OK so I have been dealing with some pretty bad pain that has been steadily increasing just above my elbow and at the beginning of my bicep. I have gone to two orthopedics one stated I had a SLAP Lesion and instructed physical therapt 1 - 2 times per week. The PT is basically biofreeze, Ice and ultrasound on my shoulder as they believe it is a SLAP lesion.
The PT has not improved the pain. Went to seek a second opinion, this doctor simply states its tendonitis and to lay off heavy weights.
I still have not gotten an MRI, one doctor states that it is my coverage (GHI) who will not approve same. I have made the decision to stop direct Bicep work all together as it is to painful. Ive stopped weighted dips, and fear that this issue will never been alleviated.
My question to all is how they have dealt with tennis elbow, golfers elbow. elbow tendonitus or whatever you want to call it. Also your experiences with your specialist and what he or she gave you (if anything) to alleviate the pain.
check out some Curcumin 500 (sold here), and also some fish oil(pretty essential shit). Also you probably will need time off from heavy weights, thats what it takes to heal most injuries
i had been suffering from tennis elbow for 6 months had 3 quaterzone shots ,nothing worked
i then went to see a doctor who is a leader in the field his treatment has worked to perfection
we started off with 2 things first anatropinin injections which is they take blood from your opposite arm and inject it directly into the tendon , as the tendon does not get much blood its difficult for it to heal , i have 1 injection every 2 weeks and this goes for 3 months ,
part 2 is using a cream called rectogesic yes its a hemaroid cream but when applied to the elbow the ingridients cause a nitrogen flow in the tendon attracting blood flow
part 3 is taking shark cartlidge 3 times a day
the best thing about this treatment is you can keep training
I have had tendon pain around the inside of my elbows REPEATEDLY over the last several years. For me, the only cure was rest, but now when it acts up I can just alter my exercises a bit, change some rep ranges, and the pain will subside in a week or so. The key is that I’m catching it before it gets bad.
Now I train a little wiser and I have less issues. I’ve learned which exercises aggravate it, and I either avoid them, or do less weight, or less often.
Weighted dips would cause me issues, hammer curls, cheat curls, heavy pressing…
I’ve found a better pressing groove that causes less problems (slightly narrower), I don’t overdo the dips, and I train biceps with good form only.
Actually, I think I posted this same question about 2 years ago. I share your pain buddy. I think you’ll find a lot of guys around here have similar issues.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
To all those who have elbow ligament/tendon pain, I ask “do you sleep with your elbows uncovered?”
If the answer is yes, then the solution may be as simple as ensuring your elbows are covered (and hence warm) up whilst you sleep. A cold region of the anatomy has reduced blood supply. This slows down healing rate, meaning that you simply accrue mocro-trauma to the tissues used in the gym, rather than actually healing.
Secondly, a cold muscle is tight, and exerts a small, but constant (chronic) pull on its tendons. This irritates the tendons and further reduces their healing ability. The combination of constant irritation and reduced blood flow, may result in calcific changes in the normally elastic tendon.
So cover your elbows (both of them) with an elastic tubigrip-style bandage, or sleep in a longsleeve top. Initiate the heling process by improving blood flow to the area, with a hot water bottle, for at least 10 minutes before bed.
I have adopted this strategy myself, to great effect. I can now train arms twice per week, with no issues (other than standard muscular DOMS, etc) in my biceps and triceps insertions or my forearm flexors or extensors.
It took about 4-5 weeks of sleeping with my elbows covered, before I realised one day that “holy s*it my arms and elbows feel so much better”. It is an insideous process, tendonitis, so don’t expect overnight improvement.
Do these kinda treatments help with calcific tendonitis? I will be trying them all regardless, but has anyone overcome this specific type of tendonitis and could give me some advice? Or is it all the same deal?
I’ve had a rough time with tennis elbow in the past but now back to traing at 95%
This is a old post on the subject…
Good luck to all those suffering with this.
IP
I hear you pain man - I too have been battling tennis elbow for the last year as well as some serious shoulder issues for about 10 years. Tennis elbow is the most frustrating thing ever and I spent $$$$ on all sorts of useless treatments including cortisone, physio, massage, chiro, ART - you name it, i did it. Nothing worked (ART did help a bit but man is it expensive). However on to the good news. I know nothing about HGH or steroids, and I stumbled on your post by searching for tennis elbow.
Eventually I went to see a doc who used to work on the ATP tour (figured she would have seen a few bad cases of tennis elbow). She prescribed eccentric exercises once a day 3X15 reps. I was sceptical. 7 months later I am back at the gym…only doing machines for upper body at the moment (still too scared to hold a heavy weight in my hand) by I’m stoked to be training again. I only missed doing the exercises about 10 times in 7 months so you have to be disciplined.
Bushy, that’s a great idea. When I had elbow tendonitis, it seemed that sleep made it worse because I would flex my arm and wrist during sleep, increasing the muscle tension, and/or sleep with the arm under my head, impairing circulation It was so frustrating to wake up with my injured arm numb from being stuck under my head, and tight from being flexed all night!
The only things that helped my tendonitis were rest and maybe ice. The activity that irritated it was throwing a ball. I had gotten a dog that insanely loves to retrieve, so was throwing hundreds of balls a day. And I was never an athlete, so I’ve never done much throwing before…the pain got so bad it hurt to grab a carton of milk or jug of olive oil. I didn’t get anywhere till I stopped throwing.
Whenever unavoidable grasping caused pain, I would ice it.
I tried all kinds of supplements, but I honestly think they didn’t help. It was something like 6-9 months before the pain was gone. People who take no supps have a similar time course of healing, I think.
If I had this happen again, I would do what Bushy said. And I would wear neoprene sleeves at times to support the joint and warm it. I would try one of those infrared massagers or infrared heating pads that supposedly penetrate. Hot epsom salt soaks. I’ve even seen home ultrasound units and might try one of those. If these things (infrared, ultrasound) help by increasing blood flow to speed healing, seems they would be much more effective done 3X per day instead of a couple times a week when going to therapy.
I understand your frustration because it takes so long for tendons to heal, and at the time it seemed my elbow would NEVER be functional again. But now it is absolutely fine. Sometimes I throw a ball and wonder how the same elbow that gave me so much grief before could be doing this now. So hang in there.
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t a SLAP lesion a tear in the Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior?[/quote]
Yes it is but read below and why docs diagnosed me with same…
“Various mechanisms of injury have been identified. Some physicians suggested that the lesion was a result of pulling on the biceps tendon during the overhead throwing motion. Others typically felt the injury was sustained due to an acute compression force or traction pull on the shoulder.”
“A type II tear (fig. b) involves the biceps tendon and the labrum. The biceps and labrum are becoming detached from their bed on the glenoid fossa. This injury is treated by â??tackingâ?? the labrum and biceps complex down to the glenoid with biodegradable suture anchors.”
Since this is a bump, im still dealing with the pain, its no where near as bad. Shark Cartilage as well Currcumin helped, I even wrap my elbows at night (heeding BBB’s advice) which has made the pain very very tolerable. To the point where I would not classify as the pain as “pain” but simply and annoyance
Now my shoulders, directly is what is giving me issues, and it may very well be the tyep II SLAP tear. And the weighted dips…lol
So hang in there.