Tendonitis

[Helen]

Has anyone ever had it ?

I think I have it in my elbow from using a chainsaw. It's been hurting for about five weeks and I am realizing it is not just sore muscles.

I bought an elbow brace and started wearing that a few days ago.

Is it worth seeing a doctor for or should I just keep wearing the brace ?

Any advice ?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Stretching the tendons and muscles using various stretching exercises.

When not too sore, some weight lifting to strengthen the adjacent muscles.

Ibuprofen.

Heat, as in hot water or a heating pad.

For stretches to that area, hold your arm out straight in front of you, elbow locked. Hold your palm up in a "stop" position and gently tug on the tips of the fingers, pulling towards you. After you do this 4-5 times, drop the hand down, fingers pointed towards the floor, and keeping the arm straight, pull the fingers towards you that way. Then take a cord, using the opposite hand drop it down your back behind your head until you can grab it with the sore armed hand down by the small of your back. Pull up on the cord as much as you can.

Then do that 'beer goggles' thing where you touch your thumbs to your forefingers, making a circle, then twist your arms towards you until you can place those circles over your eyes, wrists high and palms facing your forehead. Sounds dumb but those are the exercises my physical therapist gave me for tennis elbow.

They also put the elbow in a warm ultrasound bath, hot wax baths, and hooked the elbow up to an electromuscular stimulator.

But what worked best for me was a heating pad, ibuprofen, the stretches and doing some curls and pulls to strengthen the arm muscles a bit and take stress off the tendon.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Stretching exercises for tennis elbow - Bones, Joints & Muscles on Yahoo! Health

See the triceps stretch on this page, use the cord as mentioned until you can join hands like this image shows.
Stretching exercises for any workout


And this is an excellent site
Physical Therapy Corner: Tennis Elbow — Portal

[TromboneAl]

Yes, I've had real problems from tendinitis and related repetitive stress injuries in the past related to using the computer, playing piano, and playing trombone.

I hardly have any problems now, and I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps because I use the computer less than when I was working.

I've concluded that it's a complicated thing -- more complicated that rubbing parts in a machine. For example, general health, attitude, and other things play a part.

Seeing a specialist may give you some insight.

[Helen]

Thank you so much, CFB !!! I was going to avoid lifting weights. I'll check out the links and implement the suggestions.

This sucker is painful. I grabbed a diet coke from the refridge and almost dropped it.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, thats tennis elbow.

Basically whats happened is that the tendon has shortened up and is now rubbing against the other items in your arm...repetitive rubbing back and forth aggravates it. By stretching it you reduce the rubbing, ibuprofen (or any other anti inflamatory) reduces the inflamation, and strengthening the muscles associated with the joint transfers some of the effort from the tendon to the muscles.

I darn near died the day after I fed about 20 cubic yards of branches into a chipper.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helen Has anyone ever had it ?

By way of general information and notwithstanding the other well-meaning advice you've received, understand that with "tennis elbow" (lateral epicondylitis if you want to impress your friends and neighbors).... the pain may be at the elbow, but the problem is caused by repetitive use at the wrist. I have no way of knowing if that's what you have, but it's possible.

When that's the case, the treatment is to immobilize the wrist (nothing wrong with icing the elbow and ibuprofen, either). A common maneuver that some doctors use to diagnose that condition is:

- hold up the affected arm, and raise your hand as if stopping traffic
- with the other hand, apply force to the back of the traffic hand as if trying to push the hand down and forward.
- resist this pushing with the traffic hand.

If the patient is now hanging from the chandelier due to elbow pain (a positive Chandelier Sign), it may well be tennis elbow.

See your doctor - most cases respond beautifully to a quick shot of cortisone to the tender spot, and a week or two of wrist splinting. And if it's something else, he or she can set you straight.

Good luck.

[grumpy]

I have had good results with acupuncture for elbow tendinitis.

Grumpy

[Joss]

I've had it in both elbows from power sander use, building a boat. If you do nothing, about a year or so later you sort of notice it's not there anymore.

I REALLY wish I'd done what Rich suggests and gone in for a cortisone shot. I've had them before in thumbs and shoulders and they work like a miracle for me.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I think you oughta get Quicken Doctor for $19.95 and do whatever it tells you.

Heck, the first thing the real doctor wants to do is stab you with a needle

[Alan]

I've had tendinitis in my shoulders.

started in my early 40's and I had repeated bouts of it for years. Various treatments, some worked, some didn't (VIOXX didn't work fortunately, given the other issues that arose later). Physical therapy and exercises I used to do myself worked best.

Eventually after about 6 years of it coming back and getting worse I was referred to a shoulder expert and cortisone shots worked but only for a few weeks and after a year I had surgery to remove bone ridges. It was called a decompression and the results have been bl**dy marvelous. It was 3 years ago and I still do regular exercises on the shoulders but I am able to play tennis again which is just great.

I've no idea if the bone spurs will grow again, the Doc seemed to think it was calcification possibly caused by many years of me being a soccer goal keeper, but I know that arthritis usually starts in joints that are damaged.

Fingers crossed. I don't know if tennis will increase the chance of it coming back, but for the aerobic exercise and enjoyment I get I'm willing to chance it. I played this evening or about 80 minutes, 2 extremely close sets and I'm still on an endorfin high.

I hope Rich agrees that the risk is worth it. (sorry to hijac the thread a bit)

[VoyT]

I had a really bad bout in my elbow and forearm about 15 years ago, tied to computer use. Therapy and drugs didn't do much, so ended up with a couple of cortisone shots. Not a pleasant experience, but it really worked.