5 months with Tennis Elbow so far; help :-(

sharif

Rookie
I now have an appt set up for may 16th with a highly recommended sports medicine specialist who was the captain of her tennis team at Yale & who is the primary care team physician for the Washington Capitals. I need to get to the bottom of this as a year is too long to be dealing with this in my opinion. I'm hoping she can shed some light... fingers crossed
 

sharif

Rookie
there's a subjective element obv. but generally people know how bad it is based on how their arm feels, also if a case lasted a year off and on I'd consider that severe no matter how bad the pain was. At that point i'd take 4-6 months off. I'd start hitting against a wall at 4 months maybe if my arm felt good and do that for a bit and see how my arm responded. then move to just hitting lightly with someone and progress to more competitive play eventually. could someone come back sooner, maybe in some cases. But I'd err on the side of caution as coming back too soon just starts things all over again, and this is coming from someone who is obsessed with tennis. have to play the long game. if the poster had done this from the beginning they'd prob be fine by now. Continue to use flexbar even after it's healed. my last case was about 5 years ago, still use it pretty regularly.
perhaps I'd be better off now if I had taken off more time in the beginning but nothing is guaranteed & I followed my dr's orders.. and when I did slowly phase back in, it felt ok so I really think this is very individualized based on each person & each experience. It's hard to know now if taking a longer time off would've been more beneficial & all I can do now is try to fix this going forward which is what I have been doing for the full year. I even tried acupuncture during my 5 week break. I'm just really hoping my upcoming dr appt will help...
 

happyandbob

Legend
whoa … and I thought my TE was bad. I avoided shaking hands long before my TE … but I’m never giving up coffee even if I have to use a straw.

So … you will scrape for poly. ;) :unsure: That plastic must have entered your bloodstream and reached your very large brain.
What can I say, I can't leave well enough alone... need to keep experimenting and trying out new strings :laughing:
 

ByeByePoly

G.O.A.T.
What can I say, I can't leave well enough alone... need to keep experimenting and trying out new strings :laughing:

Elbow surgeons pass out poly strings now with new elbows … and my dentist passes out chocolate chip cookies … both an evil form of genius

ah yes … the search for the soft poly holy grail … been there done that failed that
 

Humbi_HTX

Semi-Pro
@sharif have you tried heat therapy?

One of things that I feel helped me was using a heating sleeve (USB powered) during the drive to work/home and also before & after tennis.

Heat increases blood flow toward the area and it can be done it every day for the time it takes to drive to wherever I am going just plugged into my cigarette lighter outlet.
 

sharif

Rookie
@sharif have you tried heat therapy?

One of things that I feel helped me was using a heating sleeve (USB powered) during the drive to work/home and also before & after tennis.

Heat increases blood flow toward the area and it can be done it every day for the time it takes to drive to wherever I am going just plugged into my cigarette lighter outlet.
I put ice after playing & use heat at nights. but that's not a bad idea to warm it up first. I'll check out amazon thx
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I put ice after playing & use heat at nights. but that's not a bad idea to warm it up first. I'll check out amazon thx
If you have recurring issues, could it be a technique issue that is causing the injury? Have you had a good coach check your technique?
 

ey039524

Professional
I really think the pain won't subside until you break up the adhesions.

Your tendon is healed by now and is strong.

Just get rid of the pain, and you're back in the game.

It only takes a few days. The person who told me about it was unable to hold grocery bags or drinks bc of the pain. He told me to massage it for 2 days. I did it for 5 just to be sure.
 

Roforot

Hall of Fame
Yes I do a weekly lesson with my instructor who is really good with technique
Your instructor most likely wants you playing and healthy. Have you been taking lessons for a while w/ this person?
It's good to ask for people to share their experiences and bring up things you may not have considered, but ultimately you should trust and listen to your instructor and medical team.
For all we know, you could have something like Alcaraz... and not quite TE.

So you should ask your instructor what he thinks about your strokes and what could be causing the pain? Ask them to be honest and don't get upset. If you had perfect strokes, why would you even take lessons.
I would trust their opinion about your equipment as well.
 

sharif

Rookie
Your instructor most likely wants you playing and healthy. Have you been taking lessons for a while w/ this person?
It's good to ask for people to share their experiences and bring up things you may not have considered, but ultimately you should trust and listen to your instructor and medical team.
For all we know, you could have something like Alcaraz... and not quite TE.

So you should ask your instructor what he thinks about your strokes and what could be causing the pain? Ask them to be honest and don't get upset. If you had perfect strokes, why would you even take lessons.
I would trust their opinion about your equipment as well.
thx yes I've been doing lessons with him for awhile & he knows my situation as I've had to cancel some lessons when it acts up sadly. He's been working with me on my technique & using my body more with looser strokes finishing over my shoulder.
 

a10best

Hall of Fame
I got it from playing Padel / paddle tennis about 5 yrs ago. Once I quit that game & dedicated full time to tennis, no more TE.
The graphite paddle in PT was stiff so all the shock went through my arm.
It's a sad thing because I love that game too.
Incorporating wrist and forearm exercises may help prevent TE.
 

sharif

Rookie
Yesterday, I did the same practice as last Thursday (without playing since then) & this time, the practice session was more intense with having to do singles crosscourt rallies for a long time yet I woke up fine with no arm pain.. go figure?!! It's so random. Hopefully the new dr will shed some light..
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
Yesterday, I did the same practice as last Thursday (without playing since then) & this time, the practice session was more intense with having to do singles crosscourt rallies for a long time yet I woke up fine with no arm pain.. go figure?!! It's so random. Hopefully the new dr will shed some light..
I'm glad it went fine this time, let celebrate yesterday then!!!!
Curious, have you had any shoulder issues prior the TE?
 

sharif

Rookie
I'm glad it went fine this time, let celebrate yesterday then!!!!
Curious, have you had any shoulder issues prior the TE?
thx yes I'm cautiously optimistic but I know this has happened before & then it will act up again. & YES it all started with rotator cuff tenditinits before I got the tennis elbow & it's funny you should bring that up bc my shoulder is actually sore today. It was already a bit sore from the day before after working out with my trainer. I have been doing rotator cuff exercise too while in PT. Why were u asking? all related right?
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
thx yes I'm cautiously optimistic but I know this has happened before & then it will act up again. & YES it all started with rotator cuff tenditinits before I got the tennis elbow & it's funny you should bring that up bc my shoulder is actually sore today. It was already a bit sore from the day before after working out with my trainer. I have been doing rotator cuff exercise too while in PT. Why were u asking? all related right?
Yes because i'm starting thinking that there could be a common issue that causes the TE. Two years ago i had a weird shoulder issue for a year that did not prevent me to play and did not hurt as well but it was more of a tight muscle problem(that's is the best explanation i can give it) i think. My PT and 2 orthopedics found nothing wrong with my shoulder at that time. About 10 months later it suddenly was gone and 5 months after the TE appeared. Weird in my opinion.
 

sharif

Rookie
Yes because i'm starting thinking that there could be a common issue that causes the TE. Two years ago i had a weird shoulder issue for a year that did not prevent me to play and did not hurt as well but it was more of a tight muscle problem(that's is the best explanation i can give it) i think. My PT and 2 orthopedics found nothing wrong with my shoulder at that time. About 10 months later it suddenly was gone and 5 months after the TE appeared. Weird in my opinion.
yup def weird & def related. Even though I thought my rotator cuff tenditintis was healed, maybe I was over compensating which lead to the TE. But the TE is lasting soo much longer than the rotator cuff thing did which I played through (in hindsight maybe I shouldn't have) ugh
 

sharif

Rookie
Yes because i'm starting thinking that there could be a common issue that causes the TE. Two years ago i had a weird shoulder issue for a year that did not prevent me to play and did not hurt as well but it was more of a tight muscle problem(that's is the best explanation i can give it) i think. My PT and 2 orthopedics found nothing wrong with my shoulder at that time. About 10 months later it suddenly was gone and 5 months after the TE appeared. Weird in my opinion.
so guess what - now my shoulder has been hurting for almost 2 weeks which is exactly what u were asking about! I'm sure it's all related :-(
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
so guess what - now my shoulder has been hurting for almost 2 weeks which is exactly what u were asking about! I'm sure it's all related :-(
I'm sorry sharif! I hope i did not jinx you! There could really be something that aggravates the TE tendon coming from the shoulder.
Did you talk about this to your PT?
I hope you feel better soon!
 

Roforot

Hall of Fame
so guess what - now my shoulder has been hurting for almost 2 weeks which is exactly what u were asking about! I'm sure it's all related :-(
Sometimes your elbow compensates for an inappropiate shoulder weakness or a wrist weakness.
You should have your PT check ROM and strength on both sites.
I thought I had knee issues but it turned out that I had weak glute medius.
 

sharif

Rookie
I'm sorry sharif! I hope i did not jinx you! There could really be something that aggravates the TE tendon coming from the shoulder.
Did you talk about this to your PT?
I hope you feel better soon!
thx yes ironic timing but no u didn't jinx me. Yes my PT evaluated me; my rotator cuff is good but I guess I strained my shoulder some how now. He's gonna add more shoulder exercises. I got a massage on Sunday which actually helped it a lot. Thank u!
 

sharif

Rookie
Sometimes your elbow compensates for an inappropiate shoulder weakness or a wrist weakness.
You should have your PT check ROM and strength on both sites.
I thought I had knee issues but it turned out that I had weak glute medius.
yes sounds like that's exactly what's happening now. My ROM was less on my bad right side so we r going to address that now. wow interesting about your glute. It makes sense that it's all related..
 

sharif

Rookie
Has anyone taken Mobic? The PA prescribed it for me for a week saying it can help with inflammation... I'm hoping there aren't any side effects...thx
 

ClaudTT

Semi-Pro
Have you tried Pro Kennex Black Ace with Multi strings ? That is something to try for you.

Usually I string people with good quality Multi and in a 98-100 in^2 frame at 52 lbs and is super easy to play and to recover from TE or Golf elbow...

I don't recommend light frames, the frame should take the impact not the arm.
 

sharif

Rookie
Have you tried Pro Kennex Black Ace with Multi strings ? That is something to try for you.

Usually I string people with good quality Multi and in a 98-100 in^2 frame at 52 lbs and is super easy to play and to recover from TE or Golf elbow...

I don't recommend light frames, the frame should take the impact not the arm.
I'm using Clash 100 V2 with natural gut babolat strings strung at 53 pounds. Before that I was in multi strings always. I was initially in an oversized Head 110 very light racquet strung with multi when I was first injured a while back...
 

LuckyR

Legend
Just remember, optimal racquet/string setups, reduce the chance of future TE, but does nothing to fix current TE.
 

GAS

Professional
Has anyone taken Mobic? The PA prescribed it for me for a week saying it can help with inflammation... I'm hoping there aren't any side effects...thx

Very powerful anti-inflammatory. Don't play while taking it.

You're already doing daily throwers ten kind of exercises for your shoulder?
 

sharif

Rookie
Very powerful anti-inflammatory. Don't play while taking it.

You're already doing daily throwers ten kind of exercises for your shoulder?
oh really? curious why I shouldn't play? hmm the pa said to avoid going to my tennis team practices but that I can still hit with my instructor once a week for an hour. Are there certain side effects? I don't love being on meds so I'm a bit nervous about taking it.. no what are the daily throwers? thx!!
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
oh really? curious why I shouldn't play? hmm the pa said to avoid going to my tennis team practices but that I can still hit with my instructor once a week for an hour. Are there certain side effects? I don't love being on meds so I'm a bit nervous about taking it.. no what are the daily throwers? thx!!
You maybe playing your best tennis with that anti-inflammatory :laughing:
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
That's a great news! I would hold to it, and hopefully it won't be the case it come back you have it.
 

GAS

Professional
oh really? curious why I shouldn't play? hmm the pa said to avoid going to my tennis team practices but that I can still hit with my instructor once a week for an hour. Are there certain side effects? I don't love being on meds so I'm a bit nervous about taking it.. no what are the daily throwers? thx!!

The problem is the main effect. There's a chance you can do further damage by playing while on the medicine and not feel a thing.
 

ey039524

Professional
I'm not sure about your shoulder, but your elbow isn't at risk anymore. You just need to get the pain to cease. Get rid of that scar tissue.
 

ClaudTT

Semi-Pro
I'm using Clash 100 V2 with natural gut babolat strings strung at 53 pounds. Before that I was in multi strings always. I was initially in an oversized Head 110 very light racquet strung with multi when I was first injured a while back...
I have a player that stopped playing with the Clash 100 v2, because he had no brake on pain... He started using another soft 98 head with near 330 SW with full multi at 50 lbs prestretched 5%.
Then he recovered, but never went back to Copoly or Clash.
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
I sometimes drink tumeric tea but not on a consistent basis. I do have a protein/collagen powder that again I only use sporadically so maybe I should start including it more often thx
Have you tried taking Vitamin C daily? Also do you wear a compressor sleeve when you play or workout?
I think my TE got much better. It has been a year today tough since it first showed up.
 

sharif

Rookie
Have you tried taking Vitamin C daily? Also do you wear a compressor sleeve when you play or workout?
I think my TE got much better. It has been a year today tough since it first showed up.
I do take vitamin C most days. I was wearing a sleeve but now switched to more of an elbow strap; what about u? I'm so glad to hear yours is better!!! YAY :) what do u think helped it?
 

sharif

Rookie
I have a player that stopped playing with the Clash 100 v2, because he had no brake on pain... He started using another soft 98 head with near 330 SW with full multi at 50 lbs prestretched 5%.
Then he recovered, but never went back to Copoly or Clash.
interesting; it's supposed to be very arm friendly
 

Tmano

Hall of Fame
I do take vitamin C most days. I was wearing a sleeve but now switched to more of an elbow strap; what about u? I'm so glad to hear yours is better!!! YAY :) what do u think helped it?
I really think that not playing at all did ultimately the trip for me. I gave the tendon time to heal because we all know that at least it would take 6 to 12 months to come close to a full heal for most of the people unless the injury is either more severe or minor. However, i have always worked out and thankfully if did not bother me at all, so i guess i got my shoulder a little stronger than before( not that they were not but why not trying).
I also believe that the vitamin helped especially in the last months, and to be honest i have been taking it without thinking it about the TE, i was just taking it for the sake of it lol.
The sleeve, i'm not sure it helps but it is like when you tear a muscle in your calf, for a while the calf sleeve feels so great and it is like you can play without it, so i guess it is probably something similar but it actually feels good and warms up your elbow better.
However, i'm hitting with the PKennex black ace 300 full multi and it feels nice.
I have not hit with anybody but that would be my best move to see my real situation. Finger crossed.
How is your elbow doing?
 

sharif

Rookie
I really think that not playing at all did ultimately the trip for me. I gave the tendon time to heal because we all know that at least it would take 6 to 12 months to come close to a full heal for most of the people unless the injury is either more severe or minor. However, i have always worked out and thankfully if did not bother me at all, so i guess i got my shoulder a little stronger than before( not that they were not but why not trying).
I also believe that the vitamin helped especially in the last months, and to be honest i have been taking it without thinking it about the TE, i was just taking it for the sake of it lol.
The sleeve, i'm not sure it helps but it is like when you tear a muscle in your calf, for a while the calf sleeve feels so great and it is like you can play without it, so i guess it is probably something similar but it actually feels good and warms up your elbow better.
However, i'm hitting with the PKennex black ace 300 full multi and it feels nice.
I have not hit with anybody but that would be my best move to see my real situation. Finger crossed.
How is your elbow doing?
How much time did u take off now? Good to know about the vitamin c. Yes I think the fact that you aren't hitting with anyone is helpful similar to me just hitting with my instructor once a week now who's feeding me balls vs hitting against other players. The past 2 weeks I've only played once a week in a lesson with my instructor & it's been fine!! But I just wonder what happens if I go back to the hour & 1/2 clinics against hard hitters b/c that's when it randomly acts up. My PT is just focusing on my shoulder now (no more elbow) as I maxed at my sessions with my insurance b/c I think getting my shoulder stronger can only help since it's all related. I have a follow up with the dr on Tuesday so I'll report back. Glad you are able to hit pain free now! Fingers crossed we are both heading in the right direction!
 
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