1. Home
  2. Home Repair
  3. Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow

I went to my sports medicine doctor today to help me with a problem I've been having with my elbow for about 6 months.

After examining me he proclaimed I had classic tennis elbow symptoms. So I was explaining the situation where it would have come up, so that he could suggest a way to continue without further damaging the joint and we decided it was caused by my drywalling work.

Picking up sheets of drywall by the edge with one hand to lift them into position, oddly enough he's seen cases where using a screwgun aggrevates it, painting overhead, using a hammer incorrectly (using wrist action to pound the nail, not my arm). So he suggested I start wearing a tennis elbow strap and begin icing my elbow after doing any more DIY jobs. A couple 3 months and I should be back in fighting form.

In retrospect I should have known unloading drywall by myself from my truck would injure something, but I always wrote it off as a muscle pull (which it is) but not something so extensive.

Reply to
Eigenvector
Loading thread data ...

Once you got it, you got it. You don't get rid of it. There are things you can do, but it's there. Some cortisone shots help, but they hurt like hell. Wear that strap all the time. Ice it when it hurts a lot. Avoid things that aggravate it like hammering and tennis. Suck it up and live with it. It's an irreversible condition. I know. Been there, done that, got the T shirt.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Well the sports medicine doctor was a little more promising. He's my GP and so knows my history. I've torn my plantar tendon and suffered for a year, he directed me to what would help and it took about 6 months but I completely healed. Doesn't mean it won't come back, it has a couple times, but now that I know what I'm looking for it isn't disabling like it was the first time. We'll see, hopefully it'll eventually heal up.

Ice, ice baby. If you want my honest opinion, I don't think it was the drywalling - I think my cat did it while I was asleep as punishment for not paying more attention to him.

Reply to
Eigenvector

"Eigenvector" wrote

I don't mean to be negative, but mine has just recurred again and again. But then, I've retired recently, and those 24 hour work marathons are a thing of the past. That will bring out any ache or pain you have.

I also think my sinister cat had something to do with it, too.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

I had it and got rid of it. It took about 20 years. the strap with the bubble helps at first. you just gotta get it positioned properly. not always in the same spot either. then when it doesn't hurt as much rehab, rehab, rehab, with weights and yoga.

Reply to
Picklesheimer

oh yeah. with me I found most of my problem was I was doing things inefficiently with my elbow and that had put too much stress on it. try to keep your elbow tucked in closer to your body when doing work, don't let it fly out where it is doing most of the work without the support of your body and shoulder. I had to relearn how to do many tasks more efficiently.

Reply to
Picklesheimer

welcome to old age, what would of been a minor ouch for a day or two as a teenager is a permanent problem once you get older.

perhaps its not all age no doubt some is from doing things repetively for a lifetime. I have carpal tunnel from fixing machines, a touchey knee from a old fall and knee surgery, a sensitive back from a fall 30 years ago. oddly enough my back and knee injuries were both at the exact same spot on my sidewalk both from ice...

that section of concrete must hate me.......

having just turned 50 its sucks getting old. although I decded to ENJOY my birthday. My ife was stunned....

She asked I expected you to be miserable, why are you happy?

well its better than the alternative:)

Reply to
hallerb

I developed a case of "tennis elbow" in one day at my shooting club's pistol range. I was shooting through a chronograph off a sand bag with my elbow resting on a piece of carpet. Doctor gave me a set of exercises and it was nearly 3 months before all pain left. I was seeing doctor at the time recovering from a pinched nerve in my neck. My two points are that unusual stress can cause problems and getting old is a bitch ;) Frank

Reply to
Frank

Nonsense. It goes away -- as long as you quit doing whatever it was that caused it. Obviously, you didn't. There isn't anything special about tennis elbow. It's an inflammation of the tendon(s) in the elbow. Treat the inflammation with rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories, avoid the actions that produced it in the first place, and, like any inflammation, it goes away and doesn't come back.Until you re-injure it, that is.

I've been there, done that, iced it down, had enough sense to wear the strap when I needed to, and it went away and has stayed away.

Reply to
Doug Miller

In his defence some of the literature out there suggests that for some people it is a chronic lifetime issue. One of my co-workers has had surgery to correct the length of the tendon that is affected by tennis elbow.

But I hope that properly treating the injury the first time and giving it adequate rest will go a long way toward permanently healing it.

Reply to
Eigenvector

welcome to old age, what would of been a minor ouch for a day or two as a teenager is a permanent problem once you get older.

perhaps its not all age no doubt some is from doing things repetively for a lifetime. I have carpal tunnel from fixing machines, a touchey knee from a old fall and knee surgery, a sensitive back from a fall 30 years ago. oddly enough my back and knee injuries were both at the exact same spot on my sidewalk both from ice...

that section of concrete must hate me.......

having just turned 50 its sucks getting old. although I decded to ENJOY my birthday. My ife was stunned....

She asked I expected you to be miserable, why are you happy?

well its better than the alternative:) _______________________________________________________________

One thing I will say, I'm only 34, but I find that I do everything myself due to my size and my girlfriend's small frame. But at what age did you suddenly find yourself not being able to bounce back like you were when you were *young*. For me it was about 25 to 26. It was weird, I found myself getting injuries that wouldn't have phased me a year ago. I also found I could no longer eat whatever I wanted, stay up all night, or have all of my hair. Must be the hormones dropping off or something because at 30 all the hair on my head slid down my back.

Reply to
Eigenvector

Yep, me too. My elbows have been hurting for years. I went to the doctor at first but now I treat mine like everyone else, on my own. I'm not surprised anymore after 46 years when my body hurts. That's life. Get used to it.

I don't think they do much surgery on elbows at least I don't hear of it except for pro atheletes. So long as you have your strength and range of motion then a bit of pain is common enough.

Reply to
Lawrence

When you say strap, do you mean an "Air Cast"? My doctor got me wearing one, and it went away in about 4 weeks. My elbow does get sore from time to time, though.

formatting link

Reply to
Buck Turgidson

Yeah, its not gel padded, but same thing.

Appearently it's advertised as "one size fits all" they should say "one size fits most bony armed pre-pubescent boys" cause this thing sure it damn tight

Reply to
Eigenvector

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.