Tennis Elbow

[bobblehead]

Just got back from playing a few rounds of golf in Fort Lauderdale and man is my outer elbow killing me in both arms. I guess this is tennis elbow(outside of elbow) and not golfer's elbow(inside of elbow)...go figure.
Do you know of anything I can do to get rid of this pain besides resting the muscles/tendons?

[Chieflongtee]

Drink lots of beer switching hands between sips.

[covanant]

go back,and keep playing

[Andru]

Just got back from playing a few rounds of golf in Fort Lauderdale and man is my outer elbow killing me in both arms. I guess this is tennis elbow(outside of elbow) and not golfer's elbow(inside of elbow)...go figure.
Do you know of anything I can do to get rid of this pain besides resting the muscles/tendons?

Ice and rest.

[BC MIST]

Ice and rest.

Symptoms Of Tennis Elbow

* Recurring pain on the outside of the upper forearm just below the bend of the elbow; occasionally, pain radiates down the arm toward the wrist.
* Pain caused by lifting or bending the arm or grasping even light objects such as a coffee cup.
* Difficulty extending the forearm fully (because of inflamed muscles, tendons and ligaments).
* Pain that typically lasts for 6 to 12 weeks; the discomfort can continue for as little as 3 weeks or as long as several years.

The damage that tennis elbow incurs consists of tiny tears in a part of the tendon and in muscle coverings. After the initial injury heals, these areas often tear again, which leads to hemorrhaging and the formation of rough, granulated tissue and calcium deposits within the surrounding tissues. Collagen, a protein, leaks out from around the injured areas, causing inflammation. The resulting pressure can cut off the blood flow and pinch the radial nerve, one of the major nerves controlling muscles in the arm and hand.

Tendons, which attach muscles to bones, do not receive the same amount of oxygen and blood that muscles do, so they heal more slowly. In fact, some cases of tennis elbow can last for years, though the inflammation usually subsides in 6 to 12 weeks.

Many medical textbooks treat tennis elbow as a form of tendonitis, which is often the case, but if the muscles and bones of the elbow joint are also involved, then the condition is called epicondylitis. However, if you feel pain directly on the back of your elbow joint, rather than down the outside of your arm, you may have bursitis, which is caused when lubricating sacs in the joint become inflamed. If you see swelling, which is almost never a symptom of tennis elbow, you may want to investigate other possible conditions, such as arthritis, infection, gout or a tumor.



Relief Of Tennis Elbow

The best way to relieve tennis elbow is to stop doing anything that irritates your arm — a simple step for the weekend tennis player, but not as easy for the manual laborer, office worker, or professional athlete.

The most effective conventional and alternative treatments for tennis elbow have the same basic premise: Rest the arm until the pain disappears, then massage to relieve stress and tension in the muscles, and exercise to strengthen the area and prevent re-injury. If you must go back to whatever caused the problem in the first place, be sure to warm up your arm for at least 5 to 10 minutes with gentle stretching and movement before starting any activity. Take frequent breaks.

Conventional medicine offers an assortment of treatments for tennis elbow, from drug injections to surgery, but the pain will never go away completely unless you stop stressing the joint. Re-injury is inevitable without adequate rest.

For most mild to moderate cases of tennis elbow, aspirin or ibuprofen will help address the inflammation and the pain while you are resting the injury, and then you can follow up with exercise and massage to speed healing.

For stubborn cases of tennis elbow your doctor may advise corticosteroid injections, which dramatically reduce inflammation, but they cannot be used long-term because of potentially damaging side effects.

To prevent a relapse:

* Discontinue or modify the action that is causing the strain on your elbow joint. If you must continue, be sure to warm up for 10 minutes or more before any activity involving your arm, and apply ice to it afterward. Take more frequent breaks.
* Try strapping a band around your forearm just below your elbow. If the support seems to help you lift objects such as heavy books, then continue with it. Be aware that such bands can cut off circulation and impede healing, so they are best used once tennis elbow has disappeared.

Call Your Doctor If....

* The pain persists for more than a few days; chronic inflammation of the tendons can lead to permanent disability.
* The elbow joint begins to swell; tennis elbow rarely causes swelling, so you may have another condition such as arthritis, gout, infection or even a tum

[Chambokl]

Hi Bobblehead,

I have the same problems now for 3 years. I just kept playing through the pain. Now I have bought new irons with graphite shaft. It should help, not having as much vibration as when using steel shaft irons.

This is a classic golf injury. I don,T know if I would call it tennis elbow, more like golf elbow.

I don't know if that could help you,

Jean-Guy

[bobblehead]

Thanks for the info. Beer, ice and rest...good thing its off season.

[Chieflongtee]

Thanks for the info. Beer, ice and rest...good thing its off season.

And watch the Patriots kick the Eagles' butt.

[bobblehead]

Watch some of the FBR Open and then the Superbowl...beer on ice is the call of the day. Go Pats!...but I wouldn't mind if McNabb gets a Superbowl ring.

[BPW]

I had as my Doc refers to it "Golf/Tennis Elbow".. Put me on anti inflammatories and some exercise. Final diagnosis was it would take up to 4 months to heal. Got PO'd and went to a Sports Injury Clinic in Kemptivlle. 2 weeks of Acupuncture 3 times a week and I was feeling like a million bucks and back on the links. Have not had problems since (This occurred 3 years ago).

My advice to anyone would be find a good acupuncturist.


BPW

[mmills820105]

I have the same problem, except I get shovel elbow (damn winter.) I have a brace for it that does wonders, as well as those heat packs you can get at the drugstore. They're good too.

[putterking]

I've had two bouts of tennis elbow. One on each side. First one was a few years ago (at least 8). Had a cortisone shot in it and it's never come back. Had a cortisone shot on the other one and it didn't work. Ended up going to physio and it's never come back either. The cortisone was instant relief while the physio obviously took longer. Either one I would recommend.


Putterking

[bobblehead]

I'm going to try the physio route. Hopefully this will heal before golf season starts.

[Kilroy]

It'd be a waste of an RM membership, so get better.

Work on your couch warming and beer can lifts. Good soft-core exersize for the elbow.

[bobblehead]

Thanks Dan. I'm really looking forward to the RM membership this season.

[bobblehead]

I just received this joke...good timing...

Diagnostics by Wal-Mart


One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe says to Mike behind him, "My elbow hurts like hell. I guess I better see a doctor. Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money, Mike replies. There's a diagnostic computer down at Wal-Mart. Just give it a urine sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars..a lot cheaper than a doctor.

So Joe deposits a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Wal-Mart. He deposits ten dollars, and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours the sample into the slot and waits. Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout: You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart.

That evening while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled. He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter, and a sperm sample for good measure. Joe hurries back to Wal-Mart, eager to check the results. He deposits ten dollars, pours in his concoction, and awaits the results.

The computer prints the following: 1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9) 2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7) 3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab. 4. Your wife is pregnant. Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer. 5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better. Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart.

[Chieflongtee]

Just got back from playing a few rounds of golf in Fort Lauderdale and man is my outer elbow killing me in both arms. I guess this is tennis elbow(outside of elbow) and not golfer's elbow(inside of elbow)...go figure.
Do you know of anything I can do to get rid of this pain besides resting the muscles/tendons?

There you go bobblehead