Treating tendonitis / tennis elbow

David1961

David1961

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I was out playing tennis about 6 weeks ago and the next day I had a sore elbow. Have never had this but I guess there's always a first time. Assumed it is tennis elbow and rested it. I learned it is very hard to rest your elbow and the pain is better, it is still there, especially after I do yard work or any kind of lifting. I have a few questions to folks who have had to deal with this? Did you find any of the braces and/or sleeves for the elbow to help with the pain and healing process? Has any other thing helped? I have been applying ice periodically and it does not seem to help. At what point do you recommend going to the doctor? I hate to run to the doctor for every ache, but as I have never had this type of injury, maybe I should. Thanks for your help.
 
Been through this before. Mine was from golf but was on the inside of the elbow so technically was "tennis elbow". Braces help with pain by taking pressure off the tendon. They do not, however, deal with the inflammation which is the cause of the pain.

I had an MRI which showed the inflammation. In fact the first Doc to read the MRI thought I had a torn UCL. Ouch...Tommy John surgery. Fortunately he was wrong. Went through a round of physical therapy (six weeks) which consisted of strengthening the tendon, electrolysis, anti inflammatory (Mobic), cortisone shot, etc. Didn't work.

This went on for nearly a year. Same as yours...hurt when golfing, lifting, yard work, etc. Finally I tried acupuncture. Six weeks, three times a week. Don't know if it was related to the acupuncture but after two weeks felt significantly better. After six weeks it was gone and have not really had a problem since.

I have heard tendonitis comes and goes. Mine has stayed away for three years now and I hope it never comes back. Good luck to you. I would go see a doctor to make sure it is not torn.
 
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I've been dealing with the tennis elbow issue for the past year. I first went to my local doc and got a shot and it did not work. Went to a Orthopedic surgeon and got another shot and 6 weeks PT. Problem solved. 2 months later problem is back. Going to see local doc for annual physical tomorrow to see what he says. Stay tuned.
 
I had tennis elbow 12 years ago from painting the exterior of my house with a paint brush (cedar siding). After several weeks of unrelenting pain I went to the doc who referred me to the orthopedic doc. Had an MRI to diagnose the tennis elbow. Tried braces, cortisone shots, physical therapy - nada. Continued to get worse until I couldn't use my right arm at all (I am right handed). Finally broke down and had the surgery. Pain gone and no further issues with my arm.
 
I had golfers elbow, not from golf but from over-use on a DIY project. Much to my surprise, I got considerable relief from a simple band, purchased from the local drugstore. The band went just below the elbow, on my forearm.

For a few months, I put the band on whenever I was likely to put stress on the damaged tendon. It gradually got better, and now it's completely recovered.
 
I've had tennis elbow twice (from playing tennis of all things) and both times 6-7 months of rest (no tennis) did the trick. I have a number of friends who have had the same experience as me...no relief until they rest for around 6 months. I also see several players weekly who wear the narrow bands on their forearms, and they say that this helps prevent tennis elbow. I haven't tried it though.
 
I injured the thumb on my right hand. The doctor told me it was a tendon injury the same as Tennis Elbow. He, also, said the only cure (for this and Tennis Elbow) was complete immobility. He was correct. It took a little over two years for the pain to go away and I could rid myself of the restraint. And even now, five years later, I have to quickly stop doing some things at the first sign of pain. Good luck.
 
I had a terrible epicondylitis condition about 15 years ago, which was best described as both tennis elbow and golfer's elbow at the same time.

This was brought on by my w*rk, which required excruciatingly precise manipulation of a three-button mouse at a computer, all day long.

The pain got so bad that I was unable to take a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator, it hurt so much.

I tried a lot of things. The first cortisone shot helped, but subsequent ones did not. Iontophoresis also helped, but was very tedious.

The only real cure was complete rest. I wound up taking medical leave for about eight months, and finally got over it. The company hated it, but there wasn't anything they could do since several doctors confirmed the problem.
 
Like others here, I found nothing seemed to help tennis elbow. Mine was back in 1999, and it was probably initially caused by lifting many heavy boxes of books by myself while moving here from Baton Rouge. My doctor diagnosed it. I don't recall what if anything he said to do for it; his recommendations must not have been anything remarkable.

I tried ice, and while that felt good it didn't rid me of the condition at all. I rested it - - no choice in that matter, because it hurt too much to use it much.

It took much longer to resolve than I would have wished. I don't recall exactly how long, but it was months. It has never come back and I have not even had a twinge from it at any time during the ensuing 15 years.
 
I just got mine 3 weeks ago, on my left knee, not elbow but I guess it is the same thing. It started with sharp pins and needles pain every 3 minutes. After just 1 day, I could not take it and went to see my doctor.

He said this is likely due to my exercise routine: jogging, swimming, and walking. He prescribed Naproxen to battle the inflammation. After few days, the pain is gone so I naively went back to my routine but the pain would come back the next day.:facepalm:

Wife now ordered me no more lower body exercise. We can go to the company gym and do weight lifting, if I want to exercise. :(

From reading your stories, I know I have a long battle to fight. I just hope I don't gain weight from lack of routine exercise.
 
I had tennis elbow many years ago. Went to an orthopedist whom I had worked with in orthopedic research. No cortisone shot. Heavy duty anti-inflammatory (can't remember the name but was not over the counter) and a band with velcro given to me by him. it wasn't one of those stretch type bands. The band provided a LOT of relief as did the anti-inflammatory. The band is placed at the pressure point or below the pressure point and DOES not have to be tight - just firmly against the pressure point. (can't remember but still have the band....somewhere) You might be able to buy something similar at the drug store. That said, I quit playing tennis because every time I did, it came back but have not tested that for many years now.
 
Seven or eight years ago I had frozen shoulder compounded by tennis elbow. It went on for most of a year. PT, ice, and rest helped the shoulder, and I got pretty good relief on the elbow using one of the braces, sort of like this one Amazon.com: Mcdavid Dual Pad Elbow Band: Health & Personal Care. My arm is slightly less muscular than that one, though. Over a period of a few more months, both conditions cleared up and I haven't had a recurrence.

However, I've got a doctor's appt tomorrow for what I suspect is Achilles tendinitis. I've got a swollen bump above my heel. It's painful to the touch, and every morning when I get out of bed my first few steps are like one of the slow zombies. It loosens up with a little stretching, but stays sore all day. All my research indicates that my extreme physical workouts probably caused this, except for the fact that I'm a lazy couch potato, and have no real reason to have strained the tendon. Be curious what the doc has to say. Probably ice, stretch, rest.
 
I am prone to tendinitis (due to ligamentous laxity) and while acupuncture helped a little for my last bout with shoulder tendinitis, prolotherapy did the trick. Two years later I am pain free.

Here's an article about it's positive use in tennis elbow:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2751593/

The injections themselves are painful, which can last for a few days, but then it gets better. One usually needs more than one round.


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I found the Mueller Aircast to be helpful. After years of ice, anti-inflammatory, etc I found help at a physical therapist who used ASTYM ( Restore, Revitalize, Recover | Astym ) plus minor stretching and light weights to strengthen. ASTYM helps to break up the scarring that occurs during the inflammatory process. Good luck.
 
I had tennis elbow from over exercising for about 18 months. First two cortisone shots worked for six months, third one didn't work. Off to the hand doctor who prescribed an occupational therapist who specializes in hand injuries. Tried several bands, heat pad and more. These didn't work for me. But I finally conquered it by doing the exercises prescribed by the OC, and useing a Thera-Band FLEXBAR for exercising. The OC said she was havering a lot of success with tennis elbow with the FLEXBAR. it sure worked for me in about six weeks of exercising. My elbow us fine now but I know that it could come back at any time that I over use it. The good news is I now know what exercises to use to eliminate the TE condition. She also had me wear a brace on my wrist while sleeping and I think that was part of the solution also.
 
I have tendonitis issues way too often. The last bout of tennis elbow was relieved by a simple band bought at the drug store as suggested by my doc. Couldn't believe how fast it helped. I put it on now whenever I feel I've over exerted that area and it seems to keep it at bay.

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Thanks for all the replies. I wanted to add I went to my doctor today and after checking me over, he said I have tennis elbow and the best thing was to let it heal itself. Also gave me exercises to do, recommend that I wear a brace, and take Advil when needed for pain.
 
Got my diagnosis. Achilles Tendinitis. Going to see a podiatrist next week. Hopefully he can tell me what to do. I'm getting tired of walking like an old man.
 
PatSea said:
But I finally conquered it by doing the exercises prescribed by the OC, and useing a Thera-Band FLEXBAR for exercising. The OC said she was havering a lot of success with tennis elbow with the FLEXBAR. it sure worked for me in about six weeks of exercising. My elbow us fine now but I know that it could come back at any time that I over use it. The good news is I now know what exercises to use to eliminate the TE condition.
Click to expand...



+1

My doc, who is the sports doc for local semi pro team, recommended the same. Pain gone in 6 weeks of regular exercises. No shots. No nothing else. Never filled the PT script.


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My wrists have been killing me for the past 2 months...PT and braces not helping. Test confirmed no carpel but pain is excruciating in the morning and lower forearms are swollen. Regular doc said tendinitis (which I've had for years) is slow to get better. I'm going to start with dietary changes and maybe acupuncture.


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harley said:
Got my diagnosis. Achilles Tendinitis. Going to see a podiatrist next week. Hopefully he can tell me what to do. I'm getting tired of walking like an old man.
Click to expand...

Wish you the best. I had a chronic case that started in June 2012. Found out that the medical profession has little in short term fixes. Physical therapy and some other treatments seemed to relieve the major symptoms, but it took me two years for it to heal to the point of resuming my regular activities (like being able to jog 4 miles and become active again). Hated feeling like an old man, even though I was just reviewing new to me Medicare options the other day
 
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