I've got a bad case of tennis elbow. What works for you?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve been fighting off a case of tennis elbow for a couple of months. Ice and rest keep the pain at a tolerable level, but it flares right back up again. Yesterday I had to go home because mousing was excruciatingly painful.

My routine is ice, rest, and Meloxicam (a buffered NSAID). Does anyone have any other tips to recommend?

My boss is telling me that CBD salve works very well for her and for her husband’s bum knee. Any truth to this, or is it just wishful thinking?

ETA: Aw, hell, I thought I was in IMHO. Could a mod please move this thread where it belongs? Sorry about that.

2

Just to get it out of the way quickly- obligatory infamous tennis elbow joke:

One day Bill complained to his friend, “My elbow really hurts, I guess I should see a doctor.”

His friend said, “Don’t do that. There’s a computer at the drug store that can diagnose anything quicker and cheaper than a doctor. Just put in a sample of your urine and the computer will diagnose your problem and tell you what you can do about it. It only costs ten dollars.”

Bill figured he had nothing to lose, so he filled a jar with a urine sample and went to the drug store. Finding the computer, he poured in the sample and deposited the $10.

The computer started making some noise and various lights started flashing. After a brief pause out popped a small slip of paper on which was printed:

You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water. Avoid heavy lifting. It will be better in two weeks.

Late that evening while thinking how amazing this new technology was and how it would change medical science forever, he began to wonder if this machine could be fooled.

He decided to give it a try. He mixed together some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, and urine samples from his wife and daughter. To top it off, he masturbated into the concoction.

He went back to the drug store, located the machine, poured in the sample, and deposited the $10.

The computer made the usual noise and printed out the following message:

Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener.

Your dog has worms. Get him vitamins.

Your daughter is using cocaine. Put her in a rehabilitation clinic.

Your wife is pregnant with twin girls. They aren’t yours. Get a lawyer.

And if you don’t stop jerking off, your tennis elbow will never get better

3

Tennis elbow is usual due to overdoing a single repetitive motion. First, see a sports therapist before you do permanent damage, they will give you effective exercises and rehab.

For me, I needed to be diligent about cross-training activity. I quit tennis completely for a bit, and took up boxing drills. Speed bag, heavy gloves on a bag, shadow boxing. After a time when I no longer felt pain, I made sure to split my activities between the two and haven’t had a problem since.

4

If you don’t already use one, look into an adjustable, under the desk keyboard and mouse tray to allow for proper ergonomics.

First site that came up on a google search about proper keyboard mouse placement

5

I had a splint thing, like a guitarist uses almost, to clamp down on the strings. It went on my forearm and allowed me to use my hand and arm quite extensively without impacting my elbow. Just until it healed up, haven’t used it since. However I did stop doing what was causing it as well! (Caregiving!)

Good Luck!

6

I just finally beat my “golf elbow” (same as tennis elbow but on the inside of the elbow) after about 9 months.

First I had to identify what was causing it. That actually took me several months because I assumed it was swimming, but it wasn’t. Finally realized it was the way I was walking my dogs. So, I had to completely stop using my left arm to hold the leash when walking my dogs.

Then I started wearing a band any time I did anything using my arm. Swimming, tai-chi, dog walking, light weight lifting. I had asked for advice here on the SDMB and Ambivalid, who’s a chronic sufferer of tennis elbow, said he wore his a lot, even when sleeping.

I can’t take naproxen too much because it messes with my stomach so I just didn’t take it. Stopping the motion that was causing the problem, and avoiding anything that made it hurt, and wearing the band, seems to have helped it.

But it takes forever. Gotta be diligent and patient!

7

I too have a bad elbow (it’s technically tendonitis,right)? Golfers elbow, actually,though with his adorable accent my doctor pronounces if “gopher’s elbow.” So dreamy.
Anyhow, I second using one of those compression band thingies. Not one that goes over the entire elbow; just one that snugly fits right below the bend in your arm.
Meloxicam works well and the doc also gave me a prescription for a cream that I cannot remember the name of right now (sorry, not helpful, I know). I had been suffering for about three months and now after 2 days with the band and the cream, it’s almost all healed. I’ll check back here tomorrow and give you the name of it if no one else has suggested it.

8

I have used that band in the past for tennis elbow. I remember it made a big bruise on my forearm and I discontinued use because of that. However, technology may have changed since then, so I may try a band again if this bout continues.

9

Make sure you don’t do the band too tight! If I do mine anywhere too tight, I get a terrible pain in my hand. Tighter isn’t necessarily better, it needs to be “just right.” Also make sure it has a pressure pad on it like the one I linked to, so you get the pressure you need in the right spot.

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[Moderating]

I’m not seeing any arts connection here. Moving to IMHO.

11

This worked for me.

12

I stop playing tennis. ‘Tennis’ is what makes my elbow sore. Yeah, that’s it.

13

^^You’re a bad, bad, bad Catfish!

14

I’ve found keeping it warm and supported with like this until the inflammation goes away after a week or three is a good first step. Then using the support strap around the forearm to prevent recurrence.

15

I wore the strap and had to quit using a mouse with my right hand for several months. Then I got a taller ergonomic mouse that keeps the hand more vertical, as though you’re shaking someone’s hand.

16

You’re doing the right stuff, seems like. You can ice it on breaks during the workday too, if you are currently waiting to get home.

Pay attention to how you mouse. Try to take your hand away when you are reading something and use page down and cursor keys instead when possible.

Stretch the muscles involved with a closed fist and bending your hand inwards, you’ll feel the stretch on the back of the wrist/forearm.

17

I was a huuuuuge skeptic prior to trying it but i have to say that CBD/THC oil-based ointment does relieve tendonitis pain to a degree. As someone who chronically manuevers a wheelchair, as well as regularly lifts weights and exercises, I regularly deal with tendonitis of the wrists, elbows and shoulders, with the elbow pain being far and away the worst. While I’ve never found a way to permanently rid myself of this elbow pain, I have found methods of mitigating it to remain fully functioning.

For one, I faithfully wear the forearm band already mentioned in this thread, i try to wear it as much as possible. 24 hours a day, when feasible (altho it’s often not). Two, I employ regular icing to the area every single day, at least one round of 15 minutes on-10 minutes off-15 minutes on. Three, i use the THC/CBD salve twice a day. And finally, i know when not to push it and just remain sedentary.

18

I switched to 16oz curls. Elbow felt fine after about an hour.

19

I had a terrible case of tennis elbow a few years ago. That elbow is still a bit finicky sometimes, but by and large it’s been “fixed.” How, you ask?

After 3 months of ice, nsaids, rest, modifying my motions and wearing a forearm arm band that purported to be for tennis elbow, I was no better so I visited a sports medicine doctor.

The doctor homed right in on the problem by applying pressure to a specific spot (excruciating but he got the spot right on the first try), diagnosed tennis elbow and asked me what I’d been trying. Then he told me there were 4 options:
[ol]
[li]do nothing (by which he seemed to mean ice and rest)[/li][li]cortisone shot[/li][li]physical therapy[/li][li]surgery[/li][/ol]

He said that the outcome after 3 years of all 4 above methods was pretty much the same, and told me he’d do whatever I decided, including straight to surgery if that’s what I chose.

Ice and rest had done bupkis for me, physical therapy was a big time commitment, and surgery seemed extreme, so I opted for a cortisone shot and told him I’d move on to physical therapy if I was still having problems after 30 days post-shot.

Ow! OUCH! Holy crap the cortisone shot was painful!!! (I’d never had one before so didn’t know what to expect) He gave me a wrist brace for sleeping that had a metal shank in it to keep my hand and wrist in a fixed position, to keep me from re-injuring the elbow, and sent me on my way.

The elbow felt achy for a couple of hours and then abruptly hideously painful for about another 20 hours and then the pain was gone. Completely. Not just better - miraculously GONE.

I wore the brace every night for about a year, then kind of just stopped without meaning to. 4 years later the elbow is still really good. It twinges occasionally when I move heavy things in a particular way, but I’ve really had no trouble with it. If it ever really flares up again I will go back to that guy and get another shot.

20

I’ve read online that lots of mouse work can give you tennis elbow, and I certainly use the mouse a lot. Someone at work said that a vertical mouse gave her a lot of relief, so I ordered one through Amazon and got it set up yesterday morning.

This thing is the bee’s knees. It keeps my hand in a more normal position, as though reaching out for a handshake. I also made the cursor more sensitive, so less hand movement is required to move the cursor.

I don’t know if it’s the new mouse or the increased icing, but my elbow is way better. I’ve ordered some CBD salve online, and it will arrive in a few days. I’ll report back on my findings if it’s effective or not. My husband has a misshapen big toe joint which is painful, so he’s interested in trying it out.