Tennis Elbow and Other Lower Arm Related Injuries

Joint and other overuse injuries were common in my wrestling days. I always knew I could push through until the end of the season and then have plenty of time to recover before I had to hit the mats again. Recently I have found interest in grip specific training and that "balls to the wall" mentality has led to some setbacks. Case in point: The last six months I have become a bit of a couch potato. A high volume blockweight routine left my right arm feeling like it was going to explode performing something as menial as gripping a stapler. And trust me, when your significant other is a teacher and you get volunteered into certain activities, this is no fun. I decided to take a week off to heal. All training came to a halt. A week turned into two, then two into three, and before I knew it two months had slipped by and it was almost time for the holidays. By then, my elbow was doing better. I was still waking up every morning with that uncomfortable tightness and tender touch, and I still could not fully grip anything without shooting pains. Now remember, all along I could have been doing anything that didn't involve using my grip to keep some level of fitness, but I didn't. Other than some occasional Z-health, I was living a very inactive lifestyle. Once I slipped into that mentality of doing nothing, it was a bottomless pit that was hard to climb out of. It's easy to just say, "I'll wait till Monday." I found myself doing that a lot these past few months. With Christmas just around the corner, I kept myself in the hole and put everything off until the New Year. 2007. New year, new goals, new resolutions. I started to do rehab exercises to get my elbow straight. I was tired of waking up to the constant tightness and soreness. You might be wondering why I hadn't been doing rehab all along. All I can say is that laziness is a habit and once said habit sets it, it's a hard habit to break. After a month of rehab my elbow felt much better. No more tightness in the morning and only the occasional soreness in the elbow after doing some pull-ups. Now enough of the monologue and lets get down to business. To get an idea of what I do for rehab and now prehab check out this article concerning the physical therapy of the elbow: Physical Therapy Corner: Tennis Elbow - Lateral and Medial Epicondylitis You will notice it has the mechanics of elbow injuries, symptoms, and rehabilitation. Some of what follows will be redundant from this site, but will give your further rehab options. Another great resource is Tennisarm.eu. To navigate this site simply click on the home tab to your left and then click "English Version." Several years ago, Steve Maxwell posted quality information on treating strained elbows that coincides much with the above information: "Treat the elbow with DMSO. It really reduces the pain. I wore a tennis elbow brace and it really allowed me to keep training. It constricts the tendons and takes the strain off of gripping and holding. You may have created some muscle imbalances in your hands and forearms from excessive gripping and wrist flexion. By working the finger extensors and abductors and the extensors and supinators of the wrist, you can bring about a lot of pain relief. Perform the following rehab routine several times per week. Open your fingers against a rubber band while extending your wrist back. Also do reverse wrist curls for the forearm extensors. Finally, perform forearm supination with a dumbbell handle with a plate on one side only. A broomstick or piece of PVC pipe works well. Brace your forearm on the edge of a table or bench palm up. Grasp the end of the handle with the plate side toward the thumb. Let the handle rotate your wrist and forearm and pull your thumb downward into a slight stretch. Now rotate the handle while not moving your elbow (supination) so that the plate is vertical. Repeat for high reps. Exercise is always the best medicine. I have successfully treated many a strained elbow with these techniques. Steve Maxwell" And finally, the following information comes from a Z-health trainer based out of Dallas, Texas. Frankie Faires suggested a Z-health solution to an individual who was experiencing pain in his right elbow and left foot. Don't ask me how it works, I have only been doing Z-health for a few months and have never been to a seminar where you get a real understanding of the how and why Z-health practice is beneficial. But, I do plan on attending in the future and I will be chronicling my experiences and how 2s with working through all of the Z-health material on this blog so stay tuned. "Knee surgery, arthroscopic, when I was about 13 years ago. I have had back, shoulder and knee pain in the past. None of them too serious. In addition to the elbow pain in the right elbow my left foot has pain in certain positions. The pain in the elbow is strange. I'm calling it tennis elbow, but I am not exactly sure what it is. Though I am going to stop pressing, it doesn't actually hurt to press. It hurts most if I pick something up, especially with a pinch grip. The outer elbow also hurts to the touch. -Ryan" Ryan, try these mobilities in this order: Right Wrist Circles Right Index/Pinky Leads Right Finger flexion/extension waves Left Lateral Ankle Tilt Left Middle and Outside Toe Pulls Left Knee Circle Thoracic A/P position 1 Cervical Rotations Go VERY slow, HIT THE TARGET through the mobility, NEVER MOVE INTO PAIN and keep LONG SPINE. Do 1 rep both directions and test your elbow, report back. PS (a better option would be to go to a Z trainer) Best, Frankie " After trying the exercises, the individual reported back that: "I can't believe that worked. The pain in the elbow is gone. There is a duller pain that popped up in the tricep up past the elbow, but it's a minor dull pain. I will have to work on the movements; they were still a bit choppy. Thank you again, I'll be in touch to let you know how my Z-Health is going. Between this and Pavel's work I think I'll be a healthier man than I ever thought I would be. Thank you again. Happy Holidays. -Ryan" To which Frankie replied: "pain relief is often just that easy...and you are welcome. Whatever drill(s) worked - do 3 reps 3 times per day for 3 weeks. Best, Frankie" I hope these suggestions help you if you ever get a nagging elbow injury. Remember, going all out has its place in training, just don't expect to go full throttle 100% of the time and not get injured. It is always better to build up slowly and provide a solid base to work from than trying too much too soon and getting sidelined for a few months.