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Strained Elbows - WTF??

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,720
2,706
Pōneke
So tonight on my regular Tuesday night ride we hit the BMX track and the DJs, but within 15 minutes of starting riding I have a serious pain in both my elbows. It's like a real ache in the muscles that run through and around the joints and it hurts like f*ck! I stop riding and stretch out a bit but still it persists.

We load up and hit downtown for some street, I'm hoping that a few miuntes of rest will help, and it does a tiny bit, but after a minute riding a couple of skinnys and a loading bay its back again, worse than before. By now I'm kinda freaked out, I'm a pretty healthy, flexible guy and have never really experienced joint pain like this. After a few more minutes and a couple of attempts at a hop up onto a rail which would normally be a piece of piss I'm in near agony. I call it a night and head home.

I'm now throwing back a few beers and after poking around a bit I've found two or three of the major muscles in my forearms are tight as ****. I've been exercising my arms quite a bit recently, in the last three days I've done some heavy lifting, played squash, and (and this is what I'm hoping the issue stems from) done some drunken arm wrestling at a Xmas party, but I've really felt OK after all of these. The pain is nearly gone now, but I can feel 'the damage' is still there, especially if I flex.

Anyone else ever have this sort of overuse issue? How long did it take to get better? I'm going to have a few days of rest, but I can't be too long away from the bike, but on the other hand I know abusing an existing injury is retarded.
 

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
Changleen said:
I've been exercising my arms quite a bit recently, in the last three days I've done some heavy lifting, played squash, and (and this is what I'm hoping the issue stems from) done some drunken arm wrestling at a Xmas party, but I've really felt OK after all of these.
I had pretty much the same thing on tour with the band once. Playing drums 2 hours a night, drunken arm wrestling and loading heavy gear. You get this super tight pain deep in the back of the elbows. I think it's like "tennis elbow".

Ibuprofen and rest dude. Give your arms a break.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,720
2,706
Pōneke
I guess no self pleasure for me tonight then... Glad you've felt the same sort of thing and I'm not dying of elbow cancer. Cheers Dude.
 

OrthoPT

Monkey
Nov 17, 2004
721
0
Denver
you can use ice packs to slow down the inflammatory process and dull the pain. 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, re-apply is the pain is still there after the 20 minute rest period. If you're using an actual ice bag, put a towel between it and your skin to protect your skin cells. Good luck.
 

DNA

The human raccoon
Jan 31, 2003
1,443
0
NH
It sounds like tennis elbow (I have been dealing with that crap for 6 months now and it still isn't fixed). From what I understand (and this could be wrong) it is an inflammation of scar tissue around the point where the wrist extensor muscles attach. So really, it is the muscles that bend and lift in your wrist but attach back at your elbow. Aspirin seemed to work better for me than ibuprofen or Aleve. I have been doing the physical therapy route to try to fix it. I have had one cortisone shot (so I could go to a race) and that totally got rid of the pain for about 3 weeks, but it wasn't a long term fix.

From my limited (and totally non-professional) experience, I would rest it for a week or two and then go to the doctor if it persisits. Hope that helps.