tackdr1ver Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Have any of you guys had tennis elbow or golfers elbow? It would seem that I have one or the other. For the past two months I have had major issues to the point where I am having a hard time taking even a light grip on my gun. Also, being that this is my strong arm, I tend to re aggravate it a lot. It sucks! For those of you who had it/have it: what did you do? How do you fix it? How long does it take to heal? Help! This has been really driving me nuts, I haven't practiced, I am missing matches and it's making me miserable. Hopefully I can find a way to expedite healing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Do a search...a lot of us been there, done that. It sux, takes a long time to heal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caffeinated Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 It does really suck! I've been dealing with it for the last year and I'm just now finally getting to the point where it isn't an issue. There are some good threads around here on dealing with it. Include "shooters elbow" in your search. Wearing one of these bands helped a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Band-ABI00-Therapeutic-Forearm/dp/B000FML7SW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340631517&sr=8-3&keywords=tennis+elbow+brace Also using one of these helped: http://www.amazon.com/Thera-band-26102-Flexbar-Exerciser-Tennis/dp/B000BPV3GO/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1340631663&sr=1-4&keywords=tennis+elbow Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewcolglazier Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) Stretching helped me a lot. Extend your arm out in front of you with elbow straight, palm down. Bend wrist with hand loosely clenched. Bend your wrist down as far as it will go keeping arm straight. You should feel a pulling in the muscles of your forearm up towards your elbow. Rotate your hand with your wrist bent in this manner, arm held out in front of you. Do this multiple times per day. I had "tennis elbow" in both elbows from work and shooting for months. A friend turned me on to this simple stretching regimen and the pain cleared up rapidly. Now whenever I feel a twinge, I start up the stretching again, and it subsides. Hope this works for you. Andy Edited June 25, 2012 by andrewcolglazier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardo Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I had a tennis elbow in both arms for over 10 months, and tried every possible brace/training ghizmo/cream/etc. Nothing helped. Most recommendations include giving those tendons a rest for a month or two, but I kept up with my shooting, which made the pain worse. Here's what worked for me: I stopped gripping the gun from the sides. Instead, I learned to apply a slight push with my strong hand, and a slight pull with my WH. I know this is not ideal for fast shooting, but it allowed me to keep shooting, and my tennis elbow has been gone for the past 4-5 months. If anything, learn to not over-grip. Not much pressure is required to keep the gun steady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle O Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 It sucks BAD! Only thing that worked for me was taking 6 months "serious" off time. As in, no dryfire, no livefire. Sad days, but my arm feels great now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMedic Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Well first thing you want to do is make sure you didn't tear the tendon. If you did, the only thing you can do is let it repair itself which means you should really not shoot at all for a while. Bracers and support cuffs won't do anything for you as you still have to move the joint in order to shoot, which Moving = not healing. If its just inflammated from over use I still say take some time off to let it heal but you wouldn't have to give up shooting per say till it healed 100%. I would suggest a support cuff over a bracer, as bracer really only change the point of insertion of the muscle. Cuffs or Sleaves are although a bit more expensive, will allow the tendon to be relied on a bit less and allows the cuff to absorb some of the recoil. You must also not rely on it either, you should only put on a cuff when your actively using your elbow, ie shooting. and should take it off afterwards to allow proper healing and strengthing of the tendon. Also Ice is still going to be important in the healing process, icing it for 20mins before during and prior to a match will allow warm blood to saturate the area bringing in more oxygen which promotes better healing. this should also be done in the morning sometime during the day and before you go to sleep. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tackdr1ver Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Thank you all for the replies & insight. I have been wearing a support brace with adjustable tension. And I have also been trying to baby the arm and not do anything strenuous with it. One thing I have not been doing is icing it. That is something I will begin doing immediately. Also, I have some anti inflammatory meds called meloxicam which I have had for a year or more for a neck/back injury. Would these be a good thing to take? Also, I have some muscle relaxers in 2 varieties: Flexeril and Skelaxin I have avoided taking them because I just didn't know if it would be a good idea to take them with what seems like a weak muscle/tendon. I wasn't sure if taking them would make the issue worse. I have also been taking prescription pain killers when it is really bad. So far, this has been going on for about 2 months now and it would appear that I have been making some progress. But any progress seems to get stunted as I do something to re aggravate it quite often. That's the annoying thing, doing some simple movement can send me right back to the beginning without much effort. It looks like I will just have to wait it out and let it heal and not worry about shooting until it does. Just gripping the gun sends a sharp pain through the arm, there were days when I didn't feel the pain and I attempted to shoot, right back to ground zero in short order. This sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 The brace, ice and careful use is what works for me. I avoid shooting major (especially a revo) when it bothers me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tackdr1ver Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Again, I thank you all for the advice and insight. I have been nursing this arm pretty intensively here the past week or so. It feels much much better than it has in months. My question is for you guys who have experienced it: How do you know when it's safe to resume action with it? I still have a bit of tenderness when I grip a gun or if I pick something up the wrong way. But it is nowhere near what it had been. Whats the skinny on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Find Matt Griffin on here and talk with him about it. He's been through the whole deal recently, and should be able to give you some good info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhunter Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Have any of you guys had tennis elbow or golfers elbow? It would seem that I have one or the other. For the past two months I have had major issues to the point where I am having a hard time taking even a light grip on my gun. Also, being that this is my strong arm, I tend to re aggravate it a lot. It sucks! For those of you who had it/have it: what did you do? How do you fix it? How long does it take to heal? Help! This has been really driving me nuts, I haven't practiced, I am missing matches and it's making me miserable. Hopefully I can find a way to expedite healing. IF you search my name (username) and tennis elbow I think I gave the "cure" previously. It takes about 10 days and it will be over. If not, PM me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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