I know, I know, Not Another Elbow Tendonitis Thread

[Bradley Gish]

Ok, so I have what I think is a severe case of tennis elbow. I have tried the whole "pin firing" elbow rehab. I got several friction and trigger point type messages ( my gf is a message therapist), took the prescribed amount of Ibuprofen for the five days, and did 15x3,15x2 sets of chin-ups every five days for three weeks. I thought it was just about healed up towards the end of the three weeks ( I continued to train regularly, implementing the chins at the end of my workouts) until I re-injured or "tweaked" it one day while warming up for presses. Initially the pain was in my Brachioradialis, which finally subsided. After tweaking it for the second time the pain has now shifted upward to my Biceps brachii and Brachialis region. I'm about 90% sure that the Injury was brought on by doing power cleans with bad form. This is the second time I've fucked my elbow up doing them. I have long arms and it's hard for me to rack correctly. I tend to catch the bar in my hands with elbows pointing down. This is fine until I approach around 200lbs, then it wrecks havoc on my elbows. I've since focused on becoming a snatch specialist, which seems to be working out better for me. At times it feels as if there is a migraine headache in my elbow. This obviously distracts me at heavy weights. My job doesn't help much either,where usually my day consists of packaging and stacking awkward 52lb. cases of liquor all day long. Ibuprofen in large doses used frequently throughout the day seems to help me train through it, but as soon as I stop taking it the pain returns. Sorry for all this boring text about my poor pussy ass elbow, but I felt as if I should include as many details as possible. Thanks in advance.

[Tom Campitelli]

Interesting that pressing seemed to have bothered your elbow, in conjunction with cleans. Normally it is squatting. My suggestions mirror what Horn laid out in the sticky. Fix your grip on squats to find some relief and consider getting some mean massage. Also, look up using those glorified inner tubes called voodoo bands. They can be useful for elbows. Starrett has a video or two about how to use them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZG_9O_mAgM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dgbCDtqdlI

I don't guarantee that they will work, but it is something to try and they don't cost much in the context of everything else.

[Scott Hanson]

OP,

Have you tried eccentic exercises with a db?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKLdJC7Eb4I

I had a chronic case of lateral epicondylitis (caused by throwing a frisbee for my dog, thousands of times) and this cured my case very quickly. It looks hokie, but it does work for lots of people. Its been a while, but as I recall, the theory is that it causes micro trauma and increases blood flow to the tendons that promote healing. Basically free and worth a try. Unlike this video, I did the exercises with my elbow fully extended and at 90 degrees.

[Bradley Gish]

Ok, thanks Tom. I'm going to order the bands from Rouge this weekend. Squatting does hurt like hell, but I think that it was brought on by jarring my elbows performing bad cleans. Maybe it was brought on by the squats. Sometimes it's so painful that it carries over to my bench and presses after I squat. I was considering ( as much as I hate the idea) maybe pressing first in the workout for the time being. What are your thoughts on this? Also, the ibuprofen permits me to work through it , but I feel as if this luxury will come with a price to pay. I've weaned myself off of it since Thursday and was considering only taking it on my training days. As always, thanks for your input!

[Tom Campitelli]

It is likely that squats are the cause. Feel free to move your pressing exercises first. Also, make sure that your grip is correct. Watch the video on this site about how to hold the bar. Move your hands wider, if needed. See if you can find some relief through mashing on it, voodoo bands, eccentric work, high rep chins, whatever works.