Severe Tendonitis anyone??

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,614
Location
Durango CO
Thanks, im gonna try this for sure now. I did do some chin ups last week anyway to see where im at, backed off since it hurt the next day. This method sounds wrong but its essentially the same thing i did for my 2 slipped discs. After years of agony and all the typical treatments that went nowhere.. i just started running long distance and lifting. Hurt like hell for a week then just got better somehow lol

I probably mentioned way back in this thread but I followed this advice and it worked. It can be excruciatingly painful FYI. Your goal is create a systematic response to a localized problem. You do that by injuring the entire elbow to spur a restorative response from the body. It is the same idea as using bee sting or venom or dry needling.
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
1,757
Location
Oregon
I probably mentioned way back in this thread but I followed this advice and it worked. It can be excruciatingly painful FYI. Your goal is create a systematic response to a localized problem. You do that by injuring the entire elbow to spur a restorative response from the body. It is the same idea as using bee sting or venom or dry needling.
Yessir, i can't imagine doin it for my elbow could be worse than it was for my back, so bring it on. Proof is in the puddin, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger lol, corny but true alot of the time
 

DanimalW

WKR
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
395
I had off and on problems with tendinitis in elbows and one wrist. I started taking a joint collagen supplement daily. It went away, I continued taking it, and it’s never returned. It may help, or it may be coincidental. I’m no doctor. What I do know is that tendinitis sucks, and this might be one easy thing to try for a couple months to see if it helps you.
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
1,757
Location
Oregon
Ive been taking collagen, vitamin c and d, fish oil and several other supplements for years now. Definitely good stuff. Starting the pin firing regimen tonight. Anyone that did it think that chin ups alone are best course? I was doin 5 strict pullups, 5 neutral and 5 chins each set before it originally flared up which is very easy to do on the rings. The strict pullups still make my funny bone hurt when im all the way in the up position but neutral and chins feel fine while doin them, maybe i shouldn't do strict pullups yet?
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
661
Location
British Columbia
Ive been taking collagen, vitamin c and d, fish oil and several other supplements for years now. Definitely good stuff. Starting the pin firing regimen tonight. Anyone that did it think that chin ups alone are best course? I was doin 5 strict pullups, 5 neutral and 5 chins each set before it originally flared up which is very easy to do on the rings. The strict pullups still make my funny bone hurt when im all the way in the up position but neutral and chins feel fine while doin them, maybe i shouldn't do strict pullups yet?

As long as the pain isn't increasing throughout the session I would do them strict. If that significantly increases the pain and it progressively gets worse then modify the range of motion and work towards a full ROM. As @Poser mentioned the point is to create an inflammatory response which generally doesn't feel very good but you also don't want to create an acute injury. Typically it hurts pretty bad for me for the first 8-10 sets and then kind of plateaus and mellows out a bit. By the end of my 25 sets I'll be pretty dang sore but within an hour my elbows feel great. YMMV
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
326
Location
Palmer, Alaska
From Sportsinjuryclinic.com:
These are simple strap type tennis elbow braces of various kinds which are wrapped around the forearm just below the elbow. Some have additional pressure pads which are meant to sit on the muscle just below the point of pain on the elbow.

They work by compressing the upper forearm and absorbing the forces which are transmitted through the soft tissues to the point of pain on the outside of the elbow. They also change the angle at which the tendon works at the elbow which changes the forces which are applied to the tendon attachment allowing the injured area time to recover.
I use one of these straps, it helps. Really great when I have to use my elbow while working, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do some things. I also wear it at night, as I was getting sick of waking up with an outstretched arm, and it being so stiff and sore I had to use my other arm to slowly bring it back to my body in pain. I try not to wear it all the time as I have read that it would be detrimental to healing in the long term.
 

GotDraw?

WKR
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
1,316
Location
Maryland
Update: one of the 3 bees died in transit lol. Used the 2 remaining on the funny bone and brachioradialis(?)muscle last night and i actually think its helping some. Arm has 100% tattoo coverage so i cant tell if it got red but it did swell a bit, hoping it helped get blood moving around and triggered some kind of anti inflammatory response. Pain in the funny bone when i bend my elbow fully and twist my wrist is way less than before the sting. The only spot that hurts the same is the spot i didn't get to sting. Sounded strange at first and there isnt much recent research besides anecdotal testimony online that i could find, but this has provided more relief than anything else ive tried so far, but i still have some other stuff i need to try

Sounds like others have had worse pain, and for longer than me but I've never experienced this and i hate feeling like all my progress strength training my upper body over the years is going down the drain.. my TENS unit is arriving today and I'll add that into the regiment and see how it goes
Glad to hear the bee stings offer some relief.

Not sure how often you need to do it, suggest you read up on it.

Let us know how it works over time!

Best,

JL
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
1,757
Location
Oregon
Glad to hear the bee stings offer some relief.

Not sure how often you need to do it, suggest you read up on it.

Let us know how it works over time!

Best,

JL
Will do. Got major swellbow goin on from it now lol, its a bit itchy but much less pain. Kinda hard to grab them from the bee boxes since its winter now and they're all huddled up in a pile at the bottom, not great for them to be opening the boxes so I'll just do it occasionally for now. Most people online are recommending doin the pin firing once or twice a week but if i feel fine i might keep doing it daily until its irritated. Cant really use the TENS unit on it until the bee stings are healed so havent tried it yet either
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
4,921
Location
Colorado
As long as the pain isn't increasing throughout the session I would do them strict. If that significantly increases the pain and it progressively gets worse then modify the range of motion and work towards a full ROM. As @Poser mentioned the point is to create an inflammatory response which generally doesn't feel very good but you also don't want to create an acute injury. Typically it hurts pretty bad for me for the first 8-10 sets and then kind of plateaus and mellows out a bit. By the end of my 25 sets I'll be pretty dang sore but within an hour my elbows feel great. YMMV
When doing chin ups or pull ups. Mine elbow doesn’t really hurt. It’s the days after that it is really sore. Dont know if doing stuff helps or just makes it worse.
 

GotDraw?

WKR
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
1,316
Location
Maryland
Will do. Got major swellbow goin on from it now lol, its a bit itchy but much less pain. Kinda hard to grab them from the bee boxes since its winter now and they're all huddled up in a pile at the bottom, not great for them to be opening the boxes so I'll just do it occasionally for now. Most people online are recommending doin the pin firing once or twice a week but if i feel fine i might keep doing it daily until its irritated. Cant really use the TENS unit on it until the bee stings are healed so havent tried it yet either
More is not always better. Take your time with the interval between bee sting treatments.
Give them time to work.

JL
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
661
Location
British Columbia
Ive been taking collagen, vitamin c and d, fish oil and several other supplements for years now. Definitely good stuff. Starting the pin firing regimen tonight. Anyone that did it think that chin ups alone are best course? I was doin 5 strict pullups, 5 neutral and 5 chins each set before it originally flared up which is very easy to do on the rings. The strict pullups still make my funny bone hurt when im all the way in the up position but neutral and chins feel fine while doin them, maybe i shouldn't do strict pullups yet?
I realized I misread this, coffee must not have kicked in yet. I've stuck to chins exclusively for pin firing, everything I've read on the subject (literally no scientific research, just all anecdotal experience) has referenced chins and not pull ups. Mark Rippetoe has a couple videos on the subject that I found informative
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
1,757
Location
Oregon
More is not always better. Take your time with the interval between bee sting treatments.
Give them time to work.

JL
Ive found that to be true as well. Im definitely not planning to do the bee stings often, ive read about some weird cardiac events people have had from doing like 70 stings 3 days in a row which just seems plain dumb anyway lol. In laws have a small farm, we'd be out of bees very quickly this time of year. Wife was not super stoked to sacrifice even the 3 she brought me, the bees are her and her dads project and she works really hard at it.


I realized I misread this, coffee must not have kicked in yet. I've stuck to chins exclusively for pin firing, everything I've read on the subject (literally no scientific research, just all anecdotal experience) has referenced chins and not pull ups. Mark Rippetoe has a couple videos on the subject that I found informative


Thanks for clarifying. I just thought the whole point was to irritate it, and after doing the 10 sets of 3 chins yesterday it doesnt seem to have irritated it any so i was wondering what you guys thought. I will watch his videos. I started reading some crossfit articles and forums but since im not immersed in that world, it started goin into the weeds and i started going cross eyed quickly lol
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
661
Location
British Columbia
Ive found that to be true as well. Im definitely not planning to do the bee stings often, ive read about some weird cardiac events people have had from doing like 70 stings 3 days in a row which just seems plain dumb anyway lol. In laws have a small farm, we'd be out of bees very quickly this time of year. Wife was not super stoked to sacrifice even the 3 she brought me, the bees are her and her dads project and she works really hard at it.





Thanks for clarifying. I just thought the whole point was to irritate it, and after doing the 10 sets of 3 chins yesterday it doesnt seem to have irritated it any so i was wondering what you guys thought. I will watch his videos. I started reading some crossfit articles and forums but since im not immersed in that world, it started goin into the weeds and i started going cross eyed quickly lol
3-5 is a just an estimate of a submaximal working set based on average strength levels but could definitely be adjusted depending on how many chins you could do if going to failure. Sounds like you need a bit more volume, I would give it a couple days and try to do 12-15 sets of 5, see how that goes.
 

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,614
Location
Durango CO
Ive been taking collagen, vitamin c and d, fish oil and several other supplements for years now. Definitely good stuff. Starting the pin firing regimen tonight. Anyone that did it think that chin ups alone are best course? I was doin 5 strict pullups, 5 neutral and 5 chins each set before it originally flared up which is very easy to do on the rings. The strict pullups still make my funny bone hurt when im all the way in the up position but neutral and chins feel fine while doin them, maybe i shouldn't do strict pullups yet?

Yes, you should do this program with full ROM (from a dead hang) chin ups as they stress the bicep and interior elbow more than pullups and that is the goal. You should also do these on a straight bar, not cambered or pegged or on rings because or using a machine because, same reason, this will stress the elbow more.

I believe the program calls for 3x8-10 or as close as you can get to that, 3x a week: MWF with rest and recovery on the other days. In other words. The rest of your program should stick to the basics, definitely avoid power cleans and anything else that is problematic for the elbows.
 
Last edited:

4dcfries

FNG
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
84
Location
ohio
So I have had tendonitis very bad in both my elbows for about 5 months, had injections a couple months ago. They helped for about 2 weeks. Been steadily getting worse ever since. .y orthopedic surgeon says he can detach the tendons and I should be using both arms like before in a couple weeks. I'm afraid of doing surgery too close to hunting season. Anyone had this done?
I suffered as well. I have access to some of the best medical care available and the best advice was to lay off for months..3 to 6. Do not stress the elbows and continue to use aleve daily (takes weeks to build up). Tenex was suggested as well as more evasive surgeries. My go to doc who is in charge of a large corporation medical staff and oversees the employee health…sees this stuff a zillion times. Says rest and mild relaxers…wait it out. Surgery is iffy but resting and letting it recover..priceless.
 

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,614
Location
Durango CO
I suffered as well. I have access to some of the best medical care available and the best advice was to lay off for months..3 to 6. Do not stress the elbows and continue to use aleve daily (takes weeks to build up). Tenex was suggested as well as more evasive surgeries. My go to doc who is in charge of a large corporation medical staff and oversees the employee health…sees this stuff a zillion times. Says rest and mild relaxers…wait it out. Surgery is iffy but resting and letting it recover..priceless.

If it is an ongoing injury -elbows have been inflamed for weeks or months, it’s is unlikely to improve much with regards to stressful activities (it may improve enough not to bother you on day to day tasks). If you let it rest immediately upon injury/inflammation, odds are much better that things will improve.

The thing with overuse injuries is that few people are willing to take this much time off from the activities that cause the overuse, be it training, activities or hobbies. When my elbows were at their worse, even trekking poles use inflamed them. Sitting on the couch for 3-6 months wasn’t an option. Hence the pen firing. Plenty of doctors out there who will perform dry needling treatment which is the same ends.

I’ll also add that a lot of elbow problems start at the wrist. I definitely feel the elbows flare up a bit when Mtn biking in the summer. Wrist wraps and elbow sleeves can help a little bit each. I always wear them when lifting these days.
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
661
Location
British Columbia
Dug up a thread that had some good info as well as an outline of the protocol.

https://startingstrength.com/resour...golfers-elbow-looking-anecdotal-evidence.html

Pin Firing​

Good ol’ pin firing. This method was devised by Rip, and comes from his experience in the horse business. I know nothing about horses, but essentially it was a method by which they introduced more inflammation to an already inflamed tendon, causing the body to heal the original source of inflammation along with it. We apply this concept with the use of chin-ups. Chin-ups have a tendency to really piss off the elbows if they are already inflamed. This approach will vary slightly depending on how many chins you can do, or if you can’t do them at all. The goal is to hit a very high volume of chins in a single session using many sets with very few reps per set. If our theoretical lifter can do a set of 10, he should do 3-4 reps per set, for anywhere from 10 to 15 sets. If one can only a set of 5 reps, do 10 to 15 singles. The goal should be to increase the number of total reps by a little bit each session.

Regardless of how many chins you can do, the concept is the same. It’s important to note: this method is extremely painful – we are actively trying to increase the inflammation. Naturally, it’s going to hurt. By the end of the session, you might be questioning your reason for existing and asking your god why hath he forsaken thee. Keep doing it anyway. After doing this protocol two times per week, after a couple of weeks you’ll find that the pain is either greatly lessened or gone altogether. This was the protocol I used to remedy my elbow tendonitis, and it works extremely well if you can tolerate the pain. For those that either cannot do a single bodyweight chin-up and for those that can do very few chin-ups (less than 5 reps), assisted chin-ups with a band work well here. Adjust the band tension as necessary, but be sure not to add more assistance than you need to get your chin over the bar.

There is a systematic and logical approach to deal with this injury and rehab it effectively. If you are one of those suffering from elbow tendonitis: Fix It Now. Even if it is mild and it’s not preventing you from getting your work done, it will get worse if left unaddressed. If the pain is bad, don’t panic or become dejected. Correct the cause, and start the rehab.The healing process takes time and patience, but it will get better if you apply these principles correctly.
 

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,614
Location
Durango CO
I recommend foam rolling your forearms

Unfortunately, joint inflammation occurs at the cellular level and cannot be dissipated by foam rolling. Foam rolling, similar to massage, can help relax muscles, maybe even help someone to feel better, but it will not/cannot cure inflammation.
 

Latest posts

Featured Video

Stats

Threads
349,038
Messages
3,675,776
Members
79,845
Latest member
bbosor
Top