Storytime: Golfer’s Elbow – Zero time off and back to hitting. Yay ProKennex.

[Yuri Klyachkin]

Just want to give back to this amazing community as I have learned so much from each and every one of you. You were all an immense help!

About me – former college player, 39yo, play 5.0 USTA. Play about 2-3x a week primarily drilling with a former SEC player and top juniors in the area.


How it started and why it started

Winter/Spring 2017

EQUIPMENT – Babolat Aero Pro (2007) 10.6oz no mods. Have been using the same racket/model for more than a decade. String: Lux ALU Power 125 @ 48lbs on a lockout.

As I was ramping up my hitting in the winter/spring of 2017, I was breaking a ton of string. Would break ALU every 1.5-2hrs of play. So as most of us on the forum I went down the rabbit-hole of ‘discovering’ a poly that plays like ALU but costs less (of course we all know that it’s a fckn unicorn and doesn’t exist). Nonetheless, I went there. First Solinco Hyper G, then Solinco Tour Bite.. then LUX 4G, then LUX original, then RPM Blast, then Technifibre Black Code. All in same racket @ 48lbs. While playing a match with Black Code (May 2017) I felt it in my elbow on my kick serve. The string was so dead. Then I started feeling the pain on the forehand. I played a set and a half and stopped – took the rest of the week off and cut Black Code out. But the damage was done. Not sure if I can attribute the damage to one particular string or experimenting with a sht ton of stiff polys (which I didn’t know were stiff at the time). I couldn’t serve pain-free after that, but I could still hit groundies.

Went back to Solinco Tour Bite and hit fine for a few months into late fall – then pain got so bad, I couldn’t hit forehands.

First Cortisone Shot – November 2017. Magic. Completely pain-free hitting and serving. Didn’t change equipment like an idiot and probably did more damage. After the shot wore off in January of 2018, the pain was just as bad as before if not worse. Through it all I continued to hit. Some sessions were so bad I had to stop 15 minutes in.

Second Cortisone Shot – February 2018. Did not work. Still in pain when hitting and lifting.

March 2018 – Found this forum. Started reading up on everything. Arm-friendly rackets and strings, exercises, treatments etc. Switched to Yonex DR 98 with Tech X-One Biphase. Voltarin and 3 Advils before every hit. Still in pain.

Started doing Theraband Flexbar excercises daily with green bar, then graduating to blue bar. Immense improvement..

April/May 2018

Continued to read forum – including the WHOLE ProKennex Redondo thread. Demoed the Redondo, restrung with a multi @ 48lbs, a few mods. First pain-free hit in a long time. Maybe ProKennex is the solution!!

Demoed ProKennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) – still pain-free but so much more power and comfort. Been hitting with this demo all week – Wilson Sensation @ 50 lbs. My arm actually feels BETTER after I hit with it. Amazing solid stick. Just ordered one.

I am not back to 100% as I am still apprehensive about serving. But I can hit all day.

**And NONE of this is a substitution for taking proper time off**

Cliffs:

- Experimenting with stiff polys like a dumbass in a Babolat Aero Pro Drive = golfer’s elbow

- Cortisone shots were a waste, because I was an idiot

- Theraband Flexbar exercises = amazing

- ProKennex Redondo and ProKennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) – amazing sticks that got me back to playing pain-free

- TIME OFF is still the best option but not the one most of us prefer

Thank you all!

 

[styksnstryngs]

For a new user, you have very good formatting. Spend a lot of time on reddit is my guess.

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

For a new user, you have very good formatting. Spend a lot of time on reddit is my guess.

Hahaha - nah, just typed it out in Word

 

[styksnstryngs]

Hahaha - nah, just typed it out in Word

I approve.

 

[nvr2old]

Just played first match with my Redondo today. Really a great stick. Glad it was easy on your arm. I also have a PK 5G that is an excellent arm friendly racquet as well. Not the hype of the big brands but quality equipment.

 

[kenyee]

Glad to hear it's helping your elbow. When I demo'd the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325), I wrote up that it felt like a Redondo w/ the kinetic system...wasn't bad at all. If it gets worse, try the PK5G...works better than the others IMHO.

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

Thank you all! Yes, the PK5G is definitely on my radar - maybe the slightly higher flex scared me away a bit early on in my demo days. Although knowing PK technology it shouldn't have really mattered.

The Redondo was great comfort-wise, but I felt like I had to swing really really hard on my (western) forehand for my ball to go anywhere (multi @ 48lbs). OH backhands and volleys were fine. I modded it with 2g of lead at 3 and 9 and countered in the handle, but it made it a bit unwieldy (still plenty comfortable though).

Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) demo came strung @ 59 with a multi and felt great right away - comfy like Redondo but more effortless power and solid. Not looking to mod it, but may play with tensions a bit.

 

[speedysteve]

Interesting to hear your similar journey.
Yes yes yes to Flexibar..

Do try a Volkl racquet.
Many to pick from spec wise. All have their arm friendly tech.. it really works!
Pop, feel and the most comfortable I've found having tried many PKs, Prince etc.

 

[SpinToWin]

Thank you all! Yes, the PK5G is definitely on my radar - maybe the slightly higher flex scared me away a bit early on in my demo days. Although knowing PK technology it shouldn't have really mattered.

The Redondo was great comfort-wise, but I felt like I had to swing really really hard on my (western) forehand for my ball to go anywhere (multi @ 48lbs). OH backhands and volleys were fine. I modded it with 2g of lead at 3 and 9 and countered in the handle, but it made it a bit unwieldy (still plenty comfortable though).

Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) demo came strung @ 59 with a multi and felt great right away - comfy like Redondo but more effortless power and solid. Not looking to mod it, but may play with tensions a bit.

No worries with the 5G - super comfy frames, no bad vibes to be felt

 

[smalahove]

So that there's no confusion:

Cortisone does absolutely nothing to resolve the issue with TE or GE. It might take away the pain for some, but that is a traitorous road if you continue playing without addressing the cause of the problem, which is a damaged tendon. Cortisone has no healing effect on the tendon.

You need to:

• do eccentric and/or eccentric excercices (dep. on TE/GE), as well as stretching protocols to get the arm functional again
• then strengthen upper body and arm muscles
  (so that the right muscles are strong enough to do the work they should be doing, instead of the forearm muscles)
• work on proper technique: less arming of the ball, contact point in front, loose grip aso.
• if you play tennis you need to soften the stringbed: loosen the tension a/o use softer strings (gut>multi>poly) and/or opt for a less dense stringpattern
• some suggs heavier rackets with heavier SW. This can work but is not sound advice if your technique is less than stellar. Heavier rackets promote arming of the ball for most recreational players I've seen (from 4.0 and down).

 

[Ramon]

Same thing happened to me. I used the AeroPro Drive and then switched to the Pro Kennex Ki 5X. Huge difference! It's not an accident.

You can probably look at the whole Pro Kennex line. The Ki 5 325 is a good one I've been using (don't let the stiffness rating bother you, trust me on this one). You might even try the Q5 if you want something even more powerful. Prince also has some arm friendly racquets. The Beast 98 O3 is a good one.

 

[Ramon]

So that there's no confusion:

Cortisone does absolutely nothing to resolve the issue with TE or GE. It might take away the pain for some, but that is a traitorous road if you continue playing without addressing the cause of the problem, which is a damaged tendon. Cortisone has no healing effect on the tendon.

You need to:

• do eccentric and/or eccentric excercices (dep. on TE/GE), as well as stretching protocols to get the arm functional again
• then strengthen upper body and arm muscles
  (so that the right muscles are strong enough to do the work they should be doing, instead of the forearm muscles)
• work on proper technique: less arming of the ball, contact point in front, loose grip aso.
• if you play tennis you need to soften the stringbed: loosen the tension a/o use softer strings (gut>multi>poly) and/or opt for a less dense stringpattern
• some suggs heavier rackets with heavier SW. This can work but is not sound advice if your technique is less than stellar. Heavier rackets promote arming of the ball for most recreational players I've seen (from 4.0 and down).

Did you read the opening post? The OP is a 5.0 and former college player. He probably has really good form. He's using a soft multifilament string at 50 poounds. To me that's actually going overboard on soft strings.

 

[beltsman]

For a new user, you have very good formatting. Spend a lot of time on reddit is my guess.

Reddit people are generally stupid though.

Good thread here though! Congrats op.

 

[speedysteve]

Anyone tried Prince Premier Touch? I'm using it in the mains with Babolat synth in the crosses.
I'm using it in one Volkl V1 frame in preference over full bed of natural gut in the other V1.
Just as friendly as gut but more bite..

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

Did you read the opening post? The OP is a 5.0 and former college player. He probably has really good form. He's using a soft multifilament string at 50 poounds. To me that's actually going overboard on soft strings.

My forehand form is mehh and maybe will post a video in here in not too long. It's fairly western - something like with a Thomas Muster takeback (without the Thomas Muster result), lots of top spin, often open-stance. I grew up playing in the 80s and 90s Russia, so western forehands with open-stance were rampantly taught and revered (Muster, Bruguera, Berasategui, Courier). But honestly had zero GE/TE issues my whole tennis 'career' til last year... and I have been playing with a full bed poly since '99. Could be a combination of form/stiffer polys/age.

Spot-on on cortisone shot. It is just a band-aid and its ONLY purpose is to blunt pain. It does nothing for joint/tendon regeneration, since its main mechanism of action is to turn off inflammation. My ortho surgeon (also tennis player) told me that he will not go beyond 2 shots, since it will atrophy the area and will only cause more harm. Next options are PRP or surgery.

PRP, in fact, may be a viable solution for a lot of us TE/GE sufferers.

- Pros of PRP - if it works, it works; one shot/treatment maybe enough
- Cons of PRP - injection is painful, doesn't always work, not covered by insurance, expensive

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26362235 - Study is not in the elbow, but you get the point

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26318887 - Evidence that one PRP injection for TE may be sufficient

 

[McLovin]

something like with a Thomas Muster takeback (without the Thomas Muster result)

Ok, that’s some funny stuff right there.

To your issue, I’m about 6 months behind you in my situation (although 10 years ahead in age). Blew my arm out back in February trying 4G Rough. Tried some things, saw an orthopedic, tried some more things, got my first cortisone shot last week.

Racquets are Fischers, strings are/have been gut/YPTP (except for my failed 4G experiment) strung around 50lbs.

I have my first USTA match since the shot today. Hopefully all is well...

 

[Ramon]

My forehand form is mehh and maybe will post a video in here in not too long. It's fairly western - something like with a Thomas Muster takeback (without the Thomas Muster result), lots of top spin, often open-stance. I grew up playing in the 80s and 90s Russia, so western forehands with open-stance were rampantly taught and revered (Muster, Bruguera, Berasategui, Courier). But honestly had zero GE/TE issues my whole tennis 'career' til last year... and I have been playing with a full bed poly since '99. Could be a combination of form/stiffer polys/age.

Spot-on on cortisone shot. It is just a band-aid and its ONLY purpose is to blunt pain. It does nothing for joint/tendon regeneration, since its main mechanism of action is to turn off inflammation. My ortho surgeon (also tennis player) told me that he will not go beyond 2 shots, since it will atrophy the area and will only cause more harm. Next options are PRP or surgery.

PRP, in fact, may be a viable solution for a lot of us TE/GE sufferers.

- Pros of PRP - if it works, it works; one shot/treatment maybe enough
- Cons of PRP - injection is painful, doesn't always work, not covered by insurance, expensive

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26362235 - Study is not in the elbow, but you get the point

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26318887 - Evidence that one PRP injection for TE may be sufficient

The majority of ATP Pros are using semi-western or western forehands with open stances, so it's hard to say that's bad form. Your form is what it is and not likely to change, and your problems are probably more age related. A simple change of equipment did the trick for me. A couple weeks after switching, I actually noticed that I was swinging faster and more freely because I was more confident that my arm wouldn't feel any pain after the shot. It was a subconscious effect and definitely a benefit of arm-friendly equipment that many players don't factor in.

It may be tough to switch from poly to full multifilament because of the lack of spin. I'm using a hybrid with Ashaway Monogut ZX in the mains and Gamma TNT2 or Babolat Origin in the crosses. Monogut ZX has as much spin as a smooth poly, it's soft on the arm, and it doesn't die like poly. It works on a full bed too, but I actually found it last longer and doesn't notch with a synthetic gut cross. I string my own racquets, so I do a lot of experimenting. You can read a few threads here about it.

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

Ok, that’s some funny stuff right there.

To your issue, I’m about 6 months behind you in my situation (although 10 years ahead in age). Blew my arm out back in February trying 4G Rough. Tried some things, saw an orthopedic, tried some more things, got my first cortisone shot last week.

Racquets are Fischers, strings are/have been gut/YPTP (except for my failed 4G experiment) strung around 50lbs.

I have my first USTA match since the shot today. Hopefully all is well...

Good luck my friend! I wish I had done what you are doing and went with a softer bed right away to save the arm. Let me know how you feel on the serve - that has been by far the most painful stroke for me. For me, flat and slice serves are 5/10 on pain, kick serves are 9/10 painful. And my first cortisone wore off right when I was doing a lot of match play with some juniors, and serving a lot. Again, not sure if it was the actual stroke or the steroid had just run its course.

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

The majority of ATP Pros are using semi-western or western forehands with open stances, so it's hard to say that's bad form. Your form is what it is and not likely to change, and your problems are probably more age related. A simple change of equipment did the trick for me. A couple weeks after switching, I actually noticed that I was swinging faster and more freely because I was more confident that my arm wouldn't feel any pain after the shot. It was a subconscious effect and definitely a benefit of arm-friendly equipment that many players don't factor in.

It may be tough to switch from poly to full multifilament because of the lack of spin. I'm using a hybrid with Ashaway Monogut ZX in the mains and Gamma TNT2 or Babolat Origin in the crosses. Monogut ZX has as much spin as a smooth poly, it's soft on the arm, and it doesn't die like poly. It works on a full bed too, but I actually found it last longer and doesn't notch with a synthetic gut cross. I string my own racquets, so I do a lot of experimenting. You can read a few threads here about it.

YES! Will def experiment with Monogut ZX. I string my own as well and so far my research suggests it may be a pain in the as$ to string? I have a NEOS/Ektelon lock-out - would you recommend just tensioning it 2x instead of 1x? Do you pre-stretch your ZX? Thanks!

 

[McLovin]

Let me know how you feel on the serve - that has been by far the most painful stroke for me.

My most painful strokes have been the backhand volley and slice backhand (normal backhand is a 2-hander ‘Agassi style w/o the Agassi results’).

In fact, I went to a 2-handed volley for a while to help save the arm.

 

[Ramon]

YES! Will def experiment with Monogut ZX. I string my own as well and so far my research suggests it may be a pain in the as$ to string? I have a NEOS/Ektelon lock-out - would you recommend just tensioning it 2x instead of 1x? Do you pre-stretch your ZX? Thanks!

I have a drop weight stringer and I just let it pull until it stops. I don't pre-stretch just because it's a pain in rear. I think pre-stretching is a good idea if you have the inclination. If you don't, then re-tension it as many times as it takes, probably once or twice would be good enough.

BTW, my most painful shots were my serve (always topspin) and my forehand. That means I had golfer's elbow. People who feel pain in the backhand have tennis elbow.

 

[Steve Huff]

Yuri--also a PK fan, all the way back to the original Black Ace. Another thing that will mimic golpher's elbow is too much time using a mouse (at the computer). But, in terms of tennis, I think the PK and a soft string will definitely be the way to go. You could also try Klip Legend 15L. It's a little thicker, but still has all the characteristics of gut--more spin, more feel, etc.

 

[max]

Volkl and Pro Kennex.


Your big problem is making things worse by continuing to play/use the elbow. Stop. Stop more than you think you need to, and then add two weeks on top on that. Stop.

I had TE for three years, due to stupid overuse like you're doing. I made matters worse. What eventually helped was a serious PT regime of theraband and other exercises, several times a day, for about two months.

Ligament, joint stuff takes forever to heal. Don't make matters worse.

 

[SpinToWin]

Volkl and Pro Kennex.


Your big problem is making things worse by continuing to play/use the elbow. Stop. Stop more than you think you need to, and then add two weeks on top on that. Stop.

I had TE for three years, due to stupid overuse like you're doing. I made matters worse. What eventually helped was a serious PT regime of theraband and other exercises, several times a day, for about two months.

Ligament, joint stuff takes forever to heal. Don't make matters worse.

To me PK is much more comfy even at a much higher stiffness

 

[kenyee]

Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) demo came strung @ 59 with a multi and felt great right away - comfy like Redondo but more effortless power and solid. Not looking to mod it, but may play with tensions a bit.

You might want to do a natgut/poly hybrid as well if the racquet is not enough. Solinco Outlast works decently well as a cross and lasts fairly long while being soft and still adding spin.

 

[Rosstour]

PK 7G Kinetic for me, can't say enough about his easy it is on the arm/shoulder.

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

You might want to do a natgut/poly hybrid as well if the racquet is not enough. Solinco Outlast works decently well as a cross and lasts fairly long while being soft and still adding spin.

I did try it, but in the Yonex DR 98 - Tonic+ in the mains @ 48 x ALU power 125 @ 46 - still painful, but it was probably the racket. Was gonna stay away from polys for a while - but perhaps trying it in the crosses in a PK with a soft main shouldn't be too big of an issue.

 

[CopolyX]

Sorry about the TE. I have written many times on on my advise and experience with TE.
The core reason is it is never one element. Many factors are usually involved.
Everyone wants a one quick fix.
At two of clubs I periodically have sessions on overall injury prevention.
Everyone is different but usually it can point to a bundle of things to be mindful on and to improve on.
First an foremost is respect and take care of the body.
So am I going to try to sum this quickly.
First as mentioned above in smalahove post, I see the majorly players that do not execute any kind of exercises. Also please factor in your age and physical conditioning.
Weekly, pre-game, post-game recovery...lots are doing barely nothing... ok 5 mins of whacking the ball around....!
Second, I see overplaying as an issue. Either to long or too many times. Beyond there body's limits. Tennis is a repetitious sport..period...
Form, this can be effected by there equipment, age, I don't care what level you are. Stay current with lessons from a great source (yes - pro still have coaches).
Fourth, the wrong equipment for "them" and there "game". So what is that...
Too light of a racquet, too stiff of a racquet, specs are not the best for them.
Strings been the frame for too long! Wrongs strings, too stiff of a stringbed,

There is a whole lot more but that is my core.
Stay smart, play smart, enjoy the sport, share and be body aware...& care...

 

[Ramon]

I tried a Gut/Poly hybrid on my PK Ki 5x. It felt and played really good for the first couple of hours. After that, I think it lost it's magic or maybe it was just me, but it didn't seem to have as much zip and spin effect as it did earlier. On top of that my fingers were going a little numb, although my elbow was fine. For that reason, I cut it out.

I did play with another frame, the Prince Tour 98 ESP, which was so arm friendly I was actually able to play with full poly and my arm was perfectly fine. The string dying was not an issue because the frame went through strings so fast that full poly would break in about 5-6 hours. Eventually, I switched back to the PK frame because I played better with it (more power and plow).

 

[Steve Huff]

CoPoly is correct, that it usually is not just 1 thing that injures you. That being said, you've had cortizone shots. I would quickly disregard any advice on having you try a poly, even in the crosses, especially for now. 4-5 years of painfree play, maybe try it in the crosses at a very low tension. Good luck.

 

[smalahove]

Did you read the opening post? The OP is a 5.0 and former college player. He probably has really good form. He's using a soft multifilament string at 50 poounds. To me that's actually going overboard on soft strings.

I did, and my post wasn't a criticism of his actions or tennis skills, just a reminder to all of those reading these threads thinking a racket change is going to fix your TE/GE. If you truly have a damaged tendon, you're in for the long run and need to address the underlying issues patiently.

 

[smalahove]

Sorry about the TE. I have written many times on on my advise and experience with TE.
The core reason is it is never one element. Many factors are usually involved.
Everyone wants a one quick fix.
At two of clubs I periodically have sessions on overall injury prevention.
Everyone is different but usually it can point to a bundle of things to be mindful on and to improve on.
First an foremost is respect and take care of the body.
So am I going to try to sum this quickly.
First as mentioned above in smalahove post, I see the majorly players that do not execute any kind of exercises. Also please factor in your age and physical conditioning.
Weekly, pre-game, post-game recovery...lots are doing barely nothing... ok 5 mins of whacking the ball around....!
Second, I see overplaying as an issue. Either to long or too many times. Beyond there body's limits. Tennis is a repetitious sport..period...
Form, this can be effected by there equipment, age, I don't care what level you are. Stay current with lessons from a great source (yes - pro still have coaches).
Fourth, the wrong equipment for "them" and there "game". So what is that...
Too light of a racquet, too stiff of a racquet, specs are not the best for them.
Strings been the frame for too long! Wrongs strings, too stiff of a stringbed,

There is a whole lot more but that is my core.
Stay smart, play smart, enjoy the sport, share and be body aware...& care...

Some great points.

I'm almost 45, playing on a team with several high performing players, incl a former D1 captain (last year).

The constant loading/unloading, winding/unwinding, deep split stepping and serving is brutal on my body at this level. A lot of effort has to be put into every ball. I'm almost a year into my TE, and I can feel the uncomfort typing right now (trained for a couple of hours). But it's slowly getting better, and with a couple of days rest and the use of a brace or Kinesiotape (which helps more or less to prevent the tendon from further damage whilst playing, but does nothing to heal it), I'm ready again. But this could have been largely avoided if I'd avoided to overdo it last year with playing daily and sometimes twice a day, and not understanding the signals of TE, and the severity of it (I thought it was muscular, and an inflammation easily medicated).

 

[CopolyX]

Some great points.

I'm almost 45, playing on a team with several high performing players, incl a former D1 captain (last year).

The constant loading/unloading, winding/unwinding, deep split stepping and serving is brutal on my body at this level. A lot of effort has to be put into every ball. I'm almost a year into my TE, and I can feel the uncomfort typing right now (trained for a couple of hours). But it's slowly getting better, and with a couple of days rest and the use of a brace or Kinesiotape (which helps more or less to prevent the tendon from further damage whilst playing, but does nothing to heal it), I'm ready again. But this could have been largely avoided if I'd avoided to overdo it last year with playing daily and sometimes twice a day, and not understanding the signals of TE, and the severity of it (I thought it was muscular, and an inflammation easily medicated).

Hey, sounds like you are now on the right path. We want you playing, healthy and enjoying it...take care man...
Believe it or not I am a lot older, my dad was a involved in martial arts and tennis in many different levels. Learned so much from him.
Because of that, I have never had a tennis related injury. Takes a lot of smart work & time, but well worth it...and plays off in the game also.
Basic mental conditioning are strategy also gets lost in the game on the rec level, too many focus on the equipment as the center of tennis universe which befuddles me...
But all I can do is raise a flag and try to increase the awareness...it is their game and body....

 

[Dartagnan64]

Volkl and Pro Kennex.


Your big problem is making things worse by continuing to play/use the elbow. Stop. Stop more than you think you need to, and then add two weeks on top on that. Stop.

I had TE for three years, due to stupid overuse like you're doing. I made matters worse. What eventually helped was a serious PT regime of theraband and other exercises, several times a day, for about two months.

Ligament, joint stuff takes forever to heal. Don't make matters worse.

I fixed my TE with eccentric exercises, softer frame and strings and never stopped playing.

Rest is more useful for acute injuries and less useful for degenerative tendinopathies. It will not strengthen the tendon or muscular elements around the joint. If you can stop the damage with a better frame and string setup you can heal the tendon with the right combination of exercise and stretching.

Prince Phantom with Origin/velocity at 55/52 has been perfect for me.

 

[Shroud]

Just want to give back to this amazing community as I have learned so much from each and every one of you. You were all an immense help!

About me – former college player, 39yo, play 5.0 USTA. Play about 2-3x a week primarily drilling with a former SEC player and top juniors in the area.


How it started and why it started

Winter/Spring 2017

EQUIPMENT – Babolat Aero Pro (2007) 10.6oz no mods. Have been using the same racket/model for more than a decade. String: Lux ALU Power 125 @ 48lbs on a lockout.

As I was ramping up my hitting in the winter/spring of 2017, I was breaking a ton of string. Would break ALU every 1.5-2hrs of play. So as most of us on the forum I went down the rabbit-hole of ‘discovering’ a poly that plays like ALU but costs less (of course we all know that it’s a fckn unicorn and doesn’t exist). Nonetheless, I went there. First Solinco Hyper G, then Solinco Tour Bite.. then LUX 4G, then LUX original, then RPM Blast, then Technifibre Black Code. All in same racket @ 48lbs. While playing a match with Black Code (May 2017) I felt it in my elbow on my kick serve. The string was so dead. Then I started feeling the pain on the forehand. I played a set and a half and stopped – took the rest of the week off and cut Black Code out. But the damage was done. Not sure if I can attribute the damage to one particular string or experimenting with a sht ton of stiff polys (which I didn’t know were stiff at the time). I couldn’t serve pain-free after that, but I could still hit groundies.

Went back to Solinco Tour Bite and hit fine for a few months into late fall – then pain got so bad, I couldn’t hit forehands.

First Cortisone Shot – November 2017. Magic. Completely pain-free hitting and serving. Didn’t change equipment like an idiot and probably did more damage. After the shot wore off in January of 2018, the pain was just as bad as before if not worse. Through it all I continued to hit. Some sessions were so bad I had to stop 15 minutes in.

Second Cortisone Shot – February 2018. Did not work. Still in pain when hitting and lifting.

March 2018 – Found this forum. Started reading up on everything. Arm-friendly rackets and strings, exercises, treatments etc. Switched to Yonex DR 98 with Tech X-One Biphase. Voltarin and 3 Advils before every hit. Still in pain.

Started doing Theraband Flexbar excercises daily with green bar, then graduating to blue bar. Immense improvement..

April/May 2018

Continued to read forum – including the WHOLE ProKennex Redondo thread. Demoed the Redondo, restrung with a multi @ 48lbs, a few mods. First pain-free hit in a long time. Maybe ProKennex is the solution!!

Demoed ProKennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) – still pain-free but so much more power and comfort. Been hitting with this demo all week – Wilson Sensation @ 50 lbs. My arm actually feels BETTER after I hit with it. Amazing solid stick. Just ordered one.

I am not back to 100% as I am still apprehensive about serving. But I can hit all day.

**And NONE of this is a substitution for taking proper time off**

Cliffs:

- Experimenting with stiff polys like a dumbass in a Babolat Aero Pro Drive = golfer’s elbow

- Cortisone shots were a waste, because I was an idiot

- Theraband Flexbar exercises = amazing

- ProKennex Redondo and ProKennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) – amazing sticks that got me back to playing pain-free

- TIME OFF is still the best option but not the one most of us prefer

Thank you all!

No substitute for weight when it comes to elbow issues in most cases

 

[max]

I'd stop playing on an injury like that.

Not only did I use a red and green theraband, which worked well for me, but I was doing reps with a 5 lb. weight.

 

[topspn]

Volkl and Pro Kennex.


Your big problem is making things worse by continuing to play/use the elbow. Stop. Stop more than you think you need to, and then add two weeks on top on that. Stop.

I had TE for three years, due to stupid overuse like you're doing. I made matters worse. What eventually helped was a serious PT regime of theraband and other exercises, several times a day, for about two months.

Ligament, joint stuff takes forever to heal. Don't make matters worse.

Happened to me once and was bad. I never stopped playing but did a combination of chinese acupuncture, thereband, stretches and softer frames and eventually cured

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

All valid points - and like I said in the OP there isn't much substitute for taking time off. It's just not bad enough to give up stuff I love doing. Ortho is fine with no time off, so I shall continue. I am playing 2-3x a week without any advil and minimal pain with the new setup. I am in the gym 4-5x a week and have modified my back routine (chin-ups caused my GE to flare as well). I understand that my 100% recovery finish line is further off than it would be if I quit playing tennis and lifting weights, but I am comforted by the fact that I continue to do these things at almost 40 and still inch towards that finish line.

 

[Steve Huff]

I have weak joints due to some of the meds I take. When my elbow (or knees for that matter) got sore, I put Capzasin cream on them before I played. I used a Neoprene sleeve on top of that. It's hot. I called it "my instant warm up". Don't get it in your eyes or elsewhere. It does help the elbow though.

 

[Shroud]

I have weak joints due to some of the meds I take. When my elbow (or knees for that matter) got sore, I put Capzasin cream on them before I played. I used a Neoprene sleeve on top of that. It's hot. I called it "my instant warm up". Don't get it in your eyes or elsewhere. It does help the elbow though.

Do the same because it works. Have seen capzasin in a roll on at CVs iirc. It helps a ton and by elswhere I think you mean johnson

 

[Steve Huff]

You've experienced that I assume.

 

[Hansen]

chin-ups caused my GE to flare as well)

i had the same problem, but using rings for pullups solved it.

 

[Yuri Klyachkin]

UPDATE: Have played in 2 matches thus far - full out serving, the best my arm has felt in months. Tried Ashaway Monogut ZX Pro 1.22 (Full bed @50lbs, tensioned each string twice) - hit with it for an hour - didn't like the feel, that metallic pingy sound, and unpredictable ball. Cut it out and went back to Wilson Sensation @50lbs.

 

[Dartagnan64]

I have weak joints due to some of the meds I take. When my elbow (or knees for that matter) got sore, I put Capzasin cream on them before I played. I used a Neoprene sleeve on top of that. It's hot. I called it "my instant warm up". Don't get it in your eyes or elsewhere. It does help the elbow though.

Capsaicin only feels hot but it’s a hallucination. It causes a release of substance P from the temperature and pain neurons leading to a sensation of heat but there is no actual warming going on. It works as a pain cream by eventually depleting those neurons of the substance P neurotransmitter so they are less sensitive. Same way you can adapt to spicy foods by eating them a lot.

So while your elbow may “feel” warm, there is no increased blood flow happening. Those warming pads they some people use that give off heat would be better.