Elbow bends are a simple movement from arm lymphedema routines. You sit upright with the affected arm resting out to the side on pillows on a table, bend the elbow to bring your hand up to your shoulder, then straighten it back down onto the pillows. The pillows carry the upper arm, so the elbow can move without the arm having to hold itself up. Lymphedema teams usually set these routines, so read this as the general technique.

How to do the elbow bends for lymphedema

Sit upright on a chair beside a table, with pillows stacked on it so your arm can rest out to the side a little below shoulder height.
Rest the affected arm on the pillows, elbow straight and palm facing up.
Bend the elbow and bring your hand up to touch your shoulder, keeping the upper arm resting on the pillows.
Straighten the elbow slowly and lower the forearm back onto the pillows.
Keep going at an easy, even pace, breathing normally. In the video the hand comes up close to the shoulder each time.

What you should feel

Easy movement at the elbow with light work in the front of the upper arm and forearm. It should not feel like hard effort, and the arm should not feel heavier or tighter afterward.

Common mistakes

Lifting the upper arm off the pillows as the hand comes up.
Hunching the shoulder toward the ear.
Rushing, or doing far more than your team suggested.
Stacking the pillows so high that the shoulder is pushed up.

How often

A common starting point is 5 to 10 slow bends, repeated a few times through the day, unless your lymphedema team has set different numbers. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the elbow, shoulder or armpit.
The arm feels heavier, tighter or more swollen during or after the exercise. Stop for today, and tell your lymphedema team if it has not settled by the next day. If the swelling comes on quickly, or the arm becomes painful, warm, red or darker than usual, get medical advice the same day.
Tingling, pins and needles or numbness comes on in your arm or hand as you bend.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
Your forearm, hand or upper arm becomes swollen, warm, tender, red or darker than usual, has swollen veins that are sore to touch, or has a throbbing or cramping pain that feels different from normal muscle ache. Do not massage it. Stop and get medical advice the same day, as this can be a blood clot. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.

From the clinic

Lymphedema is swelling that lasts because the lymphatic system is not draining the tissues well (NHS lymphoedema). In the arm it can follow cancer treatment that removed or damaged lymph nodes in the armpit, among other causes. The plan your lymphedema team gives you comes first, including whether to wear your compression sleeve while you exercise. The same routines often include lymphedema breathing, and elbow flexion and extension shows the same bend without the pillows.

If you have had lymph nodes removed or other cancer surgery in recent months, get the go-ahead from your surgical team or physio first, as some plans limit how far the arm is lifted out to the side until the wound has settled. If resting the arm that high is uncomfortable, lower the pillows or bring the arm closer to your side. Numbness in the armpit or the inner side of the upper arm is common after lymph nodes are removed from the armpit. If your team already knows about it, that numbness is not a new sign. Numbness that is new or spreading, pins and needles that stay after you stop, and new weakness still follow the stop list.

Watch the swollen area for signs of a skin infection (cellulitis), which the NHS says often affects people with lymphedema. If the skin there becomes painful, hot or swollen, or turns red or darker than usual, get medical advice the same day, as early treatment can stop it becoming more serious. Do the same for a high temperature, or if you feel hot, cold or shivery. If the skin changes come with a very high temperature or feeling hot, cold or shivery, a fast heartbeat or fast breathing, purple patches on the skin, feeling dizzy or faint, confusion, or cold, clammy or pale skin, or you feel very unwell, call emergency services or go to an emergency department straight away, and do not drive yourself.

New swelling that nobody has checked yet needs a doctor's assessment before you start, and the same day if it is in one arm or leg and you do not know the cause, or it is severe, painful or came on very suddenly. Call emergency services if swelling comes with shortness of breath, a chest that feels tight, heavy or painful, coughing up blood, a pounding heartbeat, or feeling lightheaded, faint, confused, sick or clammy. Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing up blood also needs emergency services when the swelling looks no different, as these can be signs of a blood clot in the lungs.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Elbow bends for lymphedema