Tennis Elbow...gah!
Discussion
Hi all...looking for advice, experiences on what I think is tennis elbow.
It's a bit weird...I can do some things fine (work on cars, use a lawn mower, steer a yacht for 9 hours straight) and with other things I have zero strength and it's very painful...one of the worst being pressing the top of a deodorant can with my left index finger! I can only just do it with grimacing and swearing like I'm trying to break the world powerlifting record or something.
Work wise I'm either at my desk or out on the road driving. I can type away quite happily, but if I have to then reach for a ringing phone I have to take things very slowly as my elbow will have seized up. I have it in both arms, I'm right handed but my left elbow is worse.
The thing that is a real nightmare is sleeping...it's really painful. I get on better with cushions under each arm, but as I invariably end up sleeping on my side I'm just in an endless cycle of not getting proper sleep, which does not help with work or concentration.
I'm not a company director or powerfully built...I'm early 40s and I was going to the gym and cycling fairly regularly but that stopped totally one day in December last year when our little lad came into the world. Happy to make time for this again if gentle exercise will help it.
Currently using "Bracoo" tennis elbow support bands that I think help a bit, and about to pick up some kind of gel prescription, but to be honest things are getting a bit desperate and I'm willing to try most things.
Any advice or experiences very welcome! Thanks in advance.
It's a bit weird...I can do some things fine (work on cars, use a lawn mower, steer a yacht for 9 hours straight) and with other things I have zero strength and it's very painful...one of the worst being pressing the top of a deodorant can with my left index finger! I can only just do it with grimacing and swearing like I'm trying to break the world powerlifting record or something.
Work wise I'm either at my desk or out on the road driving. I can type away quite happily, but if I have to then reach for a ringing phone I have to take things very slowly as my elbow will have seized up. I have it in both arms, I'm right handed but my left elbow is worse.
The thing that is a real nightmare is sleeping...it's really painful. I get on better with cushions under each arm, but as I invariably end up sleeping on my side I'm just in an endless cycle of not getting proper sleep, which does not help with work or concentration.
I'm not a company director or powerfully built...I'm early 40s and I was going to the gym and cycling fairly regularly but that stopped totally one day in December last year when our little lad came into the world. Happy to make time for this again if gentle exercise will help it.
Currently using "Bracoo" tennis elbow support bands that I think help a bit, and about to pick up some kind of gel prescription, but to be honest things are getting a bit desperate and I'm willing to try most things.
Any advice or experiences very welcome! Thanks in advance.
Firstly - make sure it is Tennis Elbow. Hold your injured arm out straight - palm down. With your other hand press your middle finger, but try to resist it. If it hurts - tennis elbow.
I've been having physio on mine for about 7 months now. It can take upto 18 months to calm down without injections, though injections don't always work, and they're very painful.
What I've been told.
- Massage the tendon of the middle finger where it's attached to the bone at the elbow - that should be the inflammmed one.
- Also press this attachment fairly hard with your other thumb for about 1-2 mins to cut off the blood supply. It'll initially hurt alot, but will improve. The blood exclusion, and reintroduction aids healing,
- excercise wise. Get a weight (start @ 1Kg - I'm on 3 Kg now). Sit in a chair with an arm. Rest your albow on the arm. Hold the weight over the edge with the back of your hand facing upwards. Start with wrist hanging down. Raise the weight with the help of the other hand. Then allow the injured wrist to lower it gradually. Start small as it'll bloody hurt, but work up to the bigger weight and 50 reps.
Good luck!
I've been having physio on mine for about 7 months now. It can take upto 18 months to calm down without injections, though injections don't always work, and they're very painful.
What I've been told.
- Massage the tendon of the middle finger where it's attached to the bone at the elbow - that should be the inflammmed one.
- Also press this attachment fairly hard with your other thumb for about 1-2 mins to cut off the blood supply. It'll initially hurt alot, but will improve. The blood exclusion, and reintroduction aids healing,
- excercise wise. Get a weight (start @ 1Kg - I'm on 3 Kg now). Sit in a chair with an arm. Rest your albow on the arm. Hold the weight over the edge with the back of your hand facing upwards. Start with wrist hanging down. Raise the weight with the help of the other hand. Then allow the injured wrist to lower it gradually. Start small as it'll bloody hurt, but work up to the bigger weight and 50 reps.
Good luck!
Edited by fatboy b on Thursday 21st July 09:51
6 months of physio 3 times week did nothing for mine.
Took 3 cortisone injections to cure it completely... 1st one by GP lasted c.5 months. 2nd didn't work at all. Got a referral to a specialist and that was the end of it (8 years and counting).
The injections do hurt, but only for a few hours... the last one I had hurt like a b
d, but I woke up pain free, so it was worth it.
Took 3 cortisone injections to cure it completely... 1st one by GP lasted c.5 months. 2nd didn't work at all. Got a referral to a specialist and that was the end of it (8 years and counting).
The injections do hurt, but only for a few hours... the last one I had hurt like a b
d, but I woke up pain free, so it was worth it.Great advice, thanks chaps.
Harrrrumph, Fatboy B your diagnosis method seems spot on, seems like tennis elbow.
Is it likely to have been caused by incorrect posture at a VDU, or is it more of a injury/sport thing? The only time I have properly buggered my elbow before was a lack of skiing talent about 8 years ago, but all been fine until now?
Harrrrumph, Fatboy B your diagnosis method seems spot on, seems like tennis elbow.
Is it likely to have been caused by incorrect posture at a VDU, or is it more of a injury/sport thing? The only time I have properly buggered my elbow before was a lack of skiing talent about 8 years ago, but all been fine until now?
I had tennis elbow last year. I had loads of physio and acupuncture, and an injection (which hurt like hell), none of which helped. I'm completely pain free now though, the thing that fixed it was a hospital physio showing me exercise 1 on this site: https://www.tenniselbowsecretsrevealed.com/top-10-...
I used an exercise band rather than weights and did 3 x 20 reps 3 times a day. I still try to do them a few times a week to hopefully prevent it coming back.
I used an exercise band rather than weights and did 3 x 20 reps 3 times a day. I still try to do them a few times a week to hopefully prevent it coming back.
On and off 2 1/2 years now. Had the Cortisone Injection which was horrendous, had accupuncture, but the thing that gave relief was ice packs. It went for a while, but at 105kg and pushing hard on doing pull-ups, I'm back to TE or tendonitis again. Wake up in the morning with stiff, sore elbow and it just pisses me off all day long...
I think desk working doesn't help much, at all!
I think desk working doesn't help much, at all!
CAH706 said:
Could you explain that a bit more as I am struggling to visulalise ..... and any help on this would be appreciated.
I had the injection which was pain free really and solved the problem more or less straight away. Undortunately a few months later the pain is coming back
It's not the easiest thing to explain but I will try again. Imagine you are standing in front of a doorway, bend your arm at the elbow and place the fingers (palm side) of the affected arm against the frame of the door at waist height, so that you can push your body weight against the frame. Press as hard as you can and hold for 30 seconds, then release and repeat as often as you like. You will immediately notice that the pain subsides and if you do this daily it will alleviate the symptoms. I had the injection which was pain free really and solved the problem more or less straight away. Undortunately a few months later the pain is coming back
worth a punt amazon sell them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZG_9O_mAgM
Google voodoo floss for the ins and outs
Google voodoo floss for the ins and outs
Edited by smashy on Monday 25th July 18:17
I do a lot of climbing and suffer with golfers elbow mostly, I'm quite keen to avoid any surgery/injections so i've tried various exercises of which there seem to be hundreds, this one here really works for me and can be adapted for tennis elbow.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=361...
As has been mentioned above, using a mouse or anything repetitive needs to be looked at and changed if possible.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=361...
As has been mentioned above, using a mouse or anything repetitive needs to be looked at and changed if possible.
Exercise with a Thera-band Flexbar. Results are backed by a scientific study. Article here. Cured my persistent golfers elbow in weeks. Also worked for two others I passed the 'secret' on to.
Flexbar is available on Amazon for about £20. I bought the red one. Instructional videos are on YouTube.
Flexbar is available on Amazon for about £20. I bought the red one. Instructional videos are on YouTube.
Fore Left said:
Exercise with a Thera-band Flexbar. Results are backed by a scientific study. Article here. Cured my persistent golfers elbow in weeks. Also worked for two others I passed the 'secret' on to.
Flexbar is available on Amazon for about £20. I bought the red one. Instructional videos are on YouTube.
Not all treatments work fo all peeple.Flexbar is available on Amazon for about £20. I bought the red one. Instructional videos are on YouTube.
I seem to have acquired this injury. Doing the middle finger test described above produces some discomfort, not really pain as such.
I can only think I've done it in the gym at some point - it certainly wasn't helped by trying to do three sets of cross-body hammer curls after a week, that ended up aggravating it a lot. After that I gave up doing any bicep or tricep exercises until it gets better because I didn't know what it was.
It's slowly getting better but until I can get some professional advice or treatment, would it be reasonable to
a) only continue doing exercises that don't seem to cause any pain in that elbow and
b) stop doing the ones that do?
I can only think I've done it in the gym at some point - it certainly wasn't helped by trying to do three sets of cross-body hammer curls after a week, that ended up aggravating it a lot. After that I gave up doing any bicep or tricep exercises until it gets better because I didn't know what it was.
It's slowly getting better but until I can get some professional advice or treatment, would it be reasonable to
a) only continue doing exercises that don't seem to cause any pain in that elbow and
b) stop doing the ones that do?
I had this for 2 years tried everything ,this cured it I used wod fitters from amazon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQAckgAZfJI
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