tennis elbow

[mferris]

i'm sure many of you have elbow problems as i do ...has anyone had surgery to correct tennis elbow or tendinitis..my arm has bothered me for over a year..i've done the therapy and now they won't give me any cortisone shots!!!!!!! i was wondering what the recovery period was if anyone had any surgery to correct this and was it sucessful......i am considering surgery but not sure...

[Sam]

My right inside elbow started hurting at the end of last year's fishing season (November) and continued to hurt though the winter.

A trainer at my health club told me that when you have pain on the inside of your elbow it is golfer's elbow while any pain on the outside of the elbow is tennis elbow.

Take Aleve; put heat on it one or two times a day; and wear an elbow support to put presure on the area when fishing or if the pain continues during the day; and stretch before fishing.

I also started lifting weights which has helped relieve the pain.

When I went fishing last Thursday I had no problems throwing a baitcaster all day.

My right elbow continues to be sore at times but so far it is doing very well and it feels 100% better.

Check out www.mayoclinic.com/health/golfers-elbow for more information.

If this web address does not work then go to www.mayoclinic.com and search for golfers elbow.  The same is probably true for tennis elbow, too.

Also, try UPMC Sports Medicine, sportsmedicine.upmc.com/injuriesgolferselbowrehab.htm

Good luck.

[frogtog]

I had it so bad I thought I was going to have to quit fishing. My Doc told me to

get 2 twenty pound weights and curel them 100 times every night. I did this and within one month the pain was gone. I still do it every night that I can. Man you ought to see my arms, they look like a tooth pick with great big muscles. Put no more problems.

[mferris]

tahnks sam...i have already done all that stuff last year..my pain is mostly on the outside of the elbow and never goes away..i tried heat..pills to reduce swelling..i guess according to the doctor it's too far gone to heal without surgery.....as for the curls i can't curl 10 lbs without pain!!!!!

[Deb]

Yes, I had "fisherman's or woman's) elbow.  Ended up tearing a tendon from bass fishing.  I put off the surgery for two yrs.  My daughter was seriously ill and I was doing dialysis on her.  Plus I thought surgery would intefere with what little time I had to fish.  The surgery was a complete success!  I did end up in a cast for almost 10 weeks but it was well worth it.  I had the surgery in Dec and was able to fish in the spring.  You can also buy an adjustable band that you wear just below the elbow.  It helps but won't completely take the pain away.  It did let me postpone the surgery.  I advise you to check it out, find a real good ortho.    PS.  Besides being an avid fisherman, I'm a nurse and nurses hate to be the patient!  Let me know if I can answer more questions, Deb.

[mferris]

thanks deb,i've had this for 1 1/2 yrs...according to the doctor i will be limited for 3 or 4 weeks..no cast..as i understand it they are going to clean scar tissue away from the tendons and clean out anything that might be causing problems,i hope i'm not out too long cause my work disability insurance doesn't pay much not to mention fishing season isn't too far away here up north...did they cut the tendon(s) and reattach them,is that why you had the cast....

[Deb]

Yep, they had to cut the tendon, do all that cleaning and fun stuff.  John (my dr) said it was much more of a mess than he imagined.  I did get to go to a removable cast after 6 wks.  I could take it off to shower and do physical therapy.  I also had to stay in the cast because my daughter was in a hospital two hours away for 3 months.  I didn't leave her side so my first follow-up were done by phone.  Thank goodness I'm a nurse and had worked some for my dr so he trusted me.  He also knew I'd do too much if the cast came off.  Hooking up dialysis was fun with a cast but at least I didn't reinjure it.  I need to tell you, I'm completely pain free with no reduction in motion.  I can cast all day with no pain, at least not in my elbow!  Be sure and follow your dr's instructions.  Do NOT use that arm until they tell you to!  It is amazing how little can really screw the surgery up.  Just take it easy with it.  When I came out of the anesthesia, I could tell the pain was so much better already.  I had two incisions, one on the under side about an inch long, the other on top was about 4-5 inches long, battle wounds.  Adds character, right?

[mferris]

thanks for the advice,you went through exactly what i'm afraid of.(i almost cancelled)i'm worried they will find more problems once they get in their and i'll be out acouple months.oh well it's gotta be done and will be all over 2 weeks from today..i'll let you know how i make out!!!!!!hope the stuff with your daughter worked out ok....

[Deb]

Fear of the unknown us USUALLY worse than the actuallity of the real thing.  Try to be positive, if they fix it now, before more serious damage is done, you should have many, many years of painfree fishing!  Along with making everyday life better.  I'll keep you in my prayers.  No, I'm not a fanatic but I do believe in God and I also believe with all my heart that everything happens for a reason.  Thanks for mentioning my daughter.  That said, unfortunately, Nik lost her battle with a rare kidney disease in Nov of 2005.  She was 17 and my baby and only daughter.  She was ready.  She had to be hooked to a dialysis machine 14-16 hrs a day, was on 53 pills a day and in terrible pain the last few months.  We spent 206 days in Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in 2005 before she died.  Believe me, there are many things worse than death.  I try to look at it like this, we knew her days were few, she had been sick since she was 11.  We made every second count.  I didn't take her for granted.  I did my boys when they were growing up.  Not any more.  I knew every day was a gift and I had to appreciate it.  Kids die all the time.  I was just fortunate enough to realize it and life our lives with no regrets!  My ex couldn't handle having a sick child and missed out on some very precious times.  After being married 22yrs, he left.  Nik and I could concentrate on her.  She knew she was fighting a huge battle and she did it with grace and dignity!  Ok, enough!!!!!!! Take wonderful care of yourself!  Me, i'm going fishing!  I'll try to catch one for you!

[Guest avid]

HI Nikswhatchamacallit. I mean mom.

Glad to have a nurse on board.

I had severe tennis elbow.  After two cortisone injections and P/T it was barely improved.  I was hesitant about getting the surgery.  My orthosurg said there is a process called "Ossitron".

Basically it is high powere ultrasound.

The theory is to create inflamation in the blood vessels of the elbow allow the  increased blood flow to heal the area.  I researched it and the reports were mixed.   I decided to try it.

My elbow improved but is still painful.  I wear the forearm brace alot.

The good news is I can fish, the bad news is that it was expensive and the level of improvement did not justify the expense.  (My insurance would not cover the procedure)

So, if it's at the point where you must take it to the next level.

Listen to the good nurse and get the surgery.

good luck and let us know how it turns out.

avid

[mferris]

you're going fishing and i'm moving snow around to get it to melt faster...what's wrong with this picture!!!!! sounds like you've been through alot but have things in perspective....thanks for the prayer and hope you had a good day fishing....my doctor mentioned the ultra sound but didn't believe it would work.....surgery is on the 12th..i'll put up a post when it's done(if i have it)!!!!!!!!!

[Deb]

Ok, I hope you moved more snow than I caught fish!  Never even got to make my first cast.  T motor linkage cable broke.  I'll post the pics later and full story.  We ended up crappie fishing from the bank.  All in all, not a bad day.  We were on the water and still got to fish a little, very little.  Don't cancel that surgery!  Is it the first surgery you've had?

[mferris]

bummer on the t motor cable..at least you got some fishing in...i've had surgery before,i not as concerned about the surgery as i am the expense of being out of work so long and going crazy not being able to do anything for 2 mos or more....i'll have the operation and just see what happens i guess......maybe it won't be severe and i'll only be out a month......

[bighed]

Sounds like you are getting some really good advise here.  It's interesting reading for me .  I had a bout of pain in my casting arm starting on the outside of my elbow and extending down the top of my forearm. I could curl anything but could lift nothing with my palm down without a lot of pain.  After seven or eight months of putting off seeing a doctor and living with the pain it went away on it's own.  I'm still fishing a few times a week and turning wrenches at work like usual.  I'm wondering when it will be back.  big

[Deb]

Chances are it will return.  May not be for a while but could be tomorrow.  If it does, put one of the braces on and wear it EVERY day.  You can sleep without it but it helped the pain in mine even while sleeping.

[jigfisherman]

I also had what they said was tennis elbow until a MRI showed a torn tendon, had surgery on right elbow Dec. 1st and now the left feels just like the right did. Surgery did help the right one so I figure the left will be soon

[mferris]

jigfisherman..how long was your recovery period.....

[jigfisherman]

My recovery was 8 weeks or thats when he let me go back to work due to waht I do. They told me I would be off 6-8 weeks. I had a guy I work with who had it done under workmans comp and he was back to work the week after on light duty and he tore his again. I thought I had done that also because I have 2 kids 3yrs old and 9 months old the doc said don't lift anything heavier than a coffee cup for 4 wks and I ask how I was going to that if one of my kids were cryin, one day I pick up the youngest and felt the worst pain in my life, so after that watch what I did.

[Deb]

Hey, mferris, how's the wait for the surgery?  haven't cancelled it have you?

[mferris]

thanks jigfisherman..looks like no fishing until june.....niks fishinmom....no i haven't canceeled it.surgery is on thursday although i did wake up this morning with vertigo...doctor gave me some pills to help with feeling nausus but nothing else so i hope they don't cancel the surgery .....

[BuzzMan]

I had the surgery also a few years ago.  After 4 shots the doc had to go in.  As soon as I woke up from the surgery I knew it was better!!  Take your time and don't push the rehab or June will be farther then you think.

Good Luck.