Elbow pain

[jackinfl]

All,
I have developed a sharp tennis elbow pain in my right elbow. In august I got a shot of cortisone and it helped very little. I know this is pretty common for shooters. I'd like to hear what others have done to heal this injury.

By the way 9mm Glock.

Jack

[JAXX]

Hey brother now when you say tennis elbow pain. Where exactly is it located? Is it on the inside or outside if your looking down at your arm. Does it hurt when you push or pull? Or when you raise things laterally. I played college baseball and dealt with many many injuries to my elbow and I can relate the pain to shooters who get this kind of injury. How often do you shoot and out of what stance and how are your arms positioned. Cortisone is just a steroid that masks the pain. It doesn't promote any healing except to trick your body into thinking nothing is wrong. Did you shoot right after you had the shot. Also where did they give you the shot at. Sorry for all the questions but I can help ya if you answer them
Thanks
PFC Sean Young

[spdldr]

It will get you in the wrist too. This why I now like .22s so much.

Dave

Boonie Packer

[ROCKET20_GINSU]

consider trying a tennis elbow brace like this: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3782839&cid=CSE:GoogleProductSearch

I'm aware of quite a few shooters who use one during their practice sessions, especially if they are shooting hotter loads.

GU

[p7fl]

Jack:
I feel your pain ... literally. Hurt my elbow at a rifle class in December and have not been able to do anything with an AR since.
It isn't the first time I've had the problem, but this one is lasting a long time.
Had two cortisone shots, the relief is short term.
The only good suggestions I've gotten are rest and lifting weights.
Regarding the cortisone here is a link to an article in the NY Times recently that is worth looking at.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/do-cortisone-shots-actually-make-things-worse/?src=me&ref=general

jon

[jackinfl]

The pain is very specific. Outside or top of the arm. Right at where the tendons of the forearm connect into the elbow. It is aggravated by rotating my hand up. Imagine typing and lifting your fingernails towards the ceiling. That and every round fired feels like a needle being inserted. I shoot 9mm Once a month minimum and my .308 bolt gun monthly. the pistol hurts WAY more.

In reference to lifting weights any specific motions help or to be avoided?

Thanks

[Skyyr]

Lifting weights will help. I'm not a doctor so do not take my advice as you would a medical professional (as I'm not one), but daily dosages of Ibuprofen should help as well. The Ibuprofen reduces the inflammation and swelling, allowing the muscles and tendons to heal faster.

[WEC]

Sounds like classic tennis elbow, aka lateral epicondylitis.

I actually had this problem when (surprise) playing tennis. Resting is key. I iced it at first, 15 minutes on, 15 off, for an hour. Advil also helps but the best way to fix it is working out. I used a device similar to this:

http://p.lefux.com/61/20100730/A2566000AN/wrist-forearm-gripper-high-strength-leiskon-1-Gallay.jpg

That motion you were talking about, i.e. pronating the wrist, can be worked out with that device. After some time I was pain free. I don't really remember how long it took but it seemed to fade away very easily. Hope this helps.

[Rob Haught]

As a long time shooter I experienced exactly what you describe some years ago when I was at my peak of competitive shooting with Team Beretta and later Team Smith & Wesson.

I found a simple exercise that helped a lot. Take a few rubber bands and put them around the tips of your fingers and thumb. Open your hand against the tension flexing outward as far as you can. Do this several times until fatiqued. Its like an alligators mouth, our strength is in the grip not the opening of the hand. After a while the pain went away for me. I also limit my shooting of 45 ball and service loads and shoot a lot of 9mm nowadays. I still do the excercises a lot and Im convinced it helps.

Rob

[jackinfl]

Good advice from allot of different experiences, Thank you.

[YVK]

I actually had this problem when (surprise) playing tennis. Resting is key.

I had it once, when I tried to switch to lighter and stiffer racquet.
Current approach to almost all musculoskeletal injuries is early mobilization, range of motion exercises and some strengthening, depending on muscles involved, but you need to decrease inflammation first. Contrary to statement above, prednisone is a very potent anti-inflammatory agent, and it does kill off inflammation well.

I highlighted "resting" above because it is very important, but can be taken of context. You rest near completely for day-two until pain subsides, then you start exercise/range of motion, but you can't expose yourself to offensive factor until you've healed. You're assuming that shooting caused your injury, and you need to lay it off for some time, even though otherwise you'll be "working out" your elbow - but in non-traumatic, incremental way. Time for weak-hand only...
Needless to say, you need to figure out why this happened and change something in the way you shoot, otherwise it may come back sooner than you want.

[JAXX]

It could be a few things. But have you had a dray done. Alot of times you develop burrs contour bones that rub against the tendons inflaming them. It could also be over use and is just unclaimed AMA tennis elbow. Ice and heat treatment are best. This injury could either be a long term heal or relatively short (6 to 8 weeks) repetitive movements will aggravate the injury. Also do weights but use two to five pound weights and do half cans and lateral raises with your thumbs pointed towards the ground. Also you need to get bands and do band therapy this will help the most. Pm me and I'll explain exercises further. Does it ever feel like a burning sensation

[dog guy]

On the subject of strengthening exercises to minimize recurrence: I had several previous bouts of tennis elbow from non-shooting realted activities. Recurrence was finally eliminated by carefully strengthening my grip. When we grip with our fingers, the flexor tendons that close our fingers run in a pretty straight line back along the inside of the wrist and are operated by muscles in the forearm. This is innefiecient and doesn't provide great grip strength. In an effort to increase grip strength, we subconciously cant our hand laterally so that the tendons now run over the "bend" created by tilting our hand outward. This angle creates much greater strength for the same amount of effort in the muscle. The action is like gripping a pistol in a normal one handed shooting grip, and then pointing the muzzle to the right without moving your forearm at all. One of the muscles which performs this action attaches on the outer part of the elbow and irritation of this attachment is a major part of tennis elbow. Carefully doing grip strengthening exercises (with a squeeze handle, ball, etc) without allowing your grip to drift laterally will allow you to grip harder without engaging the extensors that run from the back of your hand to the lateral portion of you elbow. Start with minimal resistance and get the form right. And no, I'm not a doc or therapist. This is simply passing on what I was taught by my ortho while battling a few bouts of my own.

[Littlelebowski]

Swimming helped me recover from being shot in the elbow.

[300WM]

For medical advice, I use the MD forum. Guns...M4.