So I managed to strain the tendons in my forearm. Not through anything as athletic as tennis or golf, but by dragging about my big body pillow every time I turn over onto my left side while sleeping. I realized I used the precise motion of a tennis backhand with resistance doing this, and presto: f***ed up forearm tendons. It hurts like hell.
Anyway, now I’m wearing this forearm strappy thing. It has a bulgy component which presses down into the sore tendons. It seems to provide some comfort, which is nice, but what precisely is going on here? Why should a hard lump squishing down those ligaments induce healing?
I’ve had the same injury and apparently the same device. I know it works. I remember asking my physical therapist about it. I wish I could remember her answer in greater detail but it is basically this:
The tendon (called, I believe, the epicondyle) runs though a very narrow gap in the elbow. Certain motions make it rub against the bone, thus inflammation and pain of tendinitis. The strap thingy keeps the tendon from moving around so much when it is in use – this means it passes more smoothly through the channel with less rubbing. Plus, the pressure acts to keep inflammation out of the area and inflammation is, itself, harmful.
First, remember that healing tennis elbow works best when you rest it and don’t do the thing that nearly tore the tendon loose. Second, see if you can find another way to move your pillow around; one that pulls on the palm side of your forearm instead of the other way.
Epicondylitis comes not just from tennis backhands, but also from many industrial motions, such as repetitively using a power screwdriver or mopping. It comes when you grip hard while trying to flex your wrist outward. Your tendons don’t like doing that. If you keep doing the harmful motion, you’ll need both hands to pour a glass of wine. You won’t have the grip strength to carry a suitcase or a bag of groceries. I’ve been there, and I came back.
The strap might do the trick (I don’t know how badly you have it,) but it won’t if you keep doing what caused the problem. Many folks think, “I’ll get over it, my arm will get used to this motion.” It won’t. It can get to be permanent. Keep your doctor up to date on the progress, if any. You may need physical therapy.
In teela brown’s case, perhaps you could just get another body pillow for the other side. In the case of actual tennis elbow, talk to a tennis teacher. If your backhand gives you epicondylitis, you aren’t doing it right. Other people can increase the diameter of the thing they’re grabbing that hurts, or change the motion, or change your job.
I’m not an expert in this field. I know what I know only because I had a similar injury, and I had to do some learning to understand what went wrong, and how to heal it.
Nah, it’s the method by which I was moving it around. The body pillow itself is terrific - I sleep much better with it, and my back and hips feel great.
I seem to feel a difference after just one day of wearing this arm strap. In addition to whatever therapeutic benefit the pressure brings, the fact that it’s there is a physical reminder to me to modify ways in which I reach, grab and lift.
These things do work (I am a doctor and do prescribe this method of treatment). I explain it like this: the muscle attaches to the bone and at this attachment point, excessive pull (overexertion or repetitive motion injury) on the area of the attachment induces inflammation. With inflammation, comes pain. The elbow straps work through physics - by compressing the muscle group, the muscle can contract at the same force but the amount of pull is reduced at the point of insertion on the bone (my take on the physics; it changes the vectors of force from straight traction to traction at an angle which in turn results in less force of traction at that point of insertion - those with better physics understanding, please correct this as appropriate). Thus, inflammation subsides because there is less pull at that point of bony attachment.