Potential tennis elbow???

[ricardo]

after 10 years i began playing tennis again.

i have been playing for about 6 months straight, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week.

i haven't felt any arm pain when playing tennis until i started massaging my arms (forearms, upper arms).

1 to 2 days after massaging my arms, i felt pain but only if i touch my arms and try to massage it. the pain was un-bearable even if i just gently massage my arms. the pain stops as soon as i stop massaging my arms.

after about 3-4 days when the pain appeared, the level of pain slowly subsided. i can massage my arms again and it doesn't hurt as much as the previous 3 days. i can now massage my arms with more pressure but with less pain. the pain is still there but significantly less.

even though i did not feel pain while playing tennis, i decided to stop playing until the pain disappears.

I don't feel any pain as long as i don't touch/massage my arms. i can play tennis without pain as well.

questions:

- did my massaging hurt my arms?
- did my tennis play injured my muscles/tendons but not to the extent that it caused pain?
- should i continue to massage my arms or just rest it

thanks in advance...

 

[plasma]

what a great question.I wish I could answer it but I'm nowhere near being a doctor or pt. My laymans guess is that one should always stop doing what hurts and that you should see a doctor as your symptoms seem highly abnormal.
I don't think that anyone except for a professional qualified to examine you in person could answer your questions. And they sure as hell need answering. No way should your arms feel like that. No way should massage cause that to a normal healthy arm. Kind of scary, please go see a doctor.

 

[ricardo]

myofascial pain syndrome...

i was told i may have myofascial pain syndrome...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/myofascial-pain-syndrome/DS01042

primary cause is overuse of the muscles.

the pain last week was 10. it is now about 5. most of the arm pain is gone except for a few trigger spots (trigger points) that remains tender to the touch. my primary treatment is self-massge since most of the painful area are accessible.

i found out that massaging while taking a hot shower is very helpful. i think the heat makes the muscles much more pliable and the muscle knots are easier to un-knot.

i use my knuckles, elbow, knees, palms, fingers to massage my arms. i also tried tennis ball against the wall.

i continue to play tennis but at a very reduced pace: 25% of my usual swing so i bought a much more powerful racket (babolat aeroblast) strung at 30 lbs. for optimum comfort.

 

[acehole]

how long and how deeply do you massage?

why do you massage?

are you massaging toward a lymph gland?

how much pressure for how long and how many times do you press trigger points?

is the pain in your skin, your muscles, or joints?

do you use any types of oil when you massage?

i spent quite a few years as a (certified) massage and neuromuscular therapist and also as a pt tech.

sounds to me like you did some soft tissue damage, (or gave your self an indian burn!) by massaging. you should stop massaging first. if you dont you risk infections such as cellulitis.

answer the questions above if you can, theres not really enough info.

but heres how it looks: "my arm hurts, but only when i rub it"

then dont rub it.

you may just be doing it improperly

 

[ricardo]

i went to see a PT. Here is what she told me.

- the pain i experienced is not TE or GE, they are just sore muscles due to overuse. rest and massage will certainly help. and they did. after 1 month, i no longer have any arm pain or tender pain points

i should also do the following:

- cut back tennis play to 1 hour max 2x/week until my arms strenghten instead of playing 3 hours 5x/week.

- when i resumed tennis play after more than 10 years of not playing, i should have started from square 1 (as a beginner with slow compact swings) instead of where i left off (long, fast swings). I may still have the tennis skills i had 10 years ago, but my body certainly did not have the physical capabilities i had 10 years ago.

- do physical conditioning, specially arms (biceps, triceps) using weights.

hope this helps somebody else in the same situation...