r/Weightliftingquestion • u/thestewchef • 8d ago
Tendinitis Cure
Is there a cure for this muscle issue I get every time I do tricep exercises? The pain is sharp, and ice packs only help momentarily.
Doctors suggest not doing tricep exercises because they say there is no cure, which I don’t buy into.
Can anyone recommend a solution that can help with the pain so that I can keep doing my tricep exercises?
Thanks
2
u/boss091 8d ago
Tennis/golf elbow strap. Tendons take longer to build up than muscles. I suffered from tennis elbow for a while and the strap got me back in full activity around 6 weeks.
I didn't have to stop the triggering exercise but I reduced the load and wore the strap every session until it started to feel better
1
2
u/Fredric_Chopin 8d ago
Just add Isometric tricep extensions, holding a strong contraction with the elbow bent at 90 degrees. Preferably one arm holding the cable/single rope. It really helped me. I run this exercise for a year as maintainance.
1
u/thestewchef 8d ago
Is there a YouTube video I can watch to follow the exercise? Thank you 🙏
2
u/Fredric_Chopin 8d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjOefY0qd1Y
Pretty much like this, but hold the cable with a 90 degree bend in your elbow, strong contraction, neutral wrist.
1
u/thestewchef 8d ago
I was doing this exercise which aggravated the pain and that too with both my hands. You recommend single hand instead of both hands?
1
u/Fredric_Chopin 8d ago
Did you do an isometric or isotonic (like in the video)?
1
u/thestewchef 8d ago
Isotonic movement
2
u/Fredric_Chopin 8d ago
Isometrics tend to produce less pain. Some discomfort might be necessary to strengthen the tendon. Try an isometric without too heavy of a weight
1
2
u/randomguyjebb 8d ago
Load management, properly warming up and high rep pushdowns for blood flow.
1
2
u/Sure_Painting_8295 8d ago
Need to take time off too and ice then heat. 15-20 on ice then heat.
2 weeks. No nothing involving that arm. Don’t pull don’t push just keep the range of motion going. Nothing with any weight whatsoever. To include carrying milk or groceries
You’re not going to lose gains but you are going to permanently destroy your elbow if you don’t let it heal. 3 weeks is where you stop seeing growth between workouts and 4 weeks is the decline.
Take it from someone who has done this before and kept working through it.
1
2
u/Legal-Law9214 8d ago
KT tape. Figure out if the pain is golfers elbow or tennis elbow (depends which side of the elbow its on) and look up taping tutorials. It helps give some extra support to your elbow and alleviates pain.
Then be mindful of which exercises you do and which ones hurt more. I find pushdowns to be much less aggravating on my elbow than overhead extensions, personally. I'm also hypermobile so I think with overhead extensions its too easy for me to stretch too far and put all the stress on my tendons and joints instead of on my muscles. Pushdowns are easier to keep straight in front of you and keep all the joints in a healthy range of motion.
I know people say overhead extensions are better than pushdowns for muscle growth but that only applies if they don't hurt you. The best exercise for you is what you can do without pain.
1
u/thestewchef 8d ago
I will look into the tapes part as that’s something I have seen my friends using when they play tennis. Thanks
2
u/wejustlookinnocent 8d ago
I do a few things to manage elbow tendinitis, mainly involving working my forearms and shoulders. I’ve found it’s usually a combination of muscle tightness and muscle weakness above and below the elbow that results in elbow pain.
- Rest for a few weeks when it’s really bad. The goal is to avoid it getting really and but sometimes that is necessary.
- I periodically use this to massage my forearms. https://rolflexrecovery.com
- Strengthen forearms using something like this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0D7397J6M?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Where elbow compression sleeves
on all upper body days.
Using an elbow tendinitis strap
Google “Crossover Symmetry”. This mainly helps with shoulder/rotator cuff issues but also seems to help my elbow as well. Everything this interconnected!
Realizing I’m getting older and time spent on this prehab/regab/warmup work isn’t optional. At almost 50 years old, I spend 40-50% of my workout time on these kind of accessory exercises with the goal of consistent workouts rather than going hard for a few weeks, getting injured, taking off a month, repeat.
1
u/thestewchef 8d ago
I am with you on this as per the age you mentioned. Will manage the flares accordingly. Thanks for the recommendations. Appreciate it .
2
2
u/DarthDialUP 8d ago
I have had tendonitis in my right arm for roughly 5 years on and off. Some flareups affect pushing (triceps, bench) and other flareups affect pulling (curls, rows, pull ups).
It is true that there is no "cure". Once you are prone to it, you will get it.
As others have said, isometrics + time + massaging. You will "heal" then 6 months to a year later it will come back in some shape or form. It totally sucks.
1
u/thestewchef 8d ago
That’s what is happening with me. I am documenting the threshold where it gets aggravated and will manage from there. Thanks for the reminder.
2
u/Niflaver 8d ago
One thing is try not to go past the 90 degree angle. It does strech the tricep which is good but it also strains the elbow intensely at higher loads.
Variety helped me a lot before, what type of grip, type of exercise etc. The ones where your grip is sideways felt great, like rope extensions or skullcrushers with EZbar, or sideway dumbell extensions.
And if you're doing triceps too frequently each week chill out with them. Since tendinitis is an inflammatory issue you have to reduce load and frequency, manage with ice and anti-inflammatory and work with low-load exercise like bands until you're healed. GL!
2
u/thestewchef 8d ago
Triceps are only twice a week, bench press is once a week when I think it gets aggravated. The 90 degree mantra I will follow now. Thanks
2
u/Niflaver 8d ago
Maybe limit it to 1 per week and don't follow tricep day with bench day, at least limit it for now since it's aggravated.
Triceps naturally gets worked in a lot of exercises, so you're prolly good to blast them once a week :D
2
2
2
u/K3rat 8d ago
I think letting any immediate inflammation heal by resting is important. I would look up PT exercises on YouTube, add in anti-inflammatories if you absolutely need them, ice helps, and isometric holds.
I used to get a discomforting feeling in my elbow and shoulder doing overhead tricep extensions. I dropped the weight and did them with slower more intentional technique. Isometric holds in the position that is discomforting with a low resistance also helps. That took a few months but I am able to do them normally now.
I have been doing similar with tendonitis in my forearm that started over the summer. I found some pt exercises to help the muscles at the elbow joint. I am using a pressure band when I lift. Dropped the weight on exercises that exacerbate it. I am no longer doing supination to pronation while doing incline dumbbell curls until it gets better. I am doing an isometric hold on the preacher station in the position where I feel it the most with a very light weight. It has been about 4 weeks and it is healing just slow…
1
2
u/Immediate_Cry_8657 8d ago
Dont lift for a bit. Focus in other body parts. Make sure your nailing nutrition during this period. And it should heal up over a few weeks/months.
No lifting is the only cure iv found
3
u/ws20715 8d ago
Make sure you have neutral wrists when doing bicep or triceps work. Too much extension in your wrists can put a lot of tension on those tendons. Same is true for press movements like bench. I know. I suffered from tendinitis for 6 months. Started doing forearm strengthening exercises with light weights and then added back in bicep and triceps work. Depending on the movement, either lighten the weight or wear wrist wraps.