Strength Training & Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)

Madwife2009

So, lucky me, have been suffering with tennis elbow for about five months. Extremely painful, sleep disturbance, a right barrel of laughs. I get ALL the luck.

I saw my rheumatologist on Monday who told me that it was probably due to the type of arthritis I have. This makes sense as my Achilles tendons have also been problematic since my arthritis diagnosis. Will probably always be prone to tendon issues. Okay, I can deal with that.

But to cut a long story short, he gave me a steroid injection, told me to rest my elbow for 24 hours and then carry on as usual. Also advised exercises to strengthen it.

My elbow has been pain free for three days, since Tuesday. Monday night was excruciatingly painful but that's past now.

I haven't been to the gym this week as I didn't want to end up back in pain with my elbow. It's now completely pain free, moves easily and it's had nearly a week of taking it easy. The exercises I was given are a little challenging but manageable and haven't caused any particular issues with my elbow.

So, I want to get back to the gym. But I don't want to annoy my elbow and make things worse. I like being pain-free. So, do I drop the weights right back to minimal levels, same number of reps that I was doing and see how it goes, do I drop the weights back and increase the reps or do I just pick up from where I left off?

I'm thinking drop the weights and see how it goes. Overall progress with the weights will be delayed a bit but better that than end up in pain again.

Any advice?

sgt1372

Cortisone shots are amazing - - I've had many including one recently in my right elbow for medial epicondylitis (tennis elbow) too -- BUT they only mask the pain and the underlying problem is still there.

So, you need to rest the elbow as much as you can (even if you don't feel the pain anymore) and, when you start using it again, start light and work back up slowly to allow the elbow to heal/recover.

What caused my elbow pain was doing too many pullups, pushups and dips (PPDs).

Was doing 4x25 pushups, 5x12 pullups and 5x15 dips three times a week. Developed severe pain in my right elbow as a direct result.

Stopped doing PPDs for 3 months but pain was still there. 2 months later, the pain was finally gone and after got a cortisone shot then because that's the earliest appt w/an ortho specialist to get one.

Also visited a PT a couple of times, who gave me a couple of exercises to do. Did them for awhike but not doing them anymore. Really can't tell if the exercises helped or not.

One exercise involves rotating a short handled 3# sledge hammer left and right in my hand w/o rotating the arm. The other involves raising and lowering a 3-5# dumbell in my hand only moving the wrist with the rest of the arm stationary.

Pain free now and am only doing 3x12 pullups, 3x20 pushups and 3x15 dips 3 times/week now. Far less than I was doing b4.

I think that the extended rest, the shot and the reduced PPD routine are the main reasons why the pain as not (yet) returned.