About 12 years ago we built a new home. My husband and I did much of the actual work on it. I spent months doing some pretty heavy work especially with my right hand. I needed to use heavy drills, nail guns, saws, paint sprayers, staplers, trowels, caulking guns etc. It was a long and tiring project but I held up well though the whole thing.
The last project was to put thin brick all around the fireplace and hearth. It required using a caulking gun with liquid nails. About halfway through this last project my arm started hurting. By the time I finished I was in a lot of pain and could barely use my arm. The pain started in my forearm and spread up to my elbow. It was so painful that I had a hard time sleeping at night. I hoped that it would get better on its own but after a few weeks of pain I decided to go to the doctor.
Tennis Elbow
It wasn’t super helpful. The doctor told me it was tendonitis, or tennis elbow and that the best thing for it was to just let it rest and it would eventually get better. So that’s what I did, and it took a very long time. It was months before I could lift a jug of milk. Eventually the pain subsided and I went on with things. But apparently once you get it you are more susceptible to getting it again.
A few years later I did a lot of crocheting making baby blankets. Partway through the project the pain flared up again and my arm was useless. A friend of mine had had the same problem and she shared some exercises with me that really made a difference for me.
Stretches
Start by massaging your arm to get the blood into that area.
- Straighten your arm and bend your hand up as far as possible.
- Use your other hand to apply a little pressure.
- Hold for a count of 5.
- Curl your hand into a fist and bend it down as far as possible.
- Use your other hand to apply a little pressure.
- Hold for a count of 5.
- Repeat these stretches 5 times.
Massages
- Find the tendon that is painful and with your other hand apply pressure in line with the tendon.
- Using very small movements massage the tendon going back and forth across it. For me the easiest way is to hold the tendon with your free hand and then twist your wrist back and forth. It will be a little sore as you do this
Usually there will be pain right on the knobby tip of your elbow. You can do the same kind of massages there.
- Find the spot that is sore and using very small movements massage crosswise of the tendon.
I have now had this happen to me three or four times. Just recently I was using a paint sprayer in my daughter’s house and after 2 days of spraying my elbow flared up again. I’ve been really grateful to have these exercises and massages. They have helped relieve the pain so I could get back to my regular activities.
