tendonitis question...

AABru

I have had tendonitis in both my elbows and am now dealing with ITBS in my leg. I exercise for bodybuilding and here is my story..
I learned real fast from my right elbow that if you keep using it that it will get worse. Mine got so bad that I could not bend my arm straight and it was painful to try. I had to take almost 2 months off and take advil and I tried not to use it and it finally healed ok. When that happened in my left elbow it was just because I forgot to take a week break every 4-5 months and that's how I got it that time. I let that one heal right away and was back in action in only 2 weeks. This bit with my leg was simply the same thing.. over use from doing cardio. I did not think you could get any thing like I had in my elbows in my leg so I just thought the side of my leg was slightly sore so I kept going and then 3 weeks later it got worse just like my elbows and my outer leg was painful to bend every time. I am on week 3 of healing the Iliotibial band taking advil and using a foam roller and I should be good to go by week 4.
Word to the wise take breaks and take the time to heal up. Also take more time to heal after your work outs if need be. Some people can do it fast and others it can take more time. Also I now use elbow braces maybe you might want to look into some types of other braces that suit your needs as they help me tremendously. Take care and I wish you well!:flowerforyou:

Thanks for the well wishes. I wonder if I stopped exercising (or using those body parts) if I would really be resting...simply because we use our wrists and ankles so much.

AABru

I find it weird that your doctor didn't advise you to rest it! I have psoriatic arthritis which inflames the joints and tendons, so I deal with tendinitis constantly. Braces help keep the tendon immobile which helps it heal. If you find anti-inflamatories upset your stomach you can try Voltaren gel. It is an anti-inflammatory gel (not one that just heats or cools the skin). It delivers the anti-inflammatory through your skin and is available over the counter here (I'm in Canada). Take it easy if your in pain, a tendon rupture is much more painful and will require surgery to repair !

I've never heard of Voltaren gel...I'm in the US though, and often the medical industry keeps great meds under wraps. I''ll check online. thanks! BTW:My doctor recommended not resting because resting is how I gained 80 pounds in the first place...:embarassed:

In the US you need a prescription of the Voltaren I have a Voltaren GEL prescription, and I also have Solaraze Gel prescription which is also anti-inflammatory but has a higher concentration of the active drug. I got the Solaraze because of the recent [manufacturer] shortage of Voltaren. Solaraze is super expensive though so Voltaren is probably preferable.

Here there are some prescription strengths of Voltaren gel, but also a milder one that can be purchased over the counter. Perhaps it's one of those things you have to ask the pharmacist for? Our drug laws are pretty tight, they just started allowing Aleve to be sold OTC. I always thought the US was a little more liberal with OTC drugs. Chances are if your doctor diagnosed the tendinitis, they would be willing to prescribe it if you can't get it OTC there.

I always thought Canada was more liberal with OTC sales of meds! Or maybe Canadians are faster to recognize the damage that some meds can do to your system if misused (such as Alleve to kidneys). I am going to contact my DR about a script. thank you.

Jxnsmma

I have "multiple tendonopathies" such that I had to change jobs it was so bad. Aleve and ice as well as rest are what Ive been prescribed to combat the pain. The advice I would give would be to do that then to find lower impact cardio such as bike or eliptical, use machines instead of hand weights for lifting, or buy wrist straps that help to take some of the weight off of your fingers. Helped me out. and make sure to do alot of stretching. also acupuncture and massage therapy seemed to help for me as well.

Good luck! Dont stop working out, but you may have to change things to make things less painful. ie instead of regular bicep curls, I do hammer curls. just changing the angle of the weights makes a huge difference for me!

xstarxdustx

bump.