Tendonitis in my elbow from climbing

[DuSeTwa]

Hi there,

I started climbing about 2 months ago and have been going a solid 2 to 3 times a week. I mostly boulder and only occasionally lead climb.

For the last two weeks the inside of my left elbow has been very sensitive and painful to the touch, but not at all sore when I climb, and recently my right elbow feels the same. I don't feel any limited movement or restricted by the "injury" other than when I knocked my elbow against a door by mistake and it was dreadfully painful.

This might be "golfers elbow" or is it just my joints/tendons strengthening up? I would also really appreciate any advice on how to manage the area and whether there is some exercise or stretch I can do to recover and strengthen the area?

Mostly I am unsure if this warrants a visit to the physio?

P.s. I'm 6'5" and lean

[Chris F]

Yep, sounds like golfer's. Sounds like you have been hitting it all a bit too hard too quickly.

Physio is a good idea if you can find a decent one.

Or google will give you more advice than you will ever need.

[Logic]

https://youtu.be/_iMueqiCsVI

Comprehensive and recommended.

[Michael98]

Obviously everyone has their own way of beating this. This is super common to those new to climbing, warming up is super Nb and some easy probems first are also crucial in your "warm up" period.

The video above is golden and recommended.

I found through my physio (Chris Allan, Cape Town) that my triceps weren't warmed up properly so maybe include that in your warm up, tons of theraband exercises that take little time to complete are available youtube.

Michael

[davidpaul17]

2-3 sets of 8-10 push-ups every climbing day.

[Forket]

Google "hammer exercise for tennis elbow". Warming up properly does also help it from worsening, but doesn't solve the problem.

E

[kps]

2-3 sets of 8-10 push-ups every climbing day.

David Paul, do you do this before climbing as a preventative warm up?

[Thermophage]

Welcome to the club. It comes and goes, sometimes worse, sometimes better.
Various exercises seem to help, but mine has never gone away since it started.

[DeanVDM]

Not sure if it the same injury but I developed a tennis elbow from esp. repetitive pull-ups. But it is important to get a proper diagnosis - I think there are multiple injuries with very similar symptoms. A buddy had similar symptoms and is still trying to get it manageable after several years of therapy and all kinds of medical intervention.

Tried a couple of things and it went away but as soon as I started doing pull-ups on a bar again (esp. in winter training for ice climbing) it came back again. What made it go away was getting one of these Thera-Band rubber/foam resistance training tubes from City Rock (I got the blue - the one with the most resistance).

What sorted it out was 10 or 15 daily reps of this exercise when I feel it coming back I immediately start doing the exercises again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4yT2B9Qhfo

[Jasoneye]

Cortisone.

[BrianG]

Cortisone needs to be used with caution and is not a long-term solution. Ask me, i've just had an cortisone injection for a serious hand issue and it's going to be one of the last according to the specialist.

i had pretty bad lateral epicondylitis (golfers elbow) off and on until before lock-down and did a fair amount of research on it. The advice offered already is pretty spot-on (i.e. Dave MCCleod). Eccentric exercises (using hammer, wine bottle, heavy frying pan, offset dumbbell) are an accepted method of rehab and prevention. I read and spoke to Dr Julian Saunders (http://drjuliansaunders.com/ask-dr-j-is ... revisited/) who writes for Rock & Ice. I found the testing protocol he suggests good and the way he suggests targeting the exact point of pain by adjusting the angle of the elbow during the exercise really helped. You actually actively try to elicit pain during testing and rehab. I tried the rubber bar option suggested and while it's convenient I didn't feel that the loading was intense and consistent enough but it can be carried around easily and used anytime so maybe it's not such a bad option.

I still had niggles until hard lockdown but some serious slothfulness during this period and then a relatively slow, steady restart seemed to sort it out - touch-wood! That's not always an option especially if you are young and amped . As a counterpoint, I know there is a school of thought that suggests you should rather do less easier climbing (with higher mileage) and focus more on harder stuff (with less volume). I can't say one way or the other about this. GOOD LUCK!

[davidpaul17]

2-3 sets of 8-10 push-ups every climbing day.

David Paul, do you do this before climbing as a preventative warm up?

Usually after a day of climbing

[Chris F]

Cortisone needs to be used with caution and is not a long-term solution.

Agree. Not a panacea, and should never be the first course of action.