocative because they demand substantial gripping or wrist-extensor work. Whether they need modification depends on your symptoms and current tendon capacity.
Are deadlifts bad for tennis elbow?
Not inherently. Heavy deadlifts require strong sustained gripping, so they may aggravate an already sensitive tendon. Reducing weight, volume, or grip demand may be useful during recovery before gradually rebuilding tolerance.
Can curls cause tennis elbow?
They can contribute, especially when high volume, heavy resistance, or poor wrist control creates excessive forearm loading. Reverse curls may be particularly provocative for some people, but individual responses vary.
Why does my outside elbow hurt when I grip a dumbbell?
The wrist-extensor muscles contract to stabilize your wrist during gripping. Their common tendon attaches near the outside of the elbow, so an irritated tendon can become painful even when the main exercise is targeting another body part.
Should I keep my wrist straight when lifting with tennis elbow?
A stable, relatively neutral wrist can reduce unnecessary wrist-extensor demand during many lifts compared with allowing the wrist to repeatedly collapse backward. Exact positioning varies by exercise, anatomy, and equipment.
Can lifting straps help tennis elbow?
Straps can reduce gripping demand during certain pulling movements and may be useful temporarily for some lifters. They do not rehabilitate the tendon, so forearm and grip capacity still need to be progressively restored.
Should I stretch tennis elbow every day?
Gentle forearm stretching can be part of rehabilitation, but stretching alone is unlikely to restore full tendon capacity. Progressive strengthening is also commonly recommended.
Are eccentric exercises good for tennis elbow?
They can be useful. Meta-analyses have found benefits from eccentric exercise for pain, strength, and function, although it should be incorporated into an appropriately progressed rehabilitation program rather than viewed as a guaranteed standalone cure.
Can I train through mild tennis elbow pain?
Training should be modified according to symptom response. Mild controlled discomfort may sometimes be acceptable during a supervised loading program, but sharp or escalating pain, meaningful loss of function, new neurological symptoms, or significant next-day worsening indicates that the exercise or dose should be reconsidered.
How long should I rest tennis elbow before lifting again?
There is no universal rest period. Return should be based on improving symptoms, grip strength, exercise tolerance, and progressive loading rather than waiting an arbitrary number of days and immediately returning to maximum weights.
Does tennis elbow heal completely?
Most people recover with nonsurgical management, although recovery may take months. Cleveland Clinic reports that some cases last longer than a year.
Why isn’t my tennis elbow healing?
Persistent symptoms can result from continued tendon overload, an overly rapid return to heavy gripping, inadequate strengthening, occupational demands, or an incorrect diagnosis. Radial tunnel syndrome, cervical nerve problems, and other causes of lateral elbow pain may resemble tennis elbow.
When should I see a professional?
Get evaluated if symptoms persist, progressively worsen, reduce grip strength, interfere with work or daily activities, or repeatedly return every time you lift. Seek earlier care following significant trauma or if swelling, deformity, major weakness, numbness, or tingling develops.
The Bottom Line
Tennis elbow from lifting weights usually is not a sign that you must permanently give up deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, curls, or other gym training.
It is a sign that the forearm tendon is currently struggling with the load being placed on it.
The most effective strategy is usually:
identify provocative movements → reduce excessive load → correct grip and wrist mistakes → progressively strengthen the forearm → rebuild grip tolerance → gradually return to normal lifting.
Avoid the two opposite mistakes of doing nothing for months or repeatedly testing the injured elbow with heavy weights before it is ready.
If pain around the outside of the elbow keeps returning, grip strength is decreasing, or everyday activities are becoming painful, a professional evaluation can help confirm whether the problem is actually lateral elbow tendinopathy and establish a progressive return-to-training plan.