Possible Tendinitis In Elbows, What Can I Do For Pain?
Question:
I used to be an avid weight-lifter in high school, and still dabble every now and then. Later in high school (it must have been very gradual) I noticed that my arms would not unbend all the way. I would actually laugh about it with friends, because it didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, and I figured it was just from working out and having developed muscles. Now, roughly ten years later, my elbows hurt when I lift anything even mildly heavy (groceries, my son, etc.). It is a burning sensation in the elbows, and if I lift something significantly heavy the pain might persist on and off throughout the day. It aches pretty bad, and almost feels like the elbows need to pop but cannot. I have been told by a family doctor that this is probably tendinitis, and he would recommend physical therapy if not for me not having health insurance. He suggests searching for “elbow exercises” on the internet. Does anybody have any experience with dealing with/curing this problem? Apparently is it quite curable. I would love to be able to get into weightlifting again and do simple chores without my elbows aching so badly. Any suggestions or similar stories are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Answer:
I had “tennis elbow” once. Got it from pulling my grandson in a wagon on the grass. Very painful. Doc told me to go to Walmart and get an arm band for tennis elbow. Google it. It’s a strap with Velcro that placed on the forearm just before the elbow. I wore that for a few weeks and it worked like a charm.
Allow it to heal before you attempt any exercises. When you’re ready, weight lifting is too high impact. Do resistance bands, instead. They are low impact with smooth resistance with no jerking. Physical therapists highly recommend them. Click here to see the Bodylastics resistance bands. They are the best and extremely affordable.
