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soil_gringo
Jun 20, 2005, 3:37 PM
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I have what I believe to be tendon pain in and near my elbow. The main symptom is the pain I feel which is actually just distal to the medial epicondyle right on the tendon there.... and only a slight ache in the epicondyle itself. Hurts in the mornings when I wake and all day if I push down on somthing (like midway thru a mantel).
I wonder if anyone has noticed the following things about their tendonitis:
Iboprofen irritates it - causes it to simulate nerve problems like dull ache and shooting pain down my forearms and pain/numbness in my pinky and ring finger.
Gets worse with rest - mine actually spread to both arms after I started resting - and also started to ache on the lateral side about 3 weeks into total rest. I have been totally resting for 6 weeks. It has not improved at all, in fact I'd say it was getting worse.
The "just distal to the epicondyle" ache/pain - is that normal for epicondylitis?
Finally, I could take it no longer. I climbed on Saturday using forearms bands designed for epicondylitis. Climbed until my fingers were opening on medium holds. I rested on Sunday and today my forearms are a little sore (like they should be) - but my "epicondylitis" pain is completely gone. My tendons are sore - but a "good sore". This morning, I did some pullups and mantel like motions to make sure - and sure enough, it seems to be completely gone.
I guess this could be transient. Maybe the tendonitis-like pain will return when I no longer have DOMS.... but has anyone experienced this phenominon? Personally, I prefer the DOMS-like pain in my forearms to the sickening feeling of tendonitis-like pain - so if I'm not hurting myself, I'd just prefer to climb thru it.
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mandrake
Jun 20, 2005, 4:26 PM
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First, disclaimer. I'm not a doctor, and for your next flare up you should probably see one (PT really helped when I had a bad case a couple years ago).
As you probably know, this will likely be a chronic problem and you'll have to figure out what works for you to deal with it. For me, I find that "climbing through it" only makes tendonitis worse. I suspect what happened after you started resting and ibuprophen was a delayed flare up after you kept climbing on it too long.
What works for me, when I start to flare up, I immediately ice it (max 15 mins at a go) and start ibuprophen. I rest until it doesn't hurt any more (or hardly any more). If I do this at the start of a flare up, I usually only have to rest like a week or less. When I'm feeling okay, I do forearm curls (both directions) a couple times a week to strengthen the surrounding muscles. Touch wood, this regime seems to have helped, since I've started I've only had a couple of very minor irritations. Good luck.
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mtn_eagle
Jun 20, 2005, 7:07 PM
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The pain getting worse with rest and ibuprofen and getting better with exercise would not be consistent with tendonitis, ligement injury, muscular injury or an ulnar neuropathy (which pretty much includes all the usual causes of pain in the area you describe). If the pain returns, I would recommend seeing a sports medicine doctor for a thorough exam. Based on the exam, other studies may be needed to confirm a diagnosis including EMG/nerve conduction studies, MRI or plain x-rays. With the unusual history that you describe, I would predict that a visit to a primary care practitioner would be unsatisfying.
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soil_gringo
Jun 20, 2005, 7:39 PM
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In reply to: With the unusual history that you describe, I would predict that a visit to a primary care practitioner would be unsatisfying.
And how! Most folks have told me that M.E. hurts right on the epicondyle - though my PCP and PT have both treated me for M.E. regardless of the strange symptoms I have reported - and to no avail, but that doesn't seem to surprise them at all.
After extensive research, I can find no information on similar conditions, and the health care professionals seem to want to do only the minimum possible to get me out of the clinic and back home resting and taking ibuprofen. (grrr)
Thanks for your input and advice.
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nowinowski
Jun 20, 2005, 8:19 PM
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I had triceps tendonitos sp? for quite a while and I noticed that in many instances climbing was better for it than rest. The worst was a cycle or hard climbing and lots of rest the best a cycle of large amounts of lower intensity climbing with fewer rest days. Balancing between these extremes has sreved me fairly well. Keep in mind though sometimes your body definitively needs rest.
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polishbob
Jun 23, 2005, 7:44 PM
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Registered: Jan 19, 2004
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simple fix- 1- 2 treatments and simple rehab should clear this condition within 4-6 weeks. pm me for details.
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kpb
Jun 23, 2005, 8:33 PM
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Registered: Mar 3, 2005
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I have very similar symptoms. I've tried rest, and the pain gets worse. My primary physician has no advice other than Ibuprofen and RICE. I've been seeing an ART chiropractor, and trying cold laser treatment, but I'm not holding my breath.
Polishbob: why the secrecy? Why can't you share your treatment with the rest of us?
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soil_gringo
Jun 23, 2005, 9:23 PM
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Registered: Nov 10, 2004
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Sorry to hear that, kpb. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Clearly, I can't know if what has worked for me will work for you, but my M.E.-like pain has not returned. I am not kidding when I say it was as bad as ever on Friday - and after climbing on Saturday, by Sunday I seemed to be completely cured. (but very sore on my tendons just distal to the ME for about 1.5 inches)
I figured my tendons were irritated and swollen - and the ME pain would come back when they felt better - but it did not.
I tried massage (my wife is a massage therapist) - and it made it worse. My tendons knotted up something terrible. Ibuprofen flares it up too. I'm still baffled by that.
Again, what finally did work for me was to wear the bands designed for M.E. (you can get them at the drug store where you get ankle braces, etc, but your doctor will know where to get more advanced, lower profile versions) - and then climb until you can't pull on largish holds. YMMV - this could make your condition worse, but it did a world of good for me, and my outlook on this year's climbing goals.
Cheers,
-Mike
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