In a word, YES.  But like most things in life, flexibility is a relative term and its importance really depends upon what activities you are performing.  Different activities have very different demands and our bodies respond to our training by improving in the areas that we stress them.  This is called specific adaptation to imposed demands and is really why when we lift weights we get stronger, when we run we get in better cardiovascular and aerobic condition, etc.  Our bodies respond by getting bigger, looser, stronger and more efficient.  Likewise, when we stop training our bodies respond by getting smaller, tighter, weaker and terribly inefficient!

Having tennis elbow doesn’t necessarily mean that you play tennis!  In fact, it is medically known as lateral epicondylitis.  A painful elbow can affect almost all activities you perform throughout your day.  From shifting your car to lifting a gallon of milk our of the refrigerator, nearly every motion that involves grasping something while moving your arm and elbow will result in pain.

Being injured is NOT fun!  Your immediate concerns are usually, “How can I get the pain to go away?” or “When will I be able to get back to normal?”  These are great questions and we address them in separate articles.  But you also need to be thinking more actively (and proactively) about what you can do to help the process along as quickly as possible.