Golfers Elbow!!!!......hmmmm

[ClockworkOrange]

Anybody else have problems with pain on the inside of their elbow and wrist?

When I ride my bike I am aware that I am riding with my left hand barely holding the handlebars.

Also, trying to undo jars, bottles etc gives a real sharp pain

Think it is two problems, couple of years I had two fractures in my wrist, one was a scaphoid fracture and another near by, yup, came off my bike.

• I get a lot of tenderness in the wrist joint
• What appears to be extremely sensitive nerve pain in upper arm (inside)
• Then tenderness and pain in the bottom part of my elbow

Am waiting to have an xray on my wrist and possibly have a cortisone jab in my elbow............ouch!

Would anybody advise wearing an elbow support?

Sally

[Suzi-Sue]

Could be a bit of Repeatitive Strain Injury. (RSI)
I suffer this in my left elbow and wrist sometimes.
Have broken the wrist twice, and the elbow pain is down to playing guitar and lifting weights

Elbows that are sore can be really uncomfy when riding, and can take a long time to settle. Sometimes my arm can just feel heavy & numb, this is a side effect of RSI. I think some support like a bandage or something would help It's worth a try anyway!

I took a while out from riding & just made an effort not to use the arm to do strenious things for a while (not like opening a jar is normally strenuous lol, but it hurts when you have sore joints!)

Hope you dont have to get an nasty injections and that yor arm get better soon!

[ClockworkOrange]

Thanks for that Suzi-Sue.

I am trying to avoid using my left arm too much and it is helping, had an xray today on my wrist, although I have a feeling it is one of those things I just have to put up with.

There appears to be so much tenderness all along the inside of my upper arm, did you ever get this?

I think I should start bulk buying ice packs, by the time I use one on my neck, lower back, SI joint, wrist and elbow.................

Could be worse, just good to whinge now and again.

Sally

[Suzi-Sue]

I mostly got pain and a general numb/clumsy feeling from around the elbow, down to my hand.

Maybe you have pulled a muscle in your upper arm and it's just making it more painful it's so hard to know.
Unless the x-ray shows up something, it might be a muscle prob

If it is RSI, it can sometimes take a few months of not doing anything to strenious with your arm before most of the ache goes.

I just found that when i had pain in my arm, just to really try and aviod using it to much did help. im glad that seems to be helping you a bit too!

Hope you get it sorted out & dont have to cover everything in ice-packs

[quint41]

Could be tendinitis, too. I did a number on my right elbow a few years ago while cutting down a huge shrub with a chainsaw and hand saw. I hate to tell you, but it took close to a year to heal. The doctor said just rest it (my RIGHT arm when I'm RIGHT handed - sure) and don't do any heavy lifting, pushing, pulling (single mother, groceries, etc. - sure). After about 10 months I had a massage, and told the therapist about it. Would you believe one deep tissue massage w/ icey gel and within a week it was gone?!

Anywho, I got my new bike last Sept., and first ride out the pain started to reappear in that elbow within 5 minutes. Two or three rides, and I had the bike back in the shop. He just raised the stem ever so slightly and tipped the bar a bit, and voila! No more pain!

Now, this may have little to nothing to do with your problem, but you never know. Thought I'd share.

[ClockworkOrange]

The doc had my xray results back and the good news, there is no problem with my wrist, ie osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis.

So the conclusion was if it gets too bad I can have a cortisone injection in both my wrist and elbow...............

Take anti-inflammatories as and when and also suggested an elbow support.

Like others suggested, rest has made a big difference, so, will avoid using as much as possible. Just a bit of nuisance when changing gear!

Shouldn't moan, really nothing compared with so many others.

Thanks for the advice.

Sally

[Running Mommy]

I have had ulnar nerve problems. It starts in my elbow, radiates down my arm and makes my hands pretty much useless. It happened in my first Ironman. Too much time down in the aerobars gripping the extensions too tightly I was told. It was awful! My hands were claws for about 2 months. But it's much better now.

[tbsotr]

I noticed over the past few weeks that both of my thumbs (base joints) have been real sore (no numbness). Today I ordered smaller handlebars since my current bars appear to be too wide. Has anyone dealt with "sore thumbs"? I ride about 130-150 miles a week on a road bike. Currently, I've been taping and taking Advil with some relief, but I'm thinking longterm and want to avoid a chronic problem.

[spokewench]

Thumb Soreness.

I have what you call thumb soreness. I went into the ortho and he told me that it was joint instability. what I call the wrist bone grates on the thumb bone because there is not enough support by tendon/ligaments (can't remember what they said it was, I was diagnosed quite a few years ago).

There is a type of brace (neoprene) that you can wear for this problem. I found that it was really hard to wear on the bike. If I rode with just the brace and no gloves, I got blisters. If I tried a glove, even a large one, it just wouldn't fit right and I got blisters. I did wear it alot in regular life for a while and it helped. If this is your problem, you should try to work with a brace, it might help you and you might be able to make it work. It sure is worth a try.

The only other cure was to have surgery, take a tendon/ligament from another place and put it there where it is needed. It is a really LONG rehab, since the tendon/ligament has to attach itself to the bones! I just couldn't deal with that. They say that the condition will get worse and the arthritis will build till then they have to replace the joint as well.

My choice has been to live with it till the pain gets too bad to deal with. So far, so good.

spoke

[tbsotr]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am familiar with the neoprene thumb braces. The one I have wouldn't really work on a ride either. I almost need to design my own brace to support the area just right. My thumb joints do feel "unstable". Surgery is not an option (last case scenario ...). Here I thought when I increased my mileage, my knees would be the problem. I never thought my "thumbs" would act up.