Tennis (Elbow) Anyone????

Rest it. Sometimes that's all you can do. Oh and buy a power hammer or press. :thumbup:

I damaged my wrist tendons 3 years ago and they still haven't healed completely. It doesn't hurt too much unless I stress it.
 
B.V. said:
The sad part is (or maybe its good?) is that it didn't get injured from hammering. I hurt it while on vacation somehow...woke up with it hurtin one morning and there you go.
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All the more reason to take Ed Fowler up on his advice!
If it just happened out of the blue without long-term abuse, then you just have a little "glitch" that may be repaired rather easily.
You would suffer absolutely no ill-effect from having a chiropractor take a look, and may actually have a LOT to gain!
Imagine being pain-free.........
 
I read in one of Wayne Goddard's books that he puts a slit down the handle from the head down a few inches, and this helps greatly.
Ed Caffrey learned it from him and uses it as well.

It's more of a prevention method, but might be something to try after you heal.
 
Don't use a hammer too big for the job and "pull your punch", that's how I developed tennis elbow. Use the right size hammer for the job, and find a handle material and grip combo that works for you.
 
Perhaps, as an orthopedic surgeon, I might offer you some helpful advice.

First, much of the advice you have received thus far is actually pretty good - rest, ice (the dixie cup thing works great!) , Aspirin or other anti-inflammatories, and wearing a counterforce brace.

this all assumes, however, that you actually HAVE tennis elbow! I see folks all the time who think they have a certain something wrong, when it fact it is actually something else. So getting a proper diagnosis first is important :D

there is also no doubt that proper hammer technique is better than bad technique....but in your case that is not really the problem, since it happened away from the anvil!

feel free to ask about anything or PM me if you wish

Bill
 
I used to get it from forging years ago.
Now I get it from Hand Rubbing the blade BIG TIME.
Cryoderm, anti inflammatory meds, and rest help.

 
One thing that no one has talked about is learning a new skill. Use the wrong hand to do the task. If you do it long enough you will eventually be able to switch out the side you use. I am very left hand orientated but I am learning to grind and do a lot of my shop work right handed and switch off from side to side. Even giving your dominate side a bit of a break will really help stop the issues and I think will improve your overall technique. I do know that the wrist pain (Tendon from the thumb where it connects to bone) I was having is now TOTALLY gone.
 
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Second on the Uri Hofi technique for hammering. A well thought out and sensible way to avoid undue shock and stress to one's arm. Second as well on the slotted hammer handle, I have heard of this one from a few different sources and is supposed to help the elbow quite a bit, though I have not gotten around to trying it yet.
 
Oh yeah. Going on 9 months I believe. Comes and goes varying in degrees of difficulty to function. On the bad days I pop Motrin and it helps a lot. The really bad days I just can't work at all and relax giving up totally.

STR
 
I see there are a couple doctors and therapists active in this thread. Do you gents have any comments on glucosamine/condroitin or other supplements that are supposed to help keep your joints/tendons healthy? I don't forge but as Mr. Ralph mentioned, hand-rubbing involves a LOT of repetitive shoulder/elbow motion.

In my wannabe-rockstar days, when I played guitar for many hours every single day, I periodically had to take a week off to let my wrists mellow out and stop hurting. Sometimes they still ache and I can "crack" them just by tensing my forearms and flexing my hands. I'm only 38 but I suspect this will get worse as I age; any ideas on keeping the ol' hinges healthy would be greatly appreciated.
 
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