Need help from some medically learned folk - tennis elbow recovery

[MFAAS]

Hey yall,

Paging guys like @Type-IIx , @PeterBond , @Dr JIM , anyone else with a medical or PT background.

I have had tennis elbow in both elbows for over a year now. It will not recover fully.
- I have tried BPC-157, TB-500, HGH (systemically, not locally)
- I had 2 cortisone shots
- I have done various PT exercises and continued to lift to maintain muscle but haven't been able to progress at all. I have been eating at maintenance or slightly over to try to help healing.
- I have avoided ant lifts that cause the pain to flair up worse.
- I have been wearing elbow braces regularly for a long time now. All day every day basically, they help prevent the pain but again, still not healing.
- I've tried taking like a month off lifting entirely and just rest this shit but it just instantly comes back the second I perform any activity again.
- Lastly I also have used dicolfenac gel on the spots daily and didn't notice any difference.

Unfortunately, it just won't recover fully and it is fucking with my life. I'm seeing an ortho next week for this issue and for carpal tunnel. I'm thinking the doc might need to do surgery on it, where they cut out the damaged part of the tendon then reattach the good tendon to the bone (I watched a few surgery videos, mostly of rotator cuffs though). Afterwards I would plan to run a heavy regimen of peptides (BPC and HGH locally injected) as well as TB-500.

Anyway, obviously this is all not known yet, but I just wanted to ping some of the professionals!

1. Do you have any advice on how to heal this?
2. Any advice on the surgery? Would the doctor do both at once, or one at a time?
3. It seems like it could be risky for a lifter, like will I be at higher risk of reinjury permanently afterwards? Will I ever be able to lift at full capacity/truly push myself again?
4. Any insight around this issue, next steps, it seems like I'm in for a long road. Feedback on my plans above? Honestly anything you can share is truly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your insight and help to anyone who helps.
This has been an awful struggle and I just want to heal and get in with my life and my lifting...

 

[Demondosage]

The difficult part of tendon issues with the elbows is if it’s a partial tear it’s very difficult to tell the severity of it from the MRI. So you end of being in this no man’s land of dealing with an issue that won’t recover but yet isn’t a full detachment, the solution is to pull down and reattach and have the tendon in an environment where it can heal.

I dealt with that bullshit for 2 years before one day I smacked my elbow and it became a full detachment that required surgery. Now, if this is your scenario there are a couple things I can definitely tell you;

A. It’s a long road to recovery, my surgery was over 2 years ago and I’m still not 100%

B. The most important thing you can do for your tendons is to begin the workout with a deep tricep stretch and end it with a stretch (thing dumbbell behind the head in a stretched position for a cpl minutes) because the tendon needs a stretch and time to elongate again.

I had to change my training on pressing Movements to more time under tension with moderate weights rather than heavy weight. The bitch of it is I could do something like an incline hammer strength machine press with a couple plates per side for a set of 50 reps, but let me go up just 30-50 lbs on that movement and it’s like a fucking knife going into my elbow! There is a pain threshold at certain weights, that’s for sure! I take ibuprofen on days I press to keep inflammation in my elbow down, I organize my training around what my elbow is feeling like.

Don’t even waste your time with shit like PRP injections, if the tendon is too far gone you are simply wasting your money on things like that.

Also, find a chiropractor or therapist that can ultrasound your elbow a cpl times a week as this definitely helps move out scar tissue and relieve some of the aggravation. Just my .02 from someone who has been where you are

 

[MFAAS]

The difficult part of tendon issues with the elbows is if it’s a partial tear it’s very difficult to tell the severity of it from the MRI. So you end of being in this no man’s land of dealing with an issue that won’t recover but yet isn’t a full detachment, the solution is to pull down and reattach and have the tendon in an environment where it can heal.

I dealt with that bullshit for 2 years before one day I smacked my elbow and it became a full detachment that required surgery. Now, if this is your scenario there are a couple things I can definitely tell you;

A. It’s a long road to recovery, my surgery was over 2 years ago and I’m still not 100%

B. The most important thing you can do for your tendons is to begin the workout with a deep tricep stretch and end it with a stretch (thing dumbbell behind the head in a stretched position for a cpl minutes) because the tendon needs a stretch and time to elongate again.

I had to change my training on pressing Movements to more time under tension with moderate weights rather than heavy weight. The bitch of it is I could do something like an incline hammer strength machine press with a couple plates per side for a set of 50 reps, but let me go up just 30-50 lbs on that movement and it’s like a fucking knife going into my elbow! There is a pain threshold at certain weights, that’s for sure! I take ibuprofen on days I press to keep inflammation in my elbow down, I organize my training around what my elbow is feeling like.

Don’t even waste your time with shit like PRP injections, if the tendon is too far gone you are simply wasting your money on things like that.

Also, find a chiropractor or therapist that can ultrasound your elbow a cpl times a week as this definitely helps move out scar tissue and relieve some of the aggravation. Just my .02 from someone who has been where you are

Damn man this is super helpful... thank you so much for sharing, seriously.

I definitely wouldn't get PRP, I know that is a waste.

I don't know what your knowledge level is regarding peptides but BPC-157 absolutely does work and it works very well for injuries and post surgery recovery--and for reducing scar tissue.

I will for sure look for someone who can ultrasound the tissue. I have had ultrasound done on muscle tissue before and it is magical.

It sounds like I have a long road ahead. I guess I'll have to see what the doctor says. Like some days it is okay, other days it is just fucking horrible. I don't know what they do to determine if the tissue is damaged or not. I'm anxious to talk to him and see what he thinks (next week).

On one hand if the surgery is going to help make it better and stop the pain so I can live a normal life again, then I guess I would go through with it. If it's going to be 2 more years of pain throughout recovery though then the question is...would it possible get better on its own by then?? Ugh, shitty decision.

I do think the injured area is very small, because the pain is literally EXACTLY right where the tendon connects to the bone. It's only that little spot, but FUCK it hurts bad.

 

[Demondosage]

I had that same pain in that same spot. Tricep pressdowns and skullcrushers aggravated the shit out of it. If I bumped my elbow on something it felt like a knife going into it. That’s right where the distal attachment of your tricep is

 

[BBC3]

Hey yall,

Paging guys like @Type-IIx , @PeterBond , @Dr JIM , anyone else with a medical or PT background.

I have had tennis elbow in both elbows for over a year now. It will not recover fully.
- I have tried BPC-157, TB-500, HGH (systemically, not locally)
- I had 2 cortisone shots
- I have done various PT exercises and continued to lift to maintain muscle but haven't been able to progress at all. I have been eating at maintenance or slightly over to try to help healing.
- I have avoided ant lifts that cause the pain to flair up worse.
- I have been wearing elbow braces regularly for a long time now. All day every day basically, they help prevent the pain but again, still not healing.
- I've tried taking like a month off lifting entirely and just rest this shit but it just instantly comes back the second I perform any activity again.
- Lastly I also have used dicolfenac gel on the spots daily and didn't notice any difference.

Unfortunately, it just won't recover fully and it is fucking with my life. I'm seeing an ortho next week for this issue and for carpal tunnel. I'm thinking the doc might need to do surgery on it, where they cut out the damaged part of the tendon then reattach the good tendon to the bone (I watched a few surgery videos, mostly of rotator cuffs though). Afterwards I would plan to run a heavy regimen of peptides (BPC and HGH locally injected) as well as TB-500.

Anyway, obviously this is all not known yet, but I just wanted to ping some of the professionals!

1. Do you have any advice on how to heal this?
2. Any advice on the surgery? Would the doctor do both at once, or one at a time?
3. It seems like it could be risky for a lifter, like will I be at higher risk of reinjury permanently afterwards? Will I ever be able to lift at full capacity/truly push myself again?
4. Any insight around this issue, next steps, it seems like I'm in for a long road. Feedback on my plans above? Honestly anything you can share is truly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your insight and help to anyone who helps.
This has been an awful struggle and I just want to heal and get in with my life and my lifting...

I'm no doc.. But I do have experience with tennis elbow and I know someone that had a surgery. Its a shitty situation but you have to be sure what you are dealing with. Because "Tennis elbow" and tendon/ligament detachment at the elbow are two different animals /SOMETIMES kinda-sorta.

Firstly, if you have pain just sitting around then you may have the whole gamut going on. So be sure you see a solid ortho with elbow expertise.

"Tennis elbow" can be simple inflammation of the cartilage and cushion at the elbow many times. This one is usually simply aggravated by moving your forearm across the front of your body and simply from the torque created on the outer elbow joint area. That can be settled down with rest and Nsaids often /and sometimes requiring months of rest. That's a best case scenario..

There's another condition that gets called tennis elbow where the tendon comes out of the channel on the back side of the elbow. There one on each side of the elbow and It can happen to either the inner (Golf) or outer (tennis) side of the elbow. This is a terminal bitch when it happens because that tendon/ligament keeps snapping back out of the track every time you bend your arm. It should be noted that most likely lifting heaving and making that sucker bigger is probably a prime reason they pop out from weight lifting. So no its not going back in and re-adhering on its own as long as you are pumped up or bigger that normal. The more the weight you are lifting, the harder the tendon "snaps" across the bone when it rolls out of the slot on the back of your elbow. Last I heard they have to completely re-route the tendon through the forearm muscle and just get it UP & clear of falling back down around the bone and in the channel at all... At least that was my interpretation of the surgical fix explained. It was stated to me that they can't ever (surgically) get that shit to stay back behind the elbow when arm bending with a load again once you pop it out. Maybe I have bad info tho... Keep researching...

I hit my elbow (outer tennis side) on the side of a car hood back when helping a friend with his car when young and thin. That fukker detached from the outer elbow and it haunted me for years first presenting when doing skull crushers once I got strong enough handle 50's on an ezcurl.. That one actually healed a bit with a 25 year hiatus from the gym. Most recently I realized my inner left arm tendon comes way out of the channel on heavy curls and just fires that arm up so bad. Straight bar curls caused it and can't touch em now. Enough weight on the ezCurl bar will even fire it up now. When I finally realized what was going on I could tell that tendon/ligament was cutting its own new path up into the forearm muscle... I don't have any idea what the fuk I was thinking trying to work heavy straight bar on a comeback at 50. I can still go in there and work up to 60lb DBs for biceps with no complaints. You just got to go with DBs for biceps. I like lying CABLE ez-curl also still and get my best pumps from that..

Just straighten your arm and place yer other palm on the inner and outer elbow and see if yours is rolling out or not. I personally think these are intended to roll out of the slot to a small degree. But my left inner elbow feels like a freggin rope popping out over the bone. Seems like they should be able to go in there and polish that elbow up a bit so its not such a rough hop over the edge of that bone, but I really dont know I dont want to even address it with ortho... My body is falling apart so fast I'm afraid they will ban me if I go in there with another age related issue...

And BTW the only thing that could have got that left one of mine is curling too heavy too fast on my comeback. Unfortunately, if that tendon is rolling out over a rough elbow bone, not amount of BJC is going to do it that will take surgery or lighter weight lifted.. While a surgical reroute may get you past daily pain, you probably can't stand on it too hard once its routed through that forearm better. Because, the back of that elbow is also the physical pendulum anchor that forms the foundation for tensioning the arm muscles when lifting for force...

Lastly I DO know a guy who had the inside tendon re-routed for a racquet sport injury and rehabbed fine (6 months) for that purpose. He was in constant pain before he did the surgery. I just suspect the re-route will not be a solution for heavy lifting...

Aging and injuries SUCK... especially the aging part..


View: https://youtu.be/MULMbqQ9LJ8?t=37

 

[MFAAS]

I'm no doc.. But I do have experience with tennis elbow and I know someone that had a surgery. Its a shitty situation but you have to be sure what you are dealing with. Because "Tennis elbow" and tendon/ligament detachment at the elbow are two different animals /SOMETIMES kinda-sorta.

Firstly, if you have pain just sitting around then you may have the whole gamut going on. So be sure you see a solid ortho with elbow expertise.

"Tennis elbow" can be simple inflammation of the cartilage and cushion at the elbow many times. This one is usually simply aggravated by moving your forearm across the front of your body and simply from the torque created on the outer elbow joint area. That can be settled down with rest and Nsaids often /and sometimes requiring months of rest. That's a best case ..


View: https://youtu.be/MULMbqQ9LJ8?t=37

That is for sure what I have. Tennis, not golf elbow. Oral NSAIDs dont seem to help though, but topical diclofenac does. I just can't seem to get it to fully heal regardless of resting for long periods of time...maybe I just haven't been patient enough?

I don't think that it has detached at all at this point, just damaged and flares up especially when things torque the joint in that direction.

Lmao at the star trek reference!! XD

 

[GreenAmine]

I cured my tennis elbow with active release therapy:


View: https://youtu.be/mfYRR1N0MT4


One trick I figured out that's not in the video: Dig around your forearm for a muscle that feels tighter than the rest. Pinch the shit out of it (this will hurt) while moving your wrist up and down. Do this until the pain subsides (usually ~30 seconds). Repeat multiple times daily for a week or 2.

I hope this helps.

 

[MFAAS]

I cured my tennis elbow with active release therapy:


View: https://youtu.be/mfYRR1N0MT4


One trick I figured out that's not in the video: Dig around your forearm for a muscle that feels tighter than the rest. Pinch the shit out of it (this will hurt) while moving your wrist up and down. Do this until the pain subsides (usually ~30 seconds). Repeat multiple times daily for a week or 2.

I hope this helps.

Will for sure give this a try! Thank you very much

 

[Contagius]

Find a chiro that practices art. I also have done shockwave treatments which helped as well. Still live with some discomfort but definitely more manageable.

 

[hghlover]

I cured my tennis elbow with active release therapy:


View: https://youtu.be/mfYRR1N0MT4


One trick I figured out that's not in the video: Dig around your forearm for a muscle that feels tighter than the rest. Pinch the shit out of it (this will hurt) while moving your wrist up and down. Do this until the pain subsides (usually ~30 seconds). Repeat multiple times daily for a week or 2.

I hope this helps.

Find a chiro that practices art. I also have done shockwave treatments which helped as well. Still live with some discomfort but definitely more manageable.

This. ART and shockwave has helped my tennis elbow.

Also HGH and bpc 157