Tennis elbow!! Help!! This tendonitis is killing me...

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glenr79
glenr79 Posts: 283 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have had tennis elbow for about 6 months now.. I had wrist surgery about 9 months ago... I am sure the two are interrelated, but has anyone ever had tennis elbow, and if so how long did it take for you to get rid of it, and what did you do besides resting it?

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  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Good ole epicondylitis : ) tennis elbow. I suffered with it terribly a couple of years ago. What finally worked for me was physical therapy. Naproxen, Icy Hot patches, BioFreeze, resting it - you name it, I did it ! In the end all of that helped a bit, but PT was the key ! I was skeptical, but it worked. I haven't had trouble since ! 6 - 8 months I suffered with it, once I started PT, cleared in about 2 months.
  • Jconner30
    Jconner30 Posts: 311
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    I had it all the time when I played tennis in high school but thats been a long time :)

    It took me about 3 weeks or so. I iced it and my mom gave me something for swelling and pain.
  • flsunshine
    flsunshine Posts: 188 Member
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    i had tendonitis in my foot years ago and it took me a few weeks to get over it- my mom however has tennis elbow too and it comes and goes- shes been dealing with it for a couple of years.
  • alexroet
    alexroet Posts: 65 Member
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    do you have one of those straps? they can help. and yes, rest, antiinflammatories...
    Another little hint- often refractory lateral epicondylitis is a sort of a side effect of some subclinical carpal tunnel syndrome... try wearing wrist splints at night. It might help.
    Some people think injection with PRP (platelet rich plasma) helps, but I don't have any experience with it.
    Once in a while it needs surgery, but that's really a last resort.

    good luck

    (p.s. I'm a hand surgeon)
  • jenscot25
    jenscot25 Posts: 124 Member
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    I hear you. I've had it for over a month. It sucks!!!:grumble:
  • glenr79
    glenr79 Posts: 283 Member
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    I have always wondered about biofreeze, so it works pretty good? when did you put it on your elbow during the day?? just at random times?
    Good ole epicondylitis : ) tennis elbow. I suffered with it terribly a couple of years ago. What finally worked for me was physical therapy. Naproxen, Icy Hot patches, BioFreeze, resting it - you name it, I did it ! In the end all of that helped a bit, but PT was the key ! I was skeptical, but it worked. I haven't had trouble since ! 6 - 8 months I suffered with it, once I started PT, cleared in about 2 months.
  • Strive2BLean
    Strive2BLean Posts: 300 Member
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    I've had tennis elbow and it takes at least a year to feel better even after having a cortisone shot. I feel like it never completely heals cause anytime I do something that involves a repetetive motion (like bicep curls) it seems to flare up. That is what keeps me from doing weight resistance workouts for upper body. I've heard the only sure cure is surgery but I'm not going down that road if I don't have to.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    I've got Tennis elbow in my right elbow...and Golfer's elbow in my left elbow.

    The left one hurts far, far more, but due to an operation i had to move my Ulnar nerve the physio couldn't do much with it. My Tennis Elbow would be relatively easy to fix..just stop playing my Badminton for 6 months.

    Umm, nah, its ok ty. :)
  • cathie_98
    cathie_98 Posts: 1
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    Get the book Pain Free, by Pete Egoscue. Are your shoulders curled toward the front? That is what always gives me pain in wrists or elbows, and the e-cises in the book really do work. I have used it for years.
  • glenr79
    glenr79 Posts: 283 Member
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    thank you!! I will look into that book.. no they aren't curled.. but I am frustrated I have lost 13 pounds on my upperbody in the past 8 months.. I am a personal trainer, and I am getting small!! lol it sucks I can't pick up things with my right arm... I need this to end fast
    Get the book Pain Free, by Pete Egoscue. Are your shoulders curled toward the front? That is what always gives me pain in wrists or elbows, and the e-cises in the book really do work. I have used it for years.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Biofreeze. I'd use it at random times. My PT recommended it. I liked the roll-on version. But seriously, those Icy Hot patches - the bomb! No cure of course, but I"d get some relief.

    I saw someone else suggest a splint/brace. I did try one of those elbow "bands" that you wear above your elbow that was supposed to provide relief. Didn't do a thing for me.

    With the experience I've now had with cortisone in my knee, I would have tried the cortisone to the elbow . My ortho suggested, but I declined.

    All the things I mentioned here and above - I tried and got some relief, but no cure. I suffered every single day. Just picking up the telephone, gripping the steering wheel or opening a cabinet door caused pain. Elbow, radiating into bicep and down to my wrist. Bilateral epicondylitis was my diagnosis. Physical Therapy did the trick.

    Good luck ! Let us know how you do. I just said that, but it's not easy to track posts on MFP .... : )
  • sabby
    sabby Posts: 12 Member
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    What kind of PT did you do? I've been suffering with Tennis elbow for a YEAR and now I don't do any weights or anything at the gym. I used to be strong, but no more! I went to my general doctor at Kaiser but all they did was give me 2 cortisone shots last year in March and April and then tell me to ice it, use ibuprofen and generally not to use it. Then I went to the Physical Therapy department at Kaiser but other than putting TAPE on my arm she didnt give me any specific things to do to STRENGTHEN the arm without hurting it further. No more planks or pushups, free weights, machines, etc.
  • RozWynn
    RozWynn Posts: 30
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    I suffered from it off and on from 2001 until 2011. Fall 2010 I had my first cortisone injection, in the Spring of 2012 I had to go back for another and my ortho said the next time I called we were doing surgery. Had the surgery in September 2011 and because I had gone so long there was a lot of scarred/damaged tissue to be removed but after the rehab my arm feels awesome.
  • 62texan
    62texan Posts: 13
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    I had it for about a year, wore the strap, and my doc told me surgery was usually not successful. I decided to try acupuncture, and it cured it! It didn't take very many treatments. I was very skeptical as I had never tried any form of alternative medicine before that. Good luck, I know it is horribly painful.
  • glennstoudt
    glennstoudt Posts: 403 Member
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    Really depends on the root cause.
    Have been a tennis, squash, golf player most of my life.
    So, with that, comes the issues.
    From time to time, the strap has worked. Rest has worked. Glucosamine has worked.
    More recently Turmeric and Wobenzym N have worked.
    Try different things. None of it can hurt you, but the OTC anti-inflammatories definitely don't cure anything and can actually help facilitate additional injury. Good luck.
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
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    Get one of these:

    shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvZqYwamrcL9q-5H8A1N-gKuItKe2yhH9Xa6_IgYi1Ias5SWjRDwfqHsMafl50j0r9Gc0yI6XR&usqp=CAY

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