Standing elbow extension works on getting a stiff elbow straight again. You hold the working arm out in front at shoulder height, with your other hand under the elbow and the forearm pointing up. Then you slowly straighten the elbow as far as it will go, hold it there for a few seconds and bend it back up. Losing the last part of straightening is common after an elbow injury or a spell in a cast or sling, and this is a simple range of motion exercise physios give for it.

How to do the standing elbow extension

Stand upright with your feet about hip width apart.
Lift the arm you are working forward to shoulder height and bend the elbow to a right angle, so the forearm points up at the ceiling.
Cup your other hand under the elbow to hold the upper arm steady at shoulder height.
Slowly straighten the elbow, letting the forearm lower forward until the arm is as straight as it will go. Stop just before any pain starts.
Hold the straightest position for a few seconds, then bend the elbow back up to a right angle and repeat.

What you should feel

A stretch at the front of the elbow as it nears straight, and light work at the front of the upper arm as it lets the forearm down slowly. The shoulder should feel supported rather than tired.

Common mistakes

Letting the upper arm drop as you straighten, so the shoulder does the moving.
Flicking the forearm down fast to force the last bit of range.
Pushing on into sharp pain.
Hunching the shoulder of the working arm up toward your ear.

How often

Many programs use 10 to 15 slow repetitions with a hold of about 5 seconds at the straightest point, 2 to 3 times a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the elbow, or pain that climbs with each repetition and lingers afterward.
The elbow is hot, red and swollen, or you have elbow pain with a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery. Get medical advice the same day, and go to an emergency department if you feel very unwell. This can be a sign of infection in the joint, which needs treatment quickly.
Tingling, pins and needles or numbness in your hand, most often in the ring and little fingers (from the nerve behind the elbow, the ulnar nerve) or in the thumb, index and middle fingers (the median nerve).
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.
A sudden pop or snap at the front of your elbow, sudden sharp pain there, or the muscle at the front of your upper arm bunches up or changes shape. Stop and go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day, even if you can still bend the elbow, as this can be a torn biceps tendon.

From the clinic

The voice guide does not say where to hold the upper arm. The video raises it to shoulder height, and this page follows the video. With the upper arm level, gravity helps the forearm down, so the muscles at the front of the arm (biceps and brachialis) only work gently to control it, and the stretch comes at the very end of the range. Tightening the back of the arm (triceps) at the end adds a little more straightening. If holding the arm up tires your shoulder, rest the elbow on a pillow on a table at about chest height instead.

A mild ache at the end of the range is expected and should fade soon after you stop. If the elbow is sorer for hours afterward, do fewer or go less far next time.

After a broken or dislocated elbow, or elbow surgery such as a tendon repair, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. If you have just hurt your arm and have severe pain, cannot move the elbow or heard a snap, do not exercise it. Go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day. If the arm looks a different shape or sits at an odd angle, a bone is showing, or your arm or hand tingles, feels numb or turns cold, pale or blue, go to an emergency department straight away or call emergency services, and do not drive yourself.

After a repair of the biceps tendon at the elbow, how far the elbow may straighten is often limited for the first weeks, and in this position the repaired muscle controls the forearm as it lowers, so ask how far you may go and when to start.

Elbow flexion and extension works both directions sitting down, and the lying assisted elbow bend helps an elbow that will not bend fully. Once the elbow straightens fully, seated triceps extension builds strength in the muscle that straightens it.

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.

Standing elbow extension