In aus.bicycle on Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:43:51 +0900
DeF said:Quoted message said:
Try exercises -get a stick or umbrella, grasp it in the middle, and
rotate it, turning your fist as far clockwise then anti as you can.
50 of them with the arm extended, 50 with your elbow resting on
something.
Ice the affected area afterwards.
Try a tennis elbow strap when riding.
Thanks Zebee - I'll give it a go.
You also need to do stretching - hold arm with palm up, then push the
straight fingers of that hand down with your other hand.
Another useful exercise uses a rubber band or other stretchy object.
Physios have a bit of latexlike stuff, chemists may have them.
Sit down, fit it the stretchy thing under your foot, tie a knot in the
free end so you don't grab it, you fit the knot between your fingers.
Brace your forearm on your knee palm up.
adjust the length of the stretchy thing so that your hand has to reach
down a fair way to grab it.
Reach down with *other* hand, pull knot up so that it is above the
hand of the bad arm, transfer knot to fingers of bad arm. At this
point that hand is curled up, with stretchy thing between the fingers.
Slowly lower hand to full extension.
Repeat.
The idea is that the lowering motion flexes the forearm in a different
way to raising. YOu want to lower against resistance but not raise
against resistance, hence the other hand doing the lifting.
3 sets of 20 of these.
If the rotation exercise feels easy, then increase the weight of the
rod/umbrella or hold it closer to one end. You want your forearm to
notice the work!
With the tennis elbow strap, fit it in the same way recommended for
tennis elbow - around the forearm, on the main swell of the muscle,
tight enough that when the forearm flexes you can feel the strap
constricting it, not so tight that your arm falls off...
The strap is to stop your muscle putting too much pull on the elbow
tendons.
Do the exercises morning and evening and ice after them, do the hand
stretch several times a day. Wear the strap all day except when doing
the exercises.
From not being able to grip things or move my arm without pain, those
plus a couple of sessions of ultrasound fixed my elbow in about 5
weeks.
Do, however, go see a physio. If it isn't golfer's elbow you may need
to do different things. For example, it might be nerve irritation.
Zebee
