Creepy Elbowitis
Life has not been business as usual for over a month now. In many ways, the time has flown by. There has been such a steep learning curve to working from home, keeping the family in routine and trying to get as many regular tasks done as possible. The list has been long, so the days go by fast. I know not everyone is in the same situation. Front line workers are under a huge strain. Some people are really struggling with cabin fever, live alone, or don't have a yard to spend time in. Keeping positive can be very difficult.
The problems and struggles we faced before did not go away because there is a pandemic. A lot of them became amplified as people are unable to access supports, or "elective" surgeries were cancelled. They don't feel elective to the people in pain. Crisis situations bring out the best in humanity and the worst. I hope history shows that we chose the former.
We are all experiencing dichotomies of emotion. We can be happy if we are safe in our own homes and at the same time feel guilty for not being at work. We feel hopeful for the future and life getting back to normal, and fearful that the other shoe will drop. We are grateful for time with our kids, and want to have a break. We know we are doing the right thing by following protocols, but we mourn the things we are missing out on. We feel bad about feeling bad, because there are people who have it worse. And we feel bad about feeling good. All of these feelings are valid, because we don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon. (Bonus points if you get that reference!)
Whether it is mental, emotional or physical, we only have our own experiences. There is always going to be someone out there who has it worse. That does not negate your pain. You don't need to wallow in it or be a drama queen demanding everyone's attention, but denying that you are hurting doesn't help either. There is middle ground. Acknowledge your pain, communicate with your loved ones and seek the assistance you need.
Give yourself permission to feel the good. It's OK to be enjoying spring, to be grateful for a break from work, to love having your kids all to yourself, to be happy a spouse isn't working away. I know that storms cause a lot of damage and start forest fires. I can't control the weather, so I don't stress over it. I love a good thunderstorm! Look for the silver lining!
Creepy Elbowitis
I’m a bit of a word nerd. “That’s a really good word!” is not an unusual expression in my house. Lateral epicondylitis is a term that I just really love to say. It rolls off the tongue in a satisfying way. Far more interesting than tennis elbow. It just means that you have tendinitis in your elbow.
Sit comfortably, with your elbows on the arm rest of your chair. We’re talking about the part of your elbow that is on top. Pull your right arm close to your chest, your palm should be facing the floor. With the your left hand, feel your elbow, on the top, between the crease and the bony part. Have some fingers higher than the joint and some lower. Now straighten your arm at the elbow. Did you feel the tendon move under your fingers? That is the extensor tendon, because it extends your arm. Makes sense, right?
It’s called tennis elbow because it gets injured with poor backhand technique in racquet sports. It’s also commonly injured in trades such as plumbing (using a wrench) and butchering.
If you are a golfer, you are more likely to experience medial epicondylitis. This is from the flexor tendon which is on the other side of the elbow. It’s aggravated by hammer and using a screwdriver. Not surprisingly, these both fall into the repetitive strain injury category. It mean that this creeps up over time, it's not sudden onset like a muscle tear or a sprain. (Hence the creepy elbowitis!)
Having any inflammation condition such as arthritis, crohn's or colitis makes you more susceptible to other inflammation conditions. You have to be especially careful about proper technique and not over-doing it. Whether it’s using weights or going to the driving range, when your technique is no longer correct, it’s time to stop. Even if you could normally do more. It’s better to miss out a little today than have to stop for 3-6 weeks to let an injury heal. If you are learning something new, get expert help. It is far easier to learn proper technique then to correct bad habits!
The first step in an effective stretching and exercise program is to warm the area to ensure the muscles and tendons are as flexible as possible. This can be done with a hot water bottle, wheat bags, soaking in warm water or a warm shower.
When tendinitis is acute:
Apply ice immediately after activity for 5-20 minutes at a time. Do not apply ice directly to skin. Wrap in a towel or apply over clothing.
When tendinitis is chronic:
Use contrasting hot and cold. You may either use a cold pack and hot water bottle or basins of hot and cold water depending on the location of your injury, personal preference and/or ease of application. For best results have the temperature difference as great as you can comfortably handle.
Start with warm for 3 minutes then switch to cold for 1 minute. Continue for about 30 minutes, ending with a cold cycle. Use heat before stretching or exercising to relax muscles. Use cold after to reduce swelling or inflammation.
Apply ice to your elbow after stretching and exercise to reduce any inflammation and swelling that may be present. Never apply ice directly to your skin as it could freeze the tissue.
The problems and struggles we faced before did not go away because there is a pandemic. A lot of them became amplified as people are unable to access supports, or "elective" surgeries were cancelled. They don't feel elective to the people in pain. Crisis situations bring out the best in humanity and the worst. I hope history shows that we chose the former.
We are all experiencing dichotomies of emotion. We can be happy if we are safe in our own homes and at the same time feel guilty for not being at work. We feel hopeful for the future and life getting back to normal, and fearful that the other shoe will drop. We are grateful for time with our kids, and want to have a break. We know we are doing the right thing by following protocols, but we mourn the things we are missing out on. We feel bad about feeling bad, because there are people who have it worse. And we feel bad about feeling good. All of these feelings are valid, because we don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon. (Bonus points if you get that reference!)
Whether it is mental, emotional or physical, we only have our own experiences. There is always going to be someone out there who has it worse. That does not negate your pain. You don't need to wallow in it or be a drama queen demanding everyone's attention, but denying that you are hurting doesn't help either. There is middle ground. Acknowledge your pain, communicate with your loved ones and seek the assistance you need.Give yourself permission to feel the good. It's OK to be enjoying spring, to be grateful for a break from work, to love having your kids all to yourself, to be happy a spouse isn't working away. I know that storms cause a lot of damage and start forest fires. I can't control the weather, so I don't stress over it. I love a good thunderstorm! Look for the silver lining!
Creepy Elbowitis
I’m a bit of a word nerd. “That’s a really good word!” is not an unusual expression in my house. Lateral epicondylitis is a term that I just really love to say. It rolls off the tongue in a satisfying way. Far more interesting than tennis elbow. It just means that you have tendinitis in your elbow.
Sit comfortably, with your elbows on the arm rest of your chair. We’re talking about the part of your elbow that is on top. Pull your right arm close to your chest, your palm should be facing the floor. With the your left hand, feel your elbow, on the top, between the crease and the bony part. Have some fingers higher than the joint and some lower. Now straighten your arm at the elbow. Did you feel the tendon move under your fingers? That is the extensor tendon, because it extends your arm. Makes sense, right? |
| Tennis elbow is on the thumb side, golfers elbow is on the pinky side |
It’s called tennis elbow because it gets injured with poor backhand technique in racquet sports. It’s also commonly injured in trades such as plumbing (using a wrench) and butchering.
If you are a golfer, you are more likely to experience medial epicondylitis. This is from the flexor tendon which is on the other side of the elbow. It’s aggravated by hammer and using a screwdriver. Not surprisingly, these both fall into the repetitive strain injury category. It mean that this creeps up over time, it's not sudden onset like a muscle tear or a sprain. (Hence the creepy elbowitis!)
The suffix “-itis” means inflammation. Most often tendinitis is caused by our work or our sport because you have to do a lot of something to cause a repetitive strain. That also means it’s a pain (pun intended!) to treat because it’s continuously aggravated by our daily activities. Depending on the severity, it may hurt after activity, before and after activity, during activity or all the time. It may restrict movement and it may interfere with daily life.
Having any inflammation condition such as arthritis, crohn's or colitis makes you more susceptible to other inflammation conditions. You have to be especially careful about proper technique and not over-doing it. Whether it’s using weights or going to the driving range, when your technique is no longer correct, it’s time to stop. Even if you could normally do more. It’s better to miss out a little today than have to stop for 3-6 weeks to let an injury heal. If you are learning something new, get expert help. It is far easier to learn proper technique then to correct bad habits!
Remember that tendons are the tissues that attach muscle to bone, so we generally feel them at our joints. Tendinitis means there are tiny tears in the tendon which leads to inflammation. It really needs to rest in order to heal. Repetitive strain injuries, by their nature, haunt us. Unless we change our job or our sport, they will continue to get irritated. So they go through stages of being acute and chronic. If it's chronic, those tiny tears have turned into scar tissue adhesions (knots).
With either acute or chronic tendinitis you may experience pain, swelling and inflammation of the tendon. The skin at the site of the tendon may feel hot to the touch and you may experience a decrease in strength and range of motion of the muscles involved. You may also experience a crackling sound or grating feeling with the movement of the joints involved.
Before Stretching & Exercise
When tendinitis is acute:
Apply ice immediately after activity for 5-20 minutes at a time. Do not apply ice directly to skin. Wrap in a towel or apply over clothing.
Initially isometric stretches will be used to maintain flexibility. These are stretches that you hold steady for 30 seconds. Each stretch should only be withing your pain tolerance. Slowly increase to eventually achieve a full range of motion. Use the flexor and extensor stretches from the carpal tunnel post on April 21, 2020 "Be The Light At The End Of The Tunnel".
When tendinitis is chronic:
Use contrasting hot and cold. You may either use a cold pack and hot water bottle or basins of hot and cold water depending on the location of your injury, personal preference and/or ease of application. For best results have the temperature difference as great as you can comfortably handle.
Start with warm for 3 minutes then switch to cold for 1 minute. Continue for about 30 minutes, ending with a cold cycle. Use heat before stretching or exercising to relax muscles. Use cold after to reduce swelling or inflammation.
Once you have a pain-free full range of motion for a week, you may increase to isotonic (with movement) exercises. Again, increase slowly, working up to 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Use the wrist stretches from the acute stage, but instead of holding a stretch, move your wrist up and down in a slow, controlled motion. Add a light weight when there is no pain.
When you can bend the elbow up and down with no pain, you can add a light weight or use a resistance band to do slow, controlled repetitions.
Do a set of each:
Palm facing up (classic bicep curl)
Palm facing down,
Palm facing in (like a hand clap)
Stretch your arm out to the side (like you are pointing )
Bend at the elbow, bringing your hand to your breastbone, and straighten
Slow and controlled, add weight as long as it's pain free.
**You don't need fancy weights to do these types of exercises. Anything that you can hold comfortably in your hand will do; a soup can, a wrench, a water bottle.
Use the wrist stretches from the acute stage, but instead of holding a stretch, move your wrist up and down in a slow, controlled motion. Add a light weight when there is no pain.
Do a set of each:
Palm facing up (classic bicep curl)
Palm facing down,
Palm facing in (like a hand clap)
Stretch your arm out to the side (like you are pointing )
Bend at the elbow, bringing your hand to your breastbone, and straighten
Slow and controlled, add weight as long as it's pain free.
**You don't need fancy weights to do these types of exercises. Anything that you can hold comfortably in your hand will do; a soup can, a wrench, a water bottle.
After Stretching & Exercise
Apply ice to your elbow after stretching and exercise to reduce any inflammation and swelling that may be present. Never apply ice directly to your skin as it could freeze the tissue.
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