THis is a post I made awhile back.. I think it fits here, so I'll repost it.
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I do understand Tendonitis because it's an ailment that I suffer from. (ok, time to get a little technical) The elbow is a complex intersection of three bones--the humerus in the upper arm and the ulna and radius of the forearm--that enables extension, flexion and rotation and facilitates the function of the hands. The muscles and tendons of the forearm, which insert at the elbow, serve to stabilize the wrist, and when they become inflamed through overuse, repetitive motion or poor form you get pain and limited range of motion (Tendonitis) As for long-lasting pain directly on the back of the elbow joint, that may be an indication of bursitis.
But most ordinary elbow problems stem from overuse. Two of the best-known and most-suffered ailments are lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) and medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow). The tennis type occurs when the extensor muscles in the forearm become inflamed on the outside of the elbow. Similarly, duffers often find that the muscles and tendons that flex their fingers and wrists become aggravated on the inner side of the elbow.
Don't think you can switch to volleyball and be safe. Any sport or activity that requires a strong grip, repeated or forceful movements, a clenched fist, or turning and twisting movements of the forearm muscles can be the culprit, whether you're lifting weights or painting the house.
Elbow injuries are often the result of poor form or repetitive bad habits, like twisting your wrists at the end of a triceps pull-down. In all honesty it's far better to protect your elbows with proper form while doing your main training than to rehab them before or after your workouts.
Your elbows are especially vulnerable if you try to do too much when starting a new exercise program, or if you accelerate the intensity of an existing routine too quickly. One of the most important rules of training is to give your body adequate time to recover between each workout. Not only does this help avoid over training it will help you avoid injury.
One thing to consider...is if your form is poor you could be making a minor injury worse. Be sure you assess your biomechanical factors well: Body alignment, pronation or supination of your feet, or even old injuries that were never properly rehabilitated can be weak links that should be addressed by someone who knows how to correct your form (which can be hard in a lot of gyms, becaue knowledgable people are often hard to find)
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Exercises to strengthen your forearms can be helpful, both to promote recovery and to prevent future problems. As you do the following exercises, pay attention to your form and the position of your wrists. Do three sets of each exercise, working up to 30 reps or muscle exhaustion. If you're injured, start with light weights (two or three pounds), and increase as your strength improves.
1. STANDING ARM CURL Stand holding a dumbbell at your side with your palm facing forward (1a). Bend the elbow and lift the weight to your shoulder (1b). Slowly lower to the starting position. Keep your wrist straight.
2. REVERSE ARM CURL Stand holding a dumbbell at your side with your palm facing backward (2a). Bend the elbow and lift the weight to your shoulder (2b). Slowly lower to the starting position. Again, keep your wrist straight.
3. WRIST CURL Stand holding a dumbbell at your side with your palm facing forward (3a). Flex your wrist forward (3b) and back to the starting position.
4. REVERSE WRIST CURL Stand holding a dumbbell at your side with your palm facing backward (4a). Flex your wrist up as far as it will go (4b) and return to the starting position.
5. ELBOW STRETCH #1 Extend your left arm straight out and parallel to the floor, with the elbow locked and your palm facing down. With your right hand, pull the fingers on your left hand down toward the floor, bending your wrist. (The arm doesn't move.) Hold for 15 to 20 seconds. Switch arms.
6. ELBOW STRETCH #2 Extend your left arm straight out and parallel to the floor, with the elbow locked and your palm facing up. With your right hand, pull your left hand back and the fingers toward the floor. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds. Switch arms.
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Have you ever heard the Term "Rice" in the gym? If so here is what it means...
RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation
A little trick I learned from from AM...You take several dixie cups and fill them with water. Place them in your freezer and allow them to freeze. In the evenings while you're sitting around doing nothing...Take one of those dixie cups that you have in the freezer and use it to massage anything that hurts (Including forearms..elbows..triceps) on your body (with the ice directly against your skin)...As it melts..just peel down the dixie cup exposing more ice...Fairly simple but highly effective..
I HIGHLY recommend ice. And I've grown to be a believer in linament...and not just any linament...Horse linament
1. Proper form and avoid over training
2. Do prehab exercises like I listed above
3. Ice packs 10-20 minutes post workout..
4. Linament (preferably Horse linament) during and after workouts
5. Ice massages with good ol fashionedl frozen dixie cups of water.
These are some things that I can recommend..I'm sure that AM can give you some better insight as to what might work more effectively.
