Tell me about your Tennis Elbow

[PunditLisa]

I play tennis and I've either come down with either a muscle tear in my forearm or tennis elbow. I'm going to call my doctor tomorrow because it's been 2 weeks and it's still bugging me. I've been skipping practices to rest it as much as I can but I've been playing matches twice a week. It seemed better after last Monday's match but then flared up when I played a make-up game the next day. At the advice of the pros, I've been alternating between Aleve and Ibuprofen every day and icing my forearm twice a day. I get a sinking feeling that the only cure is going to be stop playing tennis for awhile, which stinks because we just started the new season and we're 3-0 so far.

Until I get an official diagnosis and marching orders, I wanted to ask others about their experience with tennis elbow:

How long did it last?

How long were you sidelined?

Do you still ibuprofen/ice it after each match?

Do you wear one of those arm braces that encircle your forearm right below your elbow?

Has it every completely gone away to where you feel you can play three or four times a week?

[Soul Brother Number Two]

I have in both elbows. It's a pretty common RSI. I got it from using kitchen knives and such. If you can pick up a 100 pound sack of flour but you scream like a girlie when you try to get your keys out of your pocket, or twist a doorknob for that matter, you know you have it for sure.

The forearm brace works surprisingly well, especially the ones with the lil pad for warmth. But the only thing that clears it up for reals is a cortisone shot. I had a guy who did nothing but cortisone shots and he really nailed it. That was many years ago and it is still mostly OK.

If you don't have that sick-making feeling in the elbow proper it might just be a muscle thing.

[JustThinkin']

I got it, I think, from tiling the backsplash in my kitchen - I suspect from the grouting part of it.

I just rested it, but it took about a year to go back to normal. So for a year, I had a built-in excuse to avoid all the heavy lifting chores at home.

[Kal]

I got it while recovering from carpal tunnel surgery. At first I thought it was to do with the trapped ulnar nerve in the same arm, but the consultant diagnosed me when I saw him prior to having a cubital tunnel release (and shoulder surgery. Me arm is bolloxed). With a knackered hand and less than perfect shoulder, I'd taken to lifting thing with the weight on the wrist or forearm and just bending the elbow - shopping bags, for example, would be on the wrist and I'd carry my children with my forearm under their butts.

The brace does help a bit - in my case taking it from 'fuck, that bloody hurts' to a dull ache. It actually got worse after a cortisone shot, with the pain going into the elbow itself rather than the forearm. There followed three months of physio before we finally found something that worked - Don't use a mouse at all (strictly touchpads for me) and wear my Nerdman gear (wrist brace and tennis elbow brace) when using a 'puter.

Been going on for maybe 2 - 2 1/2 years now and, while not perfect, it is much better than it was. Like I said, now a dull ache rather than pain, though still a wee bit tender if the forearm is pressed.

[PunditLisa]

Hmm. In addition to playing tennis, I'm on the computer quite a bit. I've ditched mouses (mice) altogether and use the mousepad on my laptop and this great little device that raises a lot of eyebrows at work.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Ergonomic-M...2700196&sr=8-1

[Gatopescado]

I've never played tennis.

[teela brown]

I have it, but damned if I know what gave it to me. I don't play tennis nor grout tiles.

When it was in full pain mode, I remember clapping madly at a hockey game and ending up writhing in my seat in near agony. I treated it with ice, that weird elbow strap thingy, and ibuprofen. It took a good year or two to really become unnoticeable, but if that elbow does get chilled (like it accidentally stays outside the blankets at night), the ache will come back.

[kunilou]

I got it when I wrenched my elbow carrying a computer. The intial soreness wore off after a couple of days, but I found myself unable to pick up anything that weighed as little as one pound.

What finally cured it was a shot of cortisone directly into the elbow.

[Richard Pearse]

I got it, or something similar, from fishing. I'm resting it as much as I can. I use the mouse with my left hand and try to do any griping with my left hand. It seems to be improving gradually.

[Interconnected Series of Tubes]

I've played tennis for years and only occasionally get a nagging ache. Dialing it back, rest and NSAIDs always clear it up within a few days.

Like most repetitive stress injuries, it's not going to go away without taking time off.

[hellpaso]

i've had it for years, brought on by a several hour a week billiards habit. i just wear the brace when i play, and if it gets too bad i lay off playing for a few days. ibuprofen really doesn't seem to help me. just one of those things you learn to live with. when it really flares up, i can't even get a can off the shelf in the pantry!