I have tricep tendinitis. Please help!

[wanabelifter]

3 orthopedic surgeons, 5 physical therapists, and a lot of research later I discovered I have tricep tendonitis. I'm a 22 year old beginner lifter and I started going to the gym about 3 years ago.

I haven't been able to do any kind of tricep exercise in almost a year. I have a slight snap or pop in my non dominant elbow whenever weight comes down (barbell coming towards chest). The more I lift, the more pain I feel.

Doctors have told me to just rest, but I've been resting for almost a year with no improvement. I have found from research that strengthening my bicep (which was MUCH weaker in comparison to my tricep) can help with recover so I've been doing lots of back/pulling/bicep stuff without trouble.


Do you have any experience with this injury? What would you suggest I try?

[Viktor]

Sux..but out of curiosity..
Palpate about 5cm proximal to your medial epicondyle and see if you can find some really tender spots in there.
You are looking for a thick, tender "spaghetti"

[Viktor]

just found this link, best I've read and thought of you

[Viktor]

I've been doing some more research today since I WILL NOT accept injuries.
I found this article and I have downloaded the study and I have to say that it's VERY interesting!
I'll embark on my own 12week eccentric program for my bi and triceps

[homerj742]

Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I'd just resurrect this one.

I've been having soreness in my triceps for about 2 months now. I took a full week off, PVC rolled, used a lacrosse ball to work out the knots in my triceps. While the knots are smaller/softer, they are still there and it's affecting my bench press the most.

Presses feel ok for the most, but it does hurt when I lock my elbows up top.

Any ideas on how to hit tricep trigger points with a lacrosse/golf ball?

[hotshot617]

homerj,

I don't know if this will help you or not, but this is what has worked well for me. I had tricep pain a couple of weeks ago that was severe enough that I had to take a week off all training because of it. I started foam rolling my chest and shoulders before squatting which has improved my flexibility and has taken the load off of my elbows. It only took 2 workouts for me to notice a distinct increase in my shoulder flexibility, and about a week later my triceps stopped hurting. I had also added 3 sets of chins twice a week, though I really think the increased shoulder flexibility was the real fix.

-Brandon

[Bloodninja666]

Out of curiousity, what were you guys doing to tweak your triceps?

[homerj742]

Thank you Brandon, I will make a point to pvc roll my chest as well. Shoulder mobility fixed arm pain I had when I squatted (thanks also, to the help of a great massage therapist). While my shoulders are as flexible as they have ever been, it wouldn't be a surprise if this was the culprit to my tricep issues.

-PVC roll (including chest)
-Rest from pressing exercises
-3 sets of chins

what about icing? NSAIDS?

[hotshot617]

Bloodninja-
I originally tweaked my arms last February when I started CrossFit. While I can't say for sure what caused it, I think it was a combination of going too hard with poor form, coupled with way too many kipping pullups. I was pretty obsessed with learning to do the kip, and I think that movement in particular just gave me some overuse injuries. I dropped my CF gym membership after about 6 weeks because my tricep tendonitis was so bad. I've stayed away from too many kipping pullups since then.

homer-
I forgot to mention that I also reset my bench slightly (180 down from 190). I didn't really notice much pain at all from presses, so I kept that weight the same. Most of the pain during the bench was felt about 1/2 way down and lower in the movement, which sounds like it's a little different than yours. I had been icing at night before I started the foam rolling, but didn't do it after that. Ibuproferin a couple of times, but mostly just when the pain got really bad (my arms were getting painful even when I was sitting on the couch). One thing I've noticed, too, is that while my arms don't hurt, my right arm gets tight around my elbow still, and I have to "pop" it like I would pop a knuckle. I get some pretty loud cracks from it, which are slightly alarming, but the tightness goes away.