Triceps tendonitis - will pin firing work?

Hi all!

I posted here awhile back regarding using the pin firing method to recover from either tennis elbow or golfer's elbow(can't remember which) that gave me trouble during my chin-ups. The pin firing method worked perfectly, and I have been pain-free ever since!:)

However, due to some poor exercise choices on my part, I have developed what I can only assume is triceps tendonitis in my left elbow. I honestly don't know what to call the condition, exactly. All I know is that it hurts a bit when I do pressing movements, but it is incredibly painful if I try to perform a tricep isolation exercise such as a pushdown, behind the neck dumbbell press, or a skullcrusher. My question is this: Could I use the pin firing method to recover from this condition? And if so, what would be the smartest protocol to do so? Thanks so much in advance!

Does it hurt when you chin?

Actually I just did weighted chin-ups on Friday, and I didn't feel much at all in my elbow, so I would say no. I feel some pain when I do bench press and incline press, but I can still do the movements and get through the workout. However, any type of tricep isolation exercise, at least the three or four that I've tried, are absolutely excruciating.

Which of these triceps isolation exercises are in the program?

Initially I was doing lying skullcrushers as an accessory exercise to bring up my triceps and hopefully increase my bench press numbers. When it began to hurt my elbow, I tried others such as unilateral dumbbell behind the neck presses to try to find an alternative that wouldn't aggravate my elbow.

You didn't answer my question. If triceps isolation movements are aggravating your triceps tendons -- and they are quite famous for this -- stop doing them. That's why they're not included in any of the primary programs.

That's an excellent point, and it's exactly why I stopped doing them altogether and have no interest in resuming those movements at any point down the road. My flawed logic was that an assistance movement or movements that hit the triceps directly would give me tricep gains and thus bench press gains. But clearly that wasn't smart.

Having said that, now that I have this elbow issue, do you think it will resolve on its own if I continue to perform only bench press and press as my two push movements? I have noticed that my elbow isn't getting any better, at least not perceptibly. I am due for a deload after this week, so perhaps that will help. But if there's a better method of promoting healing in the tissue, I want to be sure to take advantage of it.

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Originally Posted by BobPage2052

My flawed logic was that an assistance movement or movements that hit the triceps directly would give me tricep gains and thus bench press gains. But clearly that wasn't smart.

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In your defense, that is the conventional wisdom. Have you tried the ibuprofen treatment?

I have not. Where would I locate more information on this treatment protocol? I can't find anything in either Starting Strength or Practical Programming. I do have plenty of Ibuprofen lying around, so I could definitely try it!

It is four 200mg ibuprofen 4x/day x 5 days, with a 500mg tylenol every time. With food.