another tennis elbow thread

[rod99]

i know, another one of these. i'm 38 and have played since i was 9. never had any elbow issues at all. back in october i noticed that i was having some outside elbow pain around the house when i picked a cup up, squeezed laundry, etc. not bad pain, but certainly noticeable. i thought there would be no way that i could play tennis but i barely noticed any pain at all while playing (with the help of ibprofrin).

i started going to a recommended chiro but nothing really changed. after 5-6 appointments i stopped going.

i've continued to play since then. last month i played 3 days in a row and the discomfort was a little more noticeable. only slightly painful when i play but i have noticed it more doing random things (especially the first movement i make with my elbow after having it stationary for a while).

i started going to a recommended physical therapist and again, haven't noticed much progress. i have not played for 2 weeks but would really like to get back out there. the PT said that he does not recommend braces b/c it restricts movement. i've been doing stretches and some strength exercises.

any thoughts on whether or not i should start playing again, given that i've never really noticed it while playing (i'm sure the ib profrin helps)? i don't want it to cause me to miss multiple months, but it's frustrating to sit out when i'm not in pain while playing.

i have used a babolat and poly strings for 15 years. i'd really prefer not to make any sort of equipment changes.

 

[kiteboard]

Get a green flex bar and do 30 reps 3 x a day: bend it into an upside down U and twist shoulder to shoulder for one rep.

 

[MajesticMoose]

Flexbar is a good tool to use but just don't over use it. It'd best to start out with a smaller amount of reps for a week. I wouldn't even use it everyday. Maybe every other day.

A good thing to do before hitting the 1st ball is massage your muscles and tendons and such in your forearm and outside part of the elbow with a massage tool. Like a wooden knob tool. You can find them online. Rub those parts of the arm length wise to get heat built up and get circulation and blood moving. It helps loosen things up a lot so those tendons in there are ready to go. Do the same thing after you get done playing.

 

[ollinger]

never had any elbow issues at all

i played 3 days in a row

i have used a babolat and poly strings for 15 years

Just had to mention that people in these threads always seem to include something about how they've never had this problem before. Well, you don't have it until you have it, and they call them repetitive stress injuries because the effects of the stress are cumulative. Beyond that, don't play 3 days in a row any longer; if you play at all it should be on non-consecutive days so your body can recover at least partly. And change your equipment!! I haven't had tennis elbow for about 20 years but every time I try a Bab, including the PS recently, it makes my elbow start to twinge and ache.

 

[MajesticMoose]

don't play 3 days in a row any longer; if you play at all it should be on non-consecutive days so your body can recover at least partly. And change your equipment

Pretty much this. Overplaying, stiff and/or high tension poly and stiff frames are the #1 killer of elbows.

 

[hochiglenn]

i know, another one of these. i'm 38 and have played since i was 9. never had any elbow issues at all. back in october i noticed that i was having some outside elbow pain around the house when i picked a cup up, squeezed laundry, etc. not bad pain, but certainly noticeable. i thought there would be no way that i could play tennis but i barely noticed any pain at all while playing (with the help of ibprofrin).

i started going to a recommended chiro but nothing really changed. after 5-6 appointments i stopped going.

i've continued to play since then. last month i played 3 days in a row and the discomfort was a little more noticeable. only slightly painful when i play but i have noticed it more doing random things (especially the first movement i make with my elbow after having it stationary for a while).

i started going to a recommended physical therapist and again, haven't noticed much progress. i have not played for 2 weeks but would really like to get back out there. the PT said that he does not recommend braces b/c it restricts movement. i've been doing stretches and some strength exercises.

any thoughts on whether or not i should start playing again, given that i've never really noticed it while playing (i'm sure the ib profrin helps)? i don't want it to cause me to miss multiple months, but it's frustrating to sit out when i'm not in pain while playing.

i have used a babolat and poly strings for 15 years. i'd really prefer not to make any sort of equipment changes.

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[hochiglenn]

If Therabar doesn't work try to find an ASTYM Certified physical therapist. I'm doing it for Golfers elbow. I'm back to playing again. Never using full bed of poly again. If you must, string low and change strings often.


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[rod99]

i've been playing about once a week for the last several 6-7 weeks and have been going to physical therapy once a week (exercises/dry needling/cupping/massage). i have only noticed a very minor discomfort when hitting certain balls. it's a little more noticeable when i take the racket back quickly to return a serve. i also notice it sometimes off the court when squeezing and picking things up. i also notice it sometimes when my arm is in a still position for a while and i extend it. none of this is very painful, just some minor discomfort.

i'm perfectly fine playing with the discomfort, but i do not want playing to make it worse. that's my main concern.

i do use a babolat pure aero and a fairly arm friendly poly string (pro supex blue gear ultra spin). i would rather sit out several weeks or a month or two this winter to avoid changing strings/rackets. i feel that making a change to a non-poly string would bring my level down significantly, as i play sort of like a very poor man's nadal.

i'm going to continue playing once or twice a week until the pain becomes worse. if that happens then i'll shut it down, most likely for most of the winter.

i don't understand the idea of stopping to heal and never playing with poly again. if you injure your knee playing sports then it doesn't make sense to never play sports again (after healing).

 

[Raul_SJ]

I think I might be getting some relief from this Bandit Elbow Brace. $15 from Amazon. And it has positive reviews.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Just had to mention that people in these threads always seem to include something about how they've never had this problem before. Well, you don't have it until you have it, and they call them repetitive stress injuries because the effects of the stress are cumulative. .

I think people say this because they expect to see some warning signs. Some slight discomfort beforehand as the tendons slowly degenerate. But often times it seems to pop up suddenly...

Is it true that TE is not really tendonitis? There is usually no inflammation. It is a tendinopathy. A degeneration rather than inflammation.

No Real Evidence Of Inflammation In Tennis Elbow
Medical researches first started finding evidence decades ago that the original persistent or Chronic inflammation / “Tendonitis” theory on Tennis Elbow was incorrect.

It's time to stop chasing inflammation

What Exactly IS Tennis Elbow, Anyway?

(And this goes for most other tendon problems, generally known as ‘Tendinopathies,’ as well.)

Since that time, it’s been conclusively proven that the vast majority of Tennis Elbow cases do not involve any significant inflammation (especially long-term/chronic cases)...

And therefore should not be classified as TendonITIS, EpicondylITIS – Or anything ending with “ITIS” that would suggest an inflammatory condition.​

 

[Stretchy Man]

You have a repetitive stress injury. You could stop playing tennis, strengthen your elbow, or minimize further damage by changing your stiff racquet or stiff strings, but you're not going to do any of those things. Not going to end well.

 

[Turbo-87]

I was in kind of the same boat last year. I picked up a Babolat Pure Drive and was convinced that poly strings were for me. I knew better but did it anyway. It wasn't a noticeable problem until it became a problem during a tournament where I stayed alive and had to keep playing multiple matches. The wear and tear that had been building for weeks suddenly became noticeable pain and ruined my entire summer. I quit playing for 4 months and did a moderate amount flex bar therapy and rested it. I went back to my flexible Head Microgel Radical with comfortable strings and have been trouble free ever since. I don't consider myself a quick healer anymore and I think I just got lucky that four months was enough. I was really worried that I was done playing more than once a week. This summer I have been playing 3-4 times a week and have not had any issues using a flexy racquet. Every now and then I will play a set with the Pure Drive because it is a fun racquet but I know prolonged play with it for ME will cause elbow issues. I did replace the poly strings with Babolat Xcel French Open multi strings but I still know the frame itself is too stiff for me.

i don't understand the idea of stopping to heal and never playing with poly again. if you injure your knee playing sports then it doesn't make sense to never play sports again (after healing).

I think you just have to realize that a change in equipment is necessary. Everyone's tolerance to poly and racquet stiffness is different. If you determine poly is causing it (sure looks that way), it makes no sense to stop to rest and heal only to start back up with poly and repeat the cycle. I didn't want to give up my Pure Drive but if it means playing tennis as often as I want to, I'll leave it in my bag. I'm no expert ... just giving an opinion.

Your reference to your injury and not playing with poly again compared to injuring a knee and not playing the sport at all is not a fair comparison. Your injury is caused by an element of the game that can be changed. Injuring a knee is just a matter of something bad happening during a movement. You can rehab and get right back into the sport with the hopes that the perfect storm never comes into alignment again and be just fine. In your case, what took you out the first time will do it again because you didn't change. You've tried other methods so why not try eliminating poly? It might surprise you.

 

[HouTex]

For older players, the pros at my club refuse to string poly. They want us to keep playing, not be sidelined for months with TE.

 

[Nacho]

i know, another one of these. i'm 38 and have played since i was 9. never had any elbow issues at all. back in october i noticed that i was having some outside elbow pain around the house when i picked a cup up, squeezed laundry, etc. not bad pain, but certainly noticeable. i thought there would be no way that i could play tennis but i barely noticed any pain at all while playing (with the help of ibprofrin).

i started going to a recommended chiro but nothing really changed. after 5-6 appointments i stopped going.

i've continued to play since then. last month i played 3 days in a row and the discomfort was a little more noticeable. only slightly painful when i play but i have noticed it more doing random things (especially the first movement i make with my elbow after having it stationary for a while).

i started going to a recommended physical therapist and again, haven't noticed much progress. i have not played for 2 weeks but would really like to get back out there. the PT said that he does not recommend braces b/c it restricts movement. i've been doing stretches and some strength exercises.

any thoughts on whether or not i should start playing again, given that i've never really noticed it while playing (i'm sure the ib profrin helps)? i don't want it to cause me to miss multiple months, but it's frustrating to sit out when i'm not in pain while playing.

i have used a babolat and poly strings for 15 years. i'd really prefer not to make any sort of equipment changes.

1) get off the poly's, go to synthetic gut. Or do a hybrid poly/natural gut
2) Ice the hell out of it
3) where a carpel brace at night, it will help relax the elbow...You can by them at any drug store
4) do you go to a chiropractor? Look into it
5) Myo Fascia release massage is very helpful
6) Go down a grip size, so you are not gripping as tight
7) pop two aleve and a tylonol before you play

all those things helped me get over my elbow issues, strings is the biggie....good luck

 

[rod99]

I was in kind of the same boat last year. I picked up a Babolat Pure Drive and was convinced that poly strings were for me. I knew better but did it anyway. It wasn't a noticeable problem until it became a problem during a tournament where I stayed alive and had to keep playing multiple matches. The wear and tear that had been building for weeks suddenly became noticeable pain and ruined my entire summer. I quit playing for 4 months and did a moderate amount flex bar therapy and rested it. I went back to my flexible Head Microgel Radical with comfortable strings and have been trouble free ever since. I don't consider myself a quick healer anymore and I think I just got lucky that four months was enough. I was really worried that I was done playing more than once a week. This summer I have been playing 3-4 times a week and have not had any issues using a flexy racquet. Every now and then I will play a set with the Pure Drive because it is a fun racquet but I know prolonged play with it for ME will cause elbow issues. I did replace the poly strings with Babolat Xcel French Open multi strings but I still know the frame itself is too stiff for me.


I think you just have to realize that a change in equipment is necessary. Everyone's tolerance to poly and racquet stiffness is different. If you determine poly is causing it (sure looks that way), it makes no sense to stop to rest and heal only to start back up with poly and repeat the cycle. I didn't want to give up my Pure Drive but if it means playing tennis as often as I want to, I'll leave it in my bag. I'm no expert ... just giving an opinion.

Your reference to your injury and not playing with poly again compared to injuring a knee and not playing the sport at all is not a fair comparison. Your injury is caused by an element of the game that can be changed. Injuring a knee is just a matter of something bad happening during a movement. You can rehab and get right back into the sport with the hopes that the perfect storm never comes into alignment again and be just fine. In your case, what took you out the first time will do it again because you didn't change. You've tried other methods so why not try eliminating poly? It might surprise you.

i didn't just start using poly strings and suddenly have tennis elbow. i've been using poly strings for 7-8 years with no problem and have used babolats for 17 years. so it's not necessarily the case that the strings caused my issue. your situation isn't the same as mine since you suddenly changed to a pure drive/poly strings and soon after started having elbow issues.

over the last 10 days i've hardly noticed it at all, other than minor discomfort when picking up something with weight with one hand. played several times and hardly any pain at all.

i plan on keep doing what i've been doing and hope that the discomfort does not return (it was never that bad to begin with). if it does return then i'll look into taking much more time off and making equipment changes.

my reference to the knee is that there isn't a difference in going back to tennis after healing from a knee injury vs going back to tennis after having tennis elbow. what took me out the first time wasn't necessarily poly strings or a babolat pure aero.

 

[hochiglenn]

I think people say this because they expect to see some warning signs. Some slight discomfort beforehand as the tendons slowly degenerate. But often times it seems to pop up suddenly...

Is it true that TE is not really tendonitis? There is usually no inflammation. It is a tendinopathy. A degeneration rather than inflammation.

I think that tendinosis is what more recent therapy research is revealing. I dealt with GE for almost a year treating it with old school therapy. Rest, ice, NSAIDs. NADA results. Did ASTYM therapy and back to playing pain free in a month.



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[Raul_SJ]

I think that tendinosis is what more recent therapy research is revealing. I dealt with GE for almost a year treating it with old school therapy. Rest, ice, NSAIDs. NADA results. Did ASTYM therapy and back to playing pain free in a month.

How long did you stop playing? One year? I am trying to figure out whether to come back or just sit out for months. I think it feels little better when I play 1-2x a week rather than not playing for the week.

 

[Mr_Zorg]

If you don't want to switch away from poly's, I recommend going with a comfortable one (they are not all the same). Check this thread and focus on comfortable strings. I personally tried Signum Pro Firestorm and Weiss Cannon Silverstring. Both are really soft.

 

[hochiglenn]

How long did you stop playing? One year? I am trying to figure out whether to come back or just sit out for months. I think it feels little better when I play 1-2x a week rather than not playing for the week.

No. Golfers elbow nagged me for about 10 months. I tried various times of rest. Sometimes a week or two. The most was 3 months. Many times I would play taking NSAIDs to mask the pain. While resting I was doing stretches, massage and strengthening exercises. Imagine my disbelief when after 3 months I went to play again and the pain was still there. ASTYM was the only thing that worked for me. Success rate for ASTYM is something like 94%. I had tennis elbow before and I was able to work that out with a Therabar. Golfers elbow I couldn't get rid of by myself.


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[Heck]

My arm was killing me when I came back to the game after 30 year break. I picked up a cheap stick with some strange poly and was in pain after a few weeks. The
club pro told me to put on Wilson nxt 17 and it was instant relief when I hit the first ball. The pain did not go away but I was doing less damage it felt. Then
I switch to a arm friendly stick (Yonker Ai98) with a dampener and 2 layers of Yonex super grab over grips for extra shock absorbtion. I played on for months
as the pain got less and less then it just went away. Now I wet to soft poly (tourna big hitter) and a heavy ProKennex stick and took off a layer of the
over grip.

Just the sound of others hitting with stiff racquets gives me the chills.