Tennis Elbow Weirdness

The repeat physical stress apparently has contributed to inflammation; inflamed tissues in the elbow may include tendons, ligaments, even cartilage (you might be able to feel the cartilage pain?). Years ago my chiropractor had me take high dosages of Vitamin B6 for several weeks for carpal tunnel (tendon inflammation). It helped me eventually (actually using a product with B5 & B6). The right strains of bacteria in the colon produce B vitamins; a good brand of probiotics can help. (How's your digestion?) Collagen supplementation over time can help build connective tissues (possibly Genacol, a product with several collagen types in it). Red meat has various nutritional benefits, but has chemicals that tend to increase inflammation, so abstaining from red meat at least for a time may be worth trying. And what about the possibility of low bone density and a fracture? But then why both elbows at once--or does the worse one have a fracture? And can you learn ways of working that are less stressful to your elbows (maybe physical therapy)? Elbow braces? Or if the inflammation is new and elbow work has been going on for a while, is there something you can pinpoint as a cause? An extra stressful period? A perfect-storm combination of factors? A straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back trigger (which seems likely)? Meanwhile, better go easy on the elbows. Give your body time to heal/recover. I agree with the ice too, as a temporary help for acute inflammation accompanied by not stressing your elbows. Maybe periodic icing. And of course prayer; may the Lord strengthen and heal you!

miss-a said:

So it turns out that weeding, mowing, and planting plus pulling literally hundreds of labels off shelving in my merchandising job equals tennis elbow. I got it in both elbows. Both got sore and puffy and seemed to get some water build up around them. One has gotten better and the swelling has gone, with minimal discomfort, well on the road to recovery. The other feels about the same as the first, but still had a lot of swelling. It looks like my elbow is wearing a clown nose. No kidding, except it isn't red. It's got normal coloring, but puffy. Anyone familiar with this. I'm going to have it looked at and see what the doc recommends, but if anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to have it taken care of before I go to the doc. That won't be for a couple of weeks.

Thanks,
a

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Tennis elbow is basically tendinitis and this is caused by repetitive movements that place stress on the tendon. If the movement is not stopped, the tendon never has a chance to heal and keeps being inflamed.

Ice and rest are the best home remedies and identifying the activities that cause the issue. A doctor may prescribe strong anti inflammatory medicines and or possibly inject cortisone into the area, depending on your situation and tell you to avoid the activities that caused the problem.

Been there, done that; you have my sympathies. I've been a tennis player since I was old enough to old a racket, but I never experienced tennis elbow from actually playing tennis. For me it was due to aerial silks and painting. The most crucial thing to do is to rest your arm so the ECRB has time to recover. I underestimated the importance of that and ended up exacerbating the injury. Have you tried KT Tape? To me it was far more comfortable than the brace or the "sleeve," and you can use KT Tape for virtually anything so it's not a single use purchase.

http://www.kttape.com/instructions/tennis-elbow/

Penetrex is a good OTC anti-inflammation and pain reliever cream. Use cold compresses, too. What I like to do is take a Ziplock bag and fill it about a third of the way up with liquid dishwashing soap and then throw it in the freezer. It will not freeze, but it will become very cold and feel lovely. The advantage of it is that it can be contoured around your elbow.

There are heaps of PT tutorials on YouTube and on Pinterest of stretches and exercises to help alleviate the pain. If it's really severe you might want to see your doctor. Professional PT and a sports massage could help. I had extracorporeal shock wave therapy on my arm, but that was after like the third injury in two months. It's experimental but for me it was helpful. I couldn't have the steroid injections, but that's the route most people in severe pain take.

Feel better!!!!