Medial epicondylitis...help

[JimBob]

I think I'm just in the early stages. Dumbbell curls are the cause, which I have already stopped doing. Any experience with successful treatment?

 

[fifty]

Time heals all wounds. Just back off on curling your wrist that direction with heavy weight. Massage out your forearms...not at the site of irritation though

 

[mooseman109]

Inhad it in both elbows at same time. Backed off workimg them and iced nightly. Right got better in say 4 months. Left was still not right after 6months. Did a steroid shot which was good for a week or two. Still no gains after 9 months. Did dry needling twice a week for 4 weeks and boom, 100%

 

[madman]

I think I'm just in the early stages. Dumbbell curls are the cause, which I have already stopped doing. Any experience with successful treatment?

If anything not only do the tendons/joints/connective tissue take a beating from lifting heavy weights (low rep training) but even when one uses lighter weights with higher reps excessively there is still wear/tear from the repetitive motions.

Rest and avoiding the specific exercises which cause aggravation are critical to ones recovery!

One will find that if you have been weight training long enough theses issues will tend to creep up now and than only to become more common as one ages!

 

[JimBob]

If anything not only do the tendons/joints/connective tissue take a beating from lifting heavy weights (low rep training) but even when one uses lighter weights with higher reps excessively there is still wear/tear from the repetitive motions.

Rest and avoiding the specific exercises which cause aggravation are critical to ones recovery!

One will find that if you have been weight training long enough theses issues will tend to creep up now and than only to become more common as one ages!

So, one avoids the offending exercise until the tendon heals. Then, one returns to the same exercises only to have the same problem recur later? How the hell do guys weight train for years, especially when they get older?

 

[fifty]

My elbows and wrists get destroyed from ez bar curls. Everyone is different so some exercises beat certain people up. You just need to give it some rest or lower intensity work then modify the exercise so it’s comfortable for you. Could just do hammer curls for a while.

There is nothing wrong with your tendon. It’s just probably just irritated.

 

[madman]

So, one avoids the offending exercise until the tendon heals. Then, one returns to the same exercises only to have the same problem recur later? How the hell do guys weight train for years, especially when they get older?

If it is in the early stages you need to back off and let it heal otherwise it will just lead to more serious issues down the road.

I would say even though you stated that it was from the dumbell curls a common cause can be from a muscular imbalance in the forearm extensos/flexor muscles as too many end up having very strong forearm flexor as oppose to extensor.

You may need to incorporate more pronated movements such as reverse wrist and reverse biceps curls to strengthen your forearm extensors.

Once the area heals up of course you can go back into using the same exercises you just have to make sure you that your forearm strength is balanced and you may need to try different grip position/not lifting so heavy and ofcourse not overdoing certain exercises which would impede recovery.

As long as one warms up properly. uses proper form, works on strength imbalances and allows sufficient recovery than you should be able to train smart well into your older years.



One will find that if you have been weight training long enough theses issues will tend to creep up now and than only to become more common as one ages!


This is the price many pay for the iron game.....it is all about training smarter for longevity!

 

[Nashtide]

I had this issue several years ago. It took time to heal. For me, curling with my wrist slightly extended has prevented the problem from coming back. It feels a little strange to slightly extend at the wrist when curling, but it becomes natural quickly.

 

[madman]

I think I'm just in the early stages. Dumbbell curls are the cause, which I have already stopped doing. Any experience with successful treatment?

When you have a chance read over my posts on page 2 from HEALTHMANS older thread.....you will see how important it is to pay attention to tendon pain/issues!

Blood work results after dropping dosage to 110mg from 180mg a week

 

[fifty]

Most guys when they ask about inflammation or injury are asking “how do i fix it while still doing my same training?”. Of course this is the wrong question to ask as the posts above and madmans referred-to-post explain.

 

[JimBob]

I definitely need to incorporate pronated curls, since I don't do any! Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Vince]

How does pull-ups or chin-ups affect your soreness. At times my elbows get very sore and I have to switch from pull ups to chin ups and other times it's just the opposite.

 

[JimBob]

Not sure. Been awhile since I did them. During curls, pain begins when forearm is about 45-degrees from the floor, but goes away by the time they reach 90-degrees.

 

[S1W]

I've been dealing with this lately (golfers elbow - pain on inside of elbow). I went to a chiro that is certified in Active Release and that did seem to help. But regardless of treatment, if you keep hammering it, it will continue to hurt.

Things that piss my elbows off: Chin ups are the worst. Pull ups cause less pain. Neutral grip palms facing each other causes the least pain. Biceps curls can hurt. What Nashtide said above is true - be sure you're not curling your wrists up when doing curling movements.

Wrist wraps for heavy shrugs etc will take a lot of the load off of your wrists, elbows.

Something I plan to change up soon as an experiment is to mix my splits. For example, a lot of people have a "pull" day when they do biceps/back, and a "push" day when they do triceps/chest. A friend suggested mixing them - doing biceps/chest together and triceps/back together. The theory being that you can better max out the individual muscles you're targeting because they're not already tired from previous movements. Also, doing all of your heavy pulling on back/biceps day exacerbates elbow issues...maybe splitting the pulling movements into different days would help that too.

 

[fifty]

I am certified active release and a coach in the ncaa. Your advice is excellent.

Remember chiro/art/massage can reset a person to a healthy state but you still have to improve your training to not get back to that place of irritation or injury.

 

[Vince]

I've been dealing with this lately (golfers elbow - pain on inside of elbow). I went to a chiro that is certified in Active Release and that did seem to help. But regardless of treatment, if you keep hammering it, it will continue to hurt.

Things that piss my elbows off: Chin ups are the worst. Pull ups cause less pain. Neutral grip palms facing each other causes the least pain. Biceps curls can hurt. What Nashtide said above is true - be sure you're not curling your wrists up when doing curling movements.

Wrist wraps for heavy shrugs etc will take a lot of the load off of your wrists, elbows.

Something I plan to change up soon as an experiment is to mix my splits. For example, a lot of people have a "pull" day when they do biceps/back, and a "push" day when they do triceps/chest. A friend suggested mixing them - doing biceps/chest together and triceps/back together. The theory being that you can better max out the individual muscles you're targeting because they're not already tired from previous movements. Also, doing all of your heavy pulling on back/biceps day exacerbates elbow issues...maybe splitting the pulling movements into different days would help that too.

Last summer when I hurt my elbow by going to the driving range every day. I had to stop doing pull-ups for 6 months but whoever reason I was able to work hard on chin-ups. After about 6 months my elbow did heal and I was able to resume both chin-ups and pull ups.