Tennis elbow

[Katherine]

No cycling for a while!


I couldn't ignore the pain in my elbow any longer so I went to see the GP who diagnosed tennis elbow. I have to rest it as much as possible, do some rehabilitation exercises on the wrists and arm muscles and don't do anything that brings on the pain.

Groan.

I expect the digging over the flower beds with one of those twisting forks last weekend didn't help. The final straw was the ride on the mountain bike on Thursday, when I held on the brakes going over loose stones and rough ground, which I wasn't used to and I probably held my arms too stiffly.

I've read a previous thread on here about tennis elbow and wonder how @User9609, @gary r, @Perfect Virgo are now, 5 years on? Also, @Crackle mentioned it in 2008.

All advice and encouragement welcome.

 

[HarryTheDog]

Hi @Katherine I suffered from tennis elbow over a period of around 2 years, seemed to brought on by over gripping. I had cortisone injections 3 times, the first 2 seemed to stop it for 3 months. With my last one which was 2 months ago I was told I was in the last chance saloon as they would only do 3 in one place. I have done like you 3 weeks off the bike and lots of physio. Now I am back on the bike ( mostly road) and have to concentrate on dropping my shoulders and riding with relaxed hands . My wife had exactly the same but hers was caused by sailing ( pulling on ropes) and horse riding. She had 3 cortisone over 18 months and only the 3rd seemed to work permanantly. She had physio and also wore a strap on her forearm which had a pressure point on it to press on the offending tendons which seemed to work for her ( didn't for me). That was over 3 or 4 years ago and has been fine since. She does not sail or horse ride any more but that is a different story.
So I hope you are lucky and dont need the injections ( though they are not that scary) and the physio works, a pressure strap may help if it continues. I am told that it nearly always goes in the end.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

I suffer from tendonitis in both elbows and my right knee, from years of martial arts.

The advice from my doctor was to just continue life as normal unless it caused pain.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Mine comes and goes. I find a good support helps when it comes and just take it easy. Mine's mostly from hauling suitcases around on and off planes, but also carrying the Brommie seems to be aggravating it too.

 

[Crackle]

Mine turned out to be golfers elbow with a touch of tennis. Stopping throwing the ball for the dog (ball thrower) and finding a rest for my elbow at the computer sorted most, the rest I manage.

 

[Katherine]

Hi @Katherine I suffered from tennis elbow over a period of around 2 years, seemed to brought on by over gripping. I had cortisone injections 3 times, the first 2 seemed to stop it for 3 months. With my last one which was 2 months ago I was told I was in the last chance saloon as they would only do 3 in one place. I have done like you 3 weeks off the bike and lots of physio. Now I am back on the bike ( mostly road) and have to concentrate on dropping my shoulders and riding with relaxed hands . My wife had exactly the same but hers was caused by sailing ( pulling on ropes) and horse riding. She had 3 cortisone over 18 months and only the 3rd seemed to work permanantly. She had physio and also wore a strap on her forearm which had a pressure point on it to press on the offending tendons which seemed to work for her ( didn't for me). That was over 3 or 4 years ago and has been fine since. She does not sail or horse ride any more but that is a different story.
So I hope you are lucky and dont need the injections ( though they are not that scary) and the physio works, a pressure strap may help if it continues. I am told that it nearly always goes in the end.

Thanks. I'm going to stick at these exercises. Hopefully I'll be back on the bike after this rest and I'll make sure I don't grip too hard.

 

[vickster]

I had it in 2011/2012 and needed surgery, never responded to physio, acupuncture, a tennis elbow support, steroid or platelet rich plasma jab. The few weeks after the surgery and the rehab were tough, so try everything else first. I was unlucky I guess as in 90% or more of cases it resolves. Rest, avoid the activity that caused it first. Then see a physio

Good luck, surgery really is last resort for a minority (my surgeon told me my tendon was hanging in by a thread and was never going to get better). It's been pretty good since though

 

[Katherine]

I had it in 2011/2012 and needed surgery, never responded to physio, acupuncture, a tennis elbow support, steroid or platelet rich plasma jab. The few weeks after the surgery and the rehab were tough, so try everything else first. I was unlucky I guess as in 90% or more of cases it resolves. Rest, avoid the activity that caused it first. Then see a physio

Good luck, surgery really is last resort for a minority (my surgeon told me my tendon was hanging in by a thread and was never going to get better). It's been pretty good since though

Thanks.

 

[Katherine]

[QUOTE 3720503, member: 9609"]I had bother with tennis elbow for quite along time, many many years, it particularly bothered me cycling (gripping the bars with the wrist bend backwards). I found the use of a tennis elbow strap very useful, that and trying to always have my wrist straight when gripping stuff was a good work around. In fact, providing I remembered to always wear the strap when cycling or working with the tools I had little bother and was something I just lived with.

About a year ago I started working with a private physiotherapist / Pilates teacher to try and resolve some long term spinal problems (very bad spinal injury a few years ago) I did many one on one sessions with her, she likes to focus on the whole body so as to try and get everything in balance (all very very expensive) Anyway at one point she said to me, "your fore arm muscles are ridiculously tight, I'm surprised you don't have elbow problems or even thumb problems. Now I had never mentioned my tennis elbow or the fact I have a thumb problem (only so many aches and pains you can mention before people think you're mad)..

Now her theory is - my fore arm muscles are stupidly tight because my Rotator Cuffs in my shoulders arnt working properly (can you do this exercise with your palms always pointing upwards, i can't) (she also said "you must get a sore neck from time to time" - that was something else I hadn't mentioned)

As far as my elbow problems go, she showed me how to use a foam roller on the forearms, very painful at first, and then got me using one of these massage tools (along with some massage oil) Amazingly my tennis elbow problems have now gone, and my thumb is better than its been for years.. And the rotator cuff execises that she has me doing has sorted my minor neck problems - and she has also nearly cured my lower back but that's an even longer story. the woman is a miracle worker![/QUOTE]

Thanks for all that @User9609.
I've just tried your dumb waiter exercise. I can do it on the left but not quite all the way on the right and I suppose you're going to say that it's not a coincidence that I have some stiffness in my right shoulder!
I go to Pilates, so I'll talk to the teacher, as I haven't mentioned my shoulder stiffness or elbow soreness to her - all part of the ignoring it, it might go away reasoning!

 

[david k]

No cycling for a while!


I couldn't ignore the pain in my elbow any longer so I went to see the GP who diagnosed tennis elbow. I have to rest it as much as possible, do some rehabilitation exercises on the wrists and arm muscles and don't do anything that brings on the pain.

Groan.

I expect the digging over the flower beds with one of those twisting forks last weekend didn't help. The final straw was the ride on the mountain bike on Thursday, when I held on the brakes going over loose stones and rough ground, which I wasn't used to and I probably held my arms too stiffly.

I've read a previous thread on here about tennis elbow and wonder how @User9609, @gary r, @Perfect Virgo are now, 5 years on? Also, @Crackle mentioned it in 2008.

All advice and encouragement welcome.

I had it about five years ago, was painful and annoying

Doctor told me to take anti inflammatory tablets three times a day for a few weeks??? I thought this was odd and wasn't happy, but it did work!