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need elbow tendinitis support/brace/strap


corey4

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i wasn't too sure where to put this, this sub-forum seemed to be the best place.

i have tendinitis in both elbows since august 2015. it first started with me not being able to even brush my teeth. i have taken a break from pretty much everything fun (shooting, hockey, archery, motorcycles) to try and help it heal. i am almost able to do everything, but if i push the limits too much, i'm back to square one for a few weeks. unfortunately, my job requires a lot gripping and ripping, lifting heavy sh!t all day, so that was fun for a few months :mellow: .

i was using the shock doctor strap: https://www.shockdoctor.com/tennis-elbow-support-strap, but the damn velcro wouldn't even hold when i would flex my forearm muscles. does anyone have a better product that they have used or could recommend?

Edited by corey4
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When I had it a couple of years ago I backed off of anything that really aggravated it and then I did lot of stretching, message, and exercises for the hands and forearms. It was a gradual process, but one or two months later the tendinitis was gone.

I never had it diagnosed by a doctor and I didn't consult a physical therapist, I just did what made since to me. I really don't know for sure, but I believe the heat along with the stretching and the message, I did my myself, helped the most.

Steve Anderson swears by a doctor he uses. He mentioned the doctor's name in one of his podcast, but I don't remember his name. You may be able to contact Steve through his website www.andersonshooting.com

Best wishes

Edit to add: There was an article in the last issue of Front Sight magazine on the same topic with some suggested exercises. I don't know if you get the magazine, but the exercises were wrist curls with light weights and some other similar exercises. You can find the same exercises and other tips on YouTube.

A couple of months ago I started feeling the tendinitis creep back in. I had just gotten back in to working out with grippers and some other exercises that probably brought it back again.

At the time I ran across a physical therapist or doctor on YouTube that recommended a very simple exercise in which all you do is extend your arms straight out in front of you, make a fist, and then keep doing that for two or three sets of ten a couple of times a day. I tried that along with backing off on my normal workout, and some light stretches. Granted it was a very mild case for me, but with in a couple of weeks the symptoms of tendinitis in the elbow were gone.

Edit to add again: Valuable lesson I learned out of this process, and the two or three times I've had tendinitis, is that my physical therapy must continue, even when the symptoms are gone. I think a lot of people make the same mistake. I've learned that when I don't do the right exercises, along with daily stretching, it will come back. It takes work, but it beats the pain and aggravation of tendinitis, no matter where the tendinitis is at.

Edit to add one more time, I promise: Like I said I haven't consulted a doctor, and I'm certainly no doctor or therapist, but I'm just about convinced the straps, tape, and other gizmos you put on your arms are probably just about worthless. I really think exercises, stretching or whatever physical therapy is necessary is the way to go. This was after the fact, and it didn't influence my physical therapy but apparently Anderson's doctor has said the same thing....throw out the gizmos you strap to the arm. Apparently the doctor is very good, and has treated other shooters, Rob Leatham being one of them, if I remember correctly.

Anyhow, good luck.

Edited by grapemeister
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Here is an article by the PT Steve Anderson mentions, he worked with Rob Leatham as well:

https://www.absolutept.com/shooters-elbow/

I had tons of work done for tennis elbow including rest, stretching, active release, other deep tissue therapies,iontophoresis (electrical stim with cortisone cream), wearing a band, and probably other things I have forgotten.

The only thing that provided relief while letting me actually participate in activities was Iron Mind Expand-Your-Hand bands.

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Here is an article by the PT Steve Anderson mentions, he worked with Rob Leatham as well:

https://www.absolutept.com/shooters-elbow/

I had tons of work done for tennis elbow including rest, stretching, active release, other deep tissue therapies,iontophoresis (electrical stim with cortisone cream), wearing a band, and probably other things I have forgotten.

The only thing that provided relief while letting me actually participate in activities was Iron Mind Expand-Your-Hand bands.

Word that. The bands, I know for sure helped with tendinitis in my wrist or thumb area, but they probably helped with the elbow, too. I hadn't really thought of it that way, but it makes since. I use them just about every day, but especially on the days between my gripper and other hand and forearm exercises.

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I used a "BandIt" for years. http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Band-Sports-ABI00-Therapeutic/dp/B000FML7SW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1460135707&sr=8-11&keywords=best+tennis+elbow+brace

It stays on. I also use a lot of icy hot and Solonpas patches.

The single best recover method I used was accupuncture and not re-injuring it.

When I finally could start using my elbows for for stuff that was pain free, I strength trained with at LEAST a 2:1 ratio of extension with IronMind bands and COC 120lb. Way more extension than grip REALLY helped for me.

I still baby the hell out of my elbows, but can easily do 2 sets of 15 reps with Red band and white wrapped around it. Also can do 1 set of 15 reps with .5 COC (120lb) If my elbows hurt I stop, but mostly I do that a few times a week and feel pretty good.

Using cheap grippers and rubber bands that I can do a jillion times doesn't help. I saw the most help from actual strength training.

When I first started I couldn't do the Red band alone 10 times nor could I do the COC 10 times. (without pain of course)

Now, as I just said, Red/White 15 times and COC 15 times, no sweat... both hands.

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  • 4 weeks later...

+1 for this blog.

I jacked my elbow up with captains of crush to the point that I couldn't even walk past something without wincing in pain. I do these exercises every day now and it cleared it up entirely.

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I have it in both elbows so bad I could not pick up a magazine. A friend told me to wear a wrist brace that will not allow your wrist to move at night while you sleep. I did this for 2weeks and pain went away. It does come back sometimes. The reason that it works is that while you sleep your body is trying to heal. At night you will unconsciously flex your wrist that does not allow the inflammation to go down. Try it. I have told my doctor about it and he says it makes sense.

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I had what I was told was tendonitis from my job. I was given things to wear on my arm that was supposed to relieve it. All to little or no effect. In my research I found that genuine tendonitis is a tearing away of the tendon from the bone. I didn't have tendonitis. Most people with diagnosed tendonitis don't have tendonitis either.

What I had were a few muscles in constant tension/spasm. It happens from keeping a muscle under tension for too long, and that was typical for my job. My solution wasn't any item that I wore (that was tried), but since many of us had this condition the company I worked for had a person come to us to teach us how to rid ourselves of the condition. It involved what I'm going to call pressure points on the muscles in spasm. Once one knows what they feel like, and how to find them, relief is just a few minutes away. Doing the techniques taught, a few times a day, fixes it quicker than you can imagine. And the knowledge of the techniques will keep it away.

I don't know who you'd contact. Maybe a chiropractor? That's who I'd call and explain it to him. Discuss what I'm telling you now. An MD has no knowledge of this. MDs call it tendonitis and try to fix the wrong thing with something that can't reconnect the tendon back onto the bone. You might have genuine tendonitis, but maybe not. None of us at work had tendonitis, but the MD diagnosed it as such.

Yeah, I can definitely see a handgun shooter getting "tendonitis" from gripping a handgun for extended periods of time. The muscle must rest every few seconds then go back into tension after that relaxation. For handgun shooters the muscles in tension causing the "tendonitis" would be in the forearm. They are very easy to find and fix once one knows what to feel for. It's exactly what I had, more or less. Someone trained in this can find them for you and show you what to do. There is a very small amount of "it hurts so good" associated with this, but it might be to solution. I'm not a Dr'. I've just been there and done that and it sounds exactly like what I had.

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Thought the sheafs got inflamed. Had it with shotgun and used elastic bands when shooting. Probably started with gas powered hedgers and chainsaw. Not a lot of blood flow in tendons so it takes awhile.

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I used a "BandIt" for years. http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Band-Sports-ABI00-Therapeutic/dp/B000FML7SW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1460135707&sr=8-11&keywords=best+tennis+elbow+brace

It stays on. I also use a lot of icy hot and Solonpas patches.

The single best recover method I used was accupuncture and not re-injuring it.

When I finally could start using my elbows for for stuff that was pain free, I strength trained with at LEAST a 2:1 ratio of extension with IronMind bands and COC 120lb. Way more extension than grip REALLY helped for me.

I still baby the hell out of my elbows, but can easily do 2 sets of 15 reps with Red band and white wrapped around it. Also can do 1 set of 15 reps with .5 COC (120lb) If my elbows hurt I stop, but mostly I do that a few times a week and feel pretty good.

Using cheap grippers and rubber bands that I can do a jillion times doesn't help. I saw the most help from actual strength training.

When I first started I couldn't do the Red band alone 10 times nor could I do the COC 10 times. (without pain of course)

Now, as I just said, Red/White 15 times and COC 15 times, no sweat... both hands.

I too have had great success with Bandit. I also use Biofreeze spray for soreness.

Edited by cardguy
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I am just getting over it, too. Some days I couldn't lift the weight of my hand w/o help from my other arm. I tried resting it but it didn't get better for a month. I went to the doctor and he gave me some physical therapy exercises to do. Honestly I didn't do any of them, but when I realized I needed to move and stretch as opposed to rest, it started to get better.

I'd be happy to take a pic of the PT exercises if you're interested, just send me a PM or something. But I'm sure you can find some online too.

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Do or did you road race bikes? I ask cause when the tendinitis hit me, it took longer than others I have spoke with about it. Don't know if it's from racing or if I'm just that messed up? Stretching and forearm lighter workouts slowly worked it out. SLOWLY.

Edited by a matt
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  • 4 weeks later...

I have suffered this and many of the already mentioned cures work (no one mentioned icy cold beer though). One thing that needs to be mentioned is the bands. I have recommended the bands to many people but find they wear it in the wrong location. The idea of the band is to limit the work the muscle does to the attachment point. How it works is that the band restricts the muscle belly from pulling on the attachment point by restricting the muscle belly. The band does not go over where it hurts. Wear the band anytime you are doing activity that uses those muscles, hockey, shooting etc (Dry Wall taping is what kills me). I hope that is clear in description. Here is a visual of where the band should be:

tennis-elbow_zpsmrtyqs0u.jpg

Edited by dogtired
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Ct plus

sold by Amazon around 10 bucks

Cream you rub into elbow and it will be better in less than 1 week

It's for carpal tunnel but works for this also

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I have suffered this and many of the already mentioned cures work (no one mentioned icy cold beer though). One thing that needs to be mentioned is the bands. I have recommended the bands to many people but find they wear it in the wrong location. The idea of the band is to limit the work the muscle does to the attachment point. How it works is that the band restricts the muscle belly from pulling on the attachment point by restricting the muscle belly. The band does not go over where it hurts. Wear the band anytime you are doing activity that uses those muscles, hockey, shooting etc (Dry Wall taping is what kills me). I hope that is clear in description. Here is a visual of where the band should be:

tennis-elbow_zpsmrtyqs0u.jpg

That's exactly what I have/HAD for over a year, mainly just hurt when gripping with arm extended(like shooting a pistol) chiro recommended the band.

With-in 4 days I could tell a marked difference, chiro said it usually takes weeks - months to get relief, but then again he thinks I'm amazing :roflol: for my age.

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