Tennis elbow success story

[jackzon]

I've had tennis elbow consistently for about two to three years. It ranged from bad to very bad. I pretty much missed the last two winters because of it. I've been reluctant to get a cortisone shot or have surgery for the obvious reasons. Several months ago I decided to get serious about fixing the problem.

I basically did two things, both of which I learned about through this board. I bought a new racquet, a Pro Kennex, and had it strung at its lowest possible tension.

I also started doing the standard wrist and forearm exercises and lots of the standard stretching exercises. I also used heat before exercise and ice afterwards.

Finally, today, for the first time in years, I am unable to locate the sore spot on the elbow by poking with my opposite fingers. Probably not a 100% cure but I'm optimistic I'll never have to take off another day because of it.

BTW, I've been playing a lot the last week or so.

Hope this info is helpful to someone.

[Rickson]

Congratulations, jackzon. I strongly believe in ice after injuries, but the heat before playing I question a bit. I'd rather you warm up the muscles the old fashioned way by moving around a lot before actual play.

[Eug]

Nothing wrong with a little heat. I'm a college tennis player and have bursitis in my shoulder. My trainer did ultrasounds on me to warm the muscles and tendons internally. I then went out and played tennis. Iced after matches and practices. Good luck

[bcaz]

Good job, Jackzon -- good luck and stay healthy.

[joe sch]

I also had tennis elbow with some shoulder problems and was able to continue playing tennis while rehabbing those injuries with an even softer racket, a woodie. It took me approx 6 months before there was no pain. After that time, I started using 2 different very soft & flexible graphite rackets, the rossignol F200 and dunlop max 200g. Neither of those rackets hurt and I was able to get some of my old pace back. I enjoyed playing the max 200g racket soo much, that Im still playing it today, some 2 years later and competing very well against all the new technology rackets

[jackzon]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Congratulations, jackzon. I strongly believe in ice after injuries, but the heat before playing I question a bit. I'd rather you warm up the muscles the old fashioned way by moving around a lot before actual play.

FWIW I noticed that after using a simple heating pad for about 2 or 3 minutes the pain would go away. So I let that guide me in resolving the ancient heat vs. cold debate. I wish we knew more about what the heck goes on inside our bodies, especially the playing parts, but based on incomplete knowledge, that seemed like a good idea.

After fighting a bad case of tennis elbow for a year or so, I decided to take a season off. After three months of not playing, icing three times a day, going to PT, and taking anti-inflammatories, my elbow was getting worse.

I read an article that questioned the philosophy of NSAIDS and ice. The article said that the body needs the greater blood flow (inflammation) to heal. NSAIDS, according to the article, keep the body from healing in some cases.

Desperate, I quit icing and stopped all anti-inflammatories. I have a 3 pound dumb bell in my car. I do curls and reverse curls relentlessly. I switched from PK 7G rackets to Volkl V1 Classics (standard length). While I am still using a Band-It on my arm preventatively, I have little to no pain. I have been back to playing for about three months.

Will this work for everyone? I don't know. I've played tennis for thirty years and thought I was going to have to stop. For now, it's all good.