Tennis Elbow/Golfers Elbow

[Varven]

Any idea on how to treat this intensly annoying afflictiom, not to mention painfull. Dont think I can perform any upper body excercise every again properly until I sor this out.

I guess its only worsened by all the grappling at martial arts.

Any suggestions ?

[Ash]

Any idea on how to treat this intensly annoying afflictiom, not to mention painfull. Dont think I can perform any upper body excercise every again properly until I sor this out.

I guess its only worsened by all the grappling at martial arts.

Any suggestions ?

Yeah - be careful with this thing.

I hate to sound like an alarmist but I had a bad case of tennis elbow when I was in my 20s that just wouldn't heal. Lots of NSAIDs didn't help at all, not even multiple cortisone shots could do anything. Try not training at all for a year :cry:

The only thing that did help in the end was a long run of very painful deep massage by an osteopath to break down the scar tissue on the tendon.

I would rest it for a while and get someone who knows what they're doing to give it a proper deep massage - a physio or an osteopath maybe. Ice after workouts has helped some of my tendon injuries a bit over the years.

A joint formula might help as well.

The rest alone might be enough and once it's sorted - don't do anything that aggravates it.

[Pseudonym]

Are you sure it's tennis elbow? I thought I had developed this a while back, but a physio assured me it wasn't. A few weeks of him swinging on my arm to pop the joint, and going easy on the weights, and it was much better.

If you haven't already, I'd see an expert. You might just find it's not as bad as you think.

[Growth]

Id go with the joint forumla, i always get both tennis and golfers elbow, mainly aggrevated by skullcrushers and by DB preacher curls. After taking a joint formula for about a month it usually clears it up, but once i come off it then it comes right back :cry:

You could take things like voltaren to allow you to workout if it is severe, but keep in mind these will mask the pain, the fact that you still have the damage should be kept in mind.

[2guns]

wat martial art u do? judo or ju jitsu?

[2guns]

wat club if ne?

[Varven]

Thanks guys.

Will visit a physio in the coming week.

Regarding style:

its Jiu Jitsu influenced by Ko Ryu Jiu Jitsu.

Lots of other influences though: moves from muay Thai, Happkido and so on.

Hoping to get to train in a proper MMA gym in teh future, cant find any around Aucks though !

oh n link:

http://www.seishinkan.info/

[badboy]

Just a few things as I'm currently in a similar situation:

I got a monumentally sore elbow about a year ago (I have a physical job and workout hard) but I didn't do anything about it and the intense pain passed after about 2 weeks. Not sure exactly what bought it on but suspect a little over extension of the joint thru work might have promoted it.

Ok - cut to about 8 months later.

Ulner nerve trapped - no feeling in the little pinky and half of the next finger. 5 months later I finally see a doctor coz I hate doctors. Now facing an operation to shave down the elbow joint, possibly reposition the nerve under a muscle flap and most likely at least 2-3 months off anything physical.

Ok - physio was pretty much a waste o time for me - nerve pain and numbness just too advanced for a physio to help. But just be warned - if it feels like it could be a little more swerious please take it seriously coz I is now paying the price for ignoring it and just hopeing it would go away.

[badboy]

Also - if it is just tennis elbow etc - a mate of mine gave me an elasticated velcro armband which he told me to place just below the crook of the arm around the biggest portion of the forearm. Put it on fairly tightly.

No idea why this should help but it did seem to help with the pain. Plus makes your veins pop out which looks cool - ala - ultimate warrior look crossed with popeye.

Just give it a try - no harm in trying at least.

[badboy]

oh and also like the other dude suggested - take a break. A good rest is often what does the trick. Focus on legs for now - everything will be peachy.

[Varven]

Thanks for the tips babdoy.

Yeah taken time off any upper body pressing or pushing.

Will go see doctor.

I believe it all started through using large amounts of force directed through my elbows when scraping paint off an ancient stubborn window sill.

[Varven]

physio confirmed that its tennis elbow.

the usuals.. regular massages, ice everyday and NO pushing/pulling movements at the gym. Including deadlifts.. pretty much anything that uses grip work :(

damn.. out of action for about another couple of months.

Feeling really low and shitty about this.

Sure I can squat.. b ut cant do anything else.

Im just visualising loosing all the gains and turning fat again.

The darndest things happen when u need them the least a ?

Well at least the physio chick is hott

[Pseudonym]

Damn, Varven... That's no good.

[shane]

Wait to your knees start going my knee playing up and only had it operated in July 2005 :?

[badboy]

Bro - don't be visualizing negative stuff. Hey - it's actually a positive thing - your body is telling you it needs a bit of r'n'r so really the best time to take it is when your body demands it and not because of some external factor imposed on you by work or something.

Start focusing on quad training and how you are going to get your quads and hams over developed. The challenge is to keep focused on the big game - this is nothing - just a little hurdle that will be overcome. My injuries are putting me in hospital shortly - I cant even work - Ive got no money and right now I could be really down but f..k that shit - got to keep keeping on and rolling with the punches and getting right back up there on that metaphorical horse.

Cliched as it is life gets better when it gets harder sometimes - then you value it all the more. And remember it could always be worse.

[Ash]

Hey badboy - great post!

[Varven]

Bro - don't be visualizing negative stuff. Hey - it's actually a positive thing - your body is telling you it needs a bit of r'n'r so really the best time to take it is when your body demands it and not because of some external factor imposed on you by work or something.

Start focusing on quad training and how you are going to get your quads and hams over developed. The challenge is to keep focused on the big game - this is nothing - just a little hurdle that will be overcome. My injuries are putting me in hospital shortly - I cant even work - Ive got no money and right now I could be really down but f..k that shit - got to keep keeping on and rolling with the punches and getting right back up there on that metaphorical horse.

Cliched as it is life gets better when it gets harder sometimes - then you value it all the more. And remember it could always be worse.

Cheers for the encouragement and positive words bro... good timing a... everything else sorta is coming down too at this point.

But from next week, come hell or high waters Im on a quad and halm building mania.

Let the Quest for extreme leg size and strenght begin

[Oros]

So hows your tennis elbow doing nowdays??????

[Varven]

I wasnt pushing too hard and it seemed ok'ish but never 100%, there was always that pain.

Until 2 weeks ago.. out of the blue it just went crazy again. I wasnt pushing hard, no forewarning, just snapped and cant grip anything.

Im going to find another physio, because the first physio didnt seem to clued up at all.

She actually suggested it was fine to do deadlifts.. I mean seriously if your grips gone entirely.. how on earth can it be safe to deadlift.

Will look for one around the city.

[Oros]

Sorry to hear ITS back.

My left elbow has always had a little niggle, but a few weeks ago, some clown ducked/walked underneath the BB during my last set of clean & press, just as I was beginning to lower the bar, I tried to avoid hitting him on the head with 60kg's worth of plates by stepping to the side and twisting away from him.........the whole move saved his head! but my left wrist flipped back & I felt a sharp twinge in my elbow joint.........now I can't even do squats without elbow pain!!!!

Some idiots are just completely clue-less, they think/feel that because YOU are lifting the weight, YOU must therefore be 100% in control of that weight!

Woman & young guys seem to be the worst offenders, theres just no perception or understanding of how dangerous it can be to just quickly squeeze past the end of a BB while someone is in the middle of a bench press rep, or just quickly squeeze through behind someone who is just starting to rise from a squat position, or quickly step over the loaded "T" bar!!!! Or walk under the bar as you start pulldowns!!!!!

But, heaven help the soul that bumps their shopping trolley!

[Varven]

Likewise, for squats I cant really grip the bar, so my arms are spread up against the collar. makes stability harder and looks like Ive been crucified to the bar heh.

[Cammo]

This may have been posted or may even be common knowledge but I was shown a good way of preventing getting tennis elbow pain that I hadn't come across before. I help my father out now & then unloading containers with rolls of fabric, some of which are pretty heavy - anyway, the technique I use to load the rolls on my shoulder really jars my elbow & I started getting tennis elbow symptoms (I never get these while working out, only when lumbering fabric rolls). My father grabbed a piece of string and tied it quite firmly around my forearm (about 1 and a half inches from the elbow - see pic below). That was it ........ the pain subsided and didn't return. I've heard the sheep sheerers, bricklayers & builders do it - it stops the jarring travelling all the way to the elbow.

Apparently you can use a rubber band as well but I haven't tried it.

Just thought some of you out there with the same symptoms might want to give it ago.

[Pseudonym]

Love the drawing! :grin:

Does that work along the same lines as those elastic wrap elbow support things?

[Cammo]

Yeah I think so, just a bit less restrictive.

[Oros]

Good sketch,..............is that a "pre", or "post" training pic though.

Those neoprene tennis / golfers elbow thingies to which you refer are designed to help retain body heat in the general area of the tendon tears, not really for restricting or compressing the forearm muscle, but they don't seem to tell you this in the instructions.

I was initially under the mistaken impression that the band was for compression purposes & needed to be a tight fit,...............inevitably my bicep & forarm veins started bulging (looked impressive during training, to start with anyway), but then my forearm started getting that "pins & needles" tingling sensation, and my hand was a slightly more blue/pink shade than the other, and when I removed the band the sharp pain that I felt in my lower bicep & elbow joint was :shock: :arrow: :madman:

I resigned myself to the thought of having to have an intra-joint jab, so phoned my doc for an appointment, during the consult he asked me to demo how I was wearing the band, he duely corrected my misconception as how it is to be worn, and my elbow has now since vastly improved.......(but, still not totally healed)