Onset of tennis elbow?

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Hi...
Around 3 weeks ago, playing the same 3 days a week, I developed a sharp burning like pain in the point of my elbow, inside, around where my pinkie and ring finger tendons would tie to the lower inside elbow.
I also windsurf around 1.5-3 hours 4 days a week, so hold onto the boom that is attached to the sail.
I also give my g/f around 1.5 hours of light message. 7 days a week.
It's been bothering me every time I warm up, so I don't.
In the vid, it didn't bother me at all, but came back Tuesday.
Today Wed., after playing 3 sets of doubles, no pain and still OK 2 hours after the tennis.
Am I doomed to wear one of those braces with a little lead ball attached, strapped on like an invalid?
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
Hi...
I also give my g/f around 1.5 hours of light message. 7 days a week.

Whaaaat? Reverse this and you've most certainly got a cure!:twisted:

Seriously, though, look into strength and flexibly exercises with a Flexbar.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Is tennis elbow linked with overuse?
My elbow never get's a rest.
Oh, I cannot shave or brush my teeth with either hand. My shoulder's are so bad that I need to prop up the elbow with my other hand, to get my hand up to my face. Yes, I can reach my lower chin one handed, but not much higher.
I'm 65, multiple collarbone breaks and shoulder separtions also.
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
Is tennis elbow linked with overuse?
My elbow never get's a rest.
Oh, I cannot shave or brush my teeth with either hand. My shoulder's are so bad that I need to prop up the elbow with my other hand, to get my hand up to my face. Yes, I can reach my lower chin one handed, but not much higher.
I'm 65, multiple collarbone breaks and shoulder separtions also.

Didn't look that bad on the video from this week. If it's really that bad, it's time to retire.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Is tennis elbow linked with overuse?
My elbow never get's a rest.
Oh, I cannot shave or brush my teeth with either hand. My shoulder's are so bad that I need to prop up the elbow with my other hand, to get my hand up to my face. Yes, I can reach my lower chin one handed, but not much higher.
I'm 65, multiple collarbone breaks and shoulder separtions also.
Yes, tennis elbow is a repetitive stress injury.

That's why even if you have perfect technique, if you hit enough balls you can still get tennis elbow.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
No....
She's one of those girls who happen to really like foot messages, so I try as best I can.
Some women will fall for anyone who takes the time and the energy...
The windsurfing really exasberates the sharp burning pain.
It't now been 4 hours after tennis, and still no pain. Wierd.
 

mikeler

Moderator
Sounds like nothing to me. Get an EKG just to make sure though.

Seriously for now, just apply heat to the area when it flares up and see how it responds. Maybe Max's hard shots inflamed that area of your body for a few days.

Be well.
 

maleyoyo

Professional
Hi...
Around 3 weeks ago, playing the same 3 days a week, I developed a sharp burning like pain in the point of my elbow, inside, around where my pinkie and ring finger tendons would tie to the lower inside elbow.
I also windsurf around 1.5-3 hours 4 days a week, so hold onto the boom that is attached to the sail.
I also give my g/f around 1.5 hours of light message. 7 days a week.
It's been bothering me every time I warm up, so I don't.
In the vid, it didn't bother me at all, but came back Tuesday.
Today Wed., after playing 3 sets of doubles, no pain and still OK 2 hours after the tennis.
Am I doomed to wear one of those braces with a little lead ball attached, strapped on like an invalid?

Stop everything on that list except the massage part for the next 6 weeks. Upgrade the light massage to full body sensual oil massage 8 days a week. That is the only most productive and beneficial thing you can do for yourself for the next little while.
 

goran_ace

Hall of Fame
pain in the point of my elbow, inside, around where my pinkie and ring finger tendons would tie to the lower inside elbow.

Tennis elbow is on the outside (lateral epicondyle), if it's on the inside it's medial epicondylitis, golfer's elbow. Similar condition. Rest it if you can to let it heal, otherwise ice and ibuprofen are your friends.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Thanks guys !
I was getting worried 3 weeks ago, when the sharp burning pain didn't seem to alleviate or go away.
It was still present on Tuesday, but not too bad.
Played Wed.
Now Thursday, slight sensation of heat, but no pain. Concern, yes.
Did start to use my right hand more for the messages.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
LeeD you use full poly beds of tour bite for 80 hours and you are wondering why you have tennis elbow.

Lol cmon man. simple logic here. You don't need poly. Use a multi.
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
LeeD you use full poly beds of tour bite for 80 hours and you are wondering why you have tennis elbow.

Lol cmon man. simple logic here. You don't need poly. Use a multi.

He says he's left poly in for 3 years playing 3X per week! All part of the LeeD persona. Kinda like when he says:

"Oh, I cannot shave or brush my teeth with either hand. My shoulder's are so bad that I need to prop up the elbow with my other hand, to get my hand up to my face. Yes, I can reach my lower chin one handed, but not much higher."

… yet posts a video of himself playing a couple hours of "4.0" level tennis. :roll:
 

Chas Tennis

G.O.A.T.
Stop stressing your arm immediately.

About 5 years ago I gave myself an instant Golfer's Elbow injury doing a stupid experimental volley. In researching Golfer's Elbow I came across a book with a brief description by Dr John Cianca.

[Golfer's Elbow is a torn tendon on one side of the elbow (inner) and Tennis Elbow is a torn tendon on the other side (outer).]

He used Tennis Elbow as an example of a tendon injury. He said that if someone has a new tendon injury and continues to stress it for more than "a few weeks" it can lead to a chronic permanent condition. Later, I found that the chronic condition is called tendinosis or defective completed healing. I had tried to play the next week and farther tore my tendon, but as I read the book it was only a few weeks after the original injury. I stopped tennis and other stress immediately for a few months.

I've had a few more Golfer's Elbow injuries including the opposite elbow. I now take off a few months as soon as I injure it. Golfer's Elbow does not bother me now.

I later found this reference which seems to agree with what Dr Cianca said.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122566/

"Animal studies show that within two to three weeks of tendon insult tendinosis is present and inflammatory cells are absent."

If it progresses to tendinosis this paper describes that condition
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445129/

You probably still have a golden opportunity to let your tendon heal. It's best to stop stressing it and see a Dr.

There are many long threads here on Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow.

Google pictures- golfer's elbow tennis elbow pictures
 
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Thanks guys !
I was getting worried 3 weeks ago, when the sharp burning pain didn't seem to alleviate or go away.
It was still present on Tuesday, but not too bad.
Played Wed.
Now Thursday, slight sensation of heat, but no pain. Concern, yes.
Did start to use my right hand more for the messages.

Take up jogging and leave the arms alone for 6 weeks at least.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Thanks guys, I should rest it.
Giving massages mostly with right hand now.
Played 3 doubs sets again today. Warmup gave that burning sensation, switched to conti slice for the first 3 games, then it was OK with SW grip topspin forehands.
WW finish seems to exasperate the hot stinging sensation, while old school forehands don't hurt at all.
Unfortunately, I hit my right elbow on the followthru at least 4 times, meaning WW finish.
 

vegasace92

New User
I would like to recommend a compression sleeve for your arm. Search for "compression sleeve tennis elbow" on Amazon. I am wearing one right now. Good luck.
 

magnut

Hall of Fame
sounds like golfers elbow. make sure your warming up and stretching the area out. Stay off the massages for a while. Cut the stupid poly out of your racquet. stop hitting late. Relax your grip maybe even go up a size. relax your arm and try to use your body more.

Unless your hitting continental forehands its most likely your serve causing the damage. lay off putting a lot of action on your kicker or slider for a while. golfers elbow doesnt usually happen on the backhand. On the forehand it can happen if your using continental. For eastern or semi western forehands and backhands tennis elbow is more of a threat. i dont think you use conti on the forehand from what i remember though.

I think its your serve Lee. maybe trying to amp it up after all the attention you've been getting. most likely the spin serves. take it easy for a while.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Actually, I've gotten golfer's elbow from hitting eastern forehands with poly strings.

The average case of tennis/golfer's elbow of average severity takes about 4-6 months of total rest for it to completely heal properly. The pain may start subsiding earlier than that, but if you come back too soon before it's fully healed, you risk re-tearing the tendon and setting yourself back another 4-6 months. So it's best not to play any tennis at all while it's healing. Heat will help the healing process.

If you keep playing you risk causing permanent damage or requiring surgery. I've heard of really severe cases of TE in which even surgery didn't help and the person was permanently debilitated. Don't mean to scare anyone but it's better to be safe than sorry.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Thanks for all the ideas and thought, everyone.
I stopped massaging my g/f with my left hand, only using my right, which is a useless appendage anyways for me.
No feel of sharpness, pain, heat, or sting in 4 days. Staying with my 3 times a week tennis schedule, but we only windsurfed 3 times last week, giving my left elbow a huge rest.
Of course, one of those days was 29mph gusts and I had a 6.0 sail and a 109 liter board. Those winds, ideal would be 4.7 sail and 80 liter board.
Today, snuck in 2 doubles sets with a local 4.0 doubles guy and his wife, a 4.5 woman. My partner was a very short, soft hitting baseliner. Of course, we won both sets easily, 2 and 3.
Yeah I know, my partner carried me both sets...:):)
 

Slippery

New User
If you are going to keep playing through it, I would suggest a heavier racket with syn/gut. Only thing that worked for me. It took a few hits but the pain went away. Good luck.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
He's hard headed about full poly even though it most likely caused this issue, and he is not a big hitter that needs it.
 

mikeler

Moderator
He's hard headed about full poly even though it most likely caused this issue, and he is not a big hitter that needs it.

PP has a point Lee. Maybe it's time to at least go with the soft version of Tour Bite since the regular version has gained the reputation of being stiff.
 

jhick

Hall of Fame
I made the switch from Poly to SynGut after my last bout with TE a couple of years ago which was the worst I have had it. Never got to the point where I couldn't hold a cup or open a door, but for a while I had to scrap my slice BH. It was just too painful to hit.

Still today my elbow gets a little sore after playing, but nothing like a couple of years ago. I also got the green theraband flexbar, which helps if I remember to use it regularly. I also normally ice it after playing.

I have been close to going back to using an arm brace at times. Never seems to completely go away but it is at least manageable.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Thanks guys, again....
I switch often from PSGut to those STB16's at 47 and KirshSpiky16 at 38.
Feels the same on the forehands, no problem any other shot.
I string my poly really low tension, if that helps at all. My PSG racket's are all above 50, except for one at 44, which shifts and absorbs too much energy on any kind of spinny shot.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
It doesn't help enough. You need to find soft strings for a while and save your elbow the stress.

I suggest the Mikeler's Multis thread.
 
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