| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| amissive |
Posted - 11/12/2009 : 11:27:16
Tennis Elbow
I'm 37/m and an avid tennis player and I'm looking for anyone who has challenged tennis elbow. I was very successful at overcoming 2 years of constant back pain due to what I thought was tennis, but after learning about Dr. Sarno and TMS I was able to conquer the fear and the pain disappeared. 1 year later I had gradual pain develop in my knee and after weeks of no improvement I abandoned the stretches recommended by a PT and resumed activity...another apparent case of TMS. Both seemed like classic cases of TMS and I have been a firm believer of the diagnosis ever since.
Fast forward a few years and 100's of hours of tennis later and I now have a painful case of tennis elbow. It started out slowly over a few months time, but progressed to the point of where I am now - zero activity for the past 4 weeks and NO improvement. I was playing up to 15 hours of tennis a week this summer and really pushing my body so I am having trouble convincing myself that it is not something physical, but I am also tired of sitting around doing silly stretches while my condition stays the same.
I've done a lot of research online about TE and in most scenarios it claims to take months - years to fully heal, with the threat of doing MAJOR, PERMANENT damage if you continue playing tennis through the pain. Unlike my back and knee, the pain when I played tennis was very extreme. I know I am a good candidate for TMS (have the classic band of pain spots along my lower back/upper buttocks - to the point that it sometimes feels like a charlie horse on both sides of the buttocks), but I am afraid of challenging the pain and causing more damage.
I know that challenging the pain and returning to activity is part of conquering TMS, but I was wondering if there is anyone out there that has stepped back out on the tennis courts, or any other strenuous activity, and played through MAJOR TE pain without long term consequences. I am not afraid of the pain and in fact look forward to challenging it, but I do fear misdiagnosing the injury and doing any damage that could potentially pull me away from the game I love even longer. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
|
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Brian |
Posted - 07/05/2011 : 20:16:24
Ammissive,
How did your elbow pain turn out. I have had tennis elbow for 6 years. I previously had back pain, knee pain and shoulder pain that went away with the TMS approach. The tennis elbow never did. 3 cortisone shots and a surgery later I still have it. The surgeon did say I had a lot of inflammation but I should be good as new. It has been 20 months since my surgery and although the pain is better it is starting to get worse.
Let me know if you resolved it. |
| amissive |
Posted - 11/24/2009 : 13:54:31
Oh, if it were only that easy. Played tennis this past Fri and Sat and the pain was unbelievably bad! I played through the pain, but it's obvious that I still have lots of work to do. I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon (studied under Dr. Sarno) next week so we'll see how it goes. |
| amissive |
Posted - 11/20/2009 : 07:58:05
I read that same article in the NY Times and performed those exercises consistently for a month before giving up. I tried to use time off and those stretches as a gauge for whether or not my symptoms where physical or TMS. Of course the exercises had no affect on me, but the article did seem promising. It would be interesting to know how many of those people that were cured using this exercise had any reoccurring pain.
The pain in my elbow is practically gone now (1 week later) and I am back to playing tennis, but it still tests me on some occasions. I was happy to find an Orthopedic Surgeon on the TMS Wiki site that not only incorporates TMS into his practice (studied under Dr. Sarno) but also has personal experience overcoming tennis elbow. I didn't need to visit him, but just reading his Wiki profile helped solidify my confidence and put me on the road to recovery. |
| poodlelover |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 15:24:21
Oh Amissive do I feel your pain. I was a major tennis player for most of my life and I could eat tennis balls for breakfast. TMS or should I say FM has robbed me of my passion.
Every time I return and I DO I cannot bear the pain. My son is coming from Boston for Thanksgiving and tennis is his world and I had prayed I could play. Fear has definitely won out on this one and I admit it.
I so hope things work out for you.
Poodlelover |
| drziggles |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 10:23:17
While in general I think many of these types of tendinitis, particularly in someone with other TMS issues, is likely a symptom of TMS, there was a very interesting article in the NY Times about a particular type of physical therapy treatment recently found to be remarkably helpful when compared to standard therapy. It's a very small sample size, but easy to do and effective. Might be useful to get you feeling somewhat better and back to your activities...
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/phys-ed-an-easy-fix-for-tennis-elbow/?scp=1&sq=tennis%20elbow&st=cse
Of course, consult with your doctor before making any medical decisions. |
| HilaryN |
Posted - 11/18/2009 : 09:18:23
Good for you amissive.
It must be hard to be surrounded by all those people who are emphasizing the dangers of activity. But it's good that the person closest to you is supportive.
Perhaps you could also print off some stuff from the Internet and stick it up on the club noticeboard... 
e.g. flutterby posted this interesting link on the wiki forum:
http://healthskills.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/safety-behaviours-do-they-maintain-kinesiophobia/
Hilary N |
| amissive |
Posted - 11/16/2009 : 08:50:29
Thanks for all the feedback on this thread. I've been on the fence about challenging the pain over the past few weeks, but reading the stories on this site gave me the confidence to get back on the tennis courts.
I decided to stop all stretches and PT and challenge the pain. I actually played tennis this past Friday night. I decided to play mixed doubles and take it easy for my first time out, but still the pain was very intense. Both my shoulder and elbow were in excruciating pain! Just holding the racket and swinging at air hurt, let alone making contact with the ball, but I was so happy to be out there playing again that I was able to tolerate it for almost 2 hours. The fact that my should hurt so much was an indication that my subconscious was grasping for anything and helped convince me to push harder. For the last 25 minutes I hit singles with a friend and pushed it as hard as I could, hitting the ball with as much pace as possible - something that I would have assumed previously would have caused major damage. Did it hurt? Yes! Did I care - No! I imagined that I needed to push the pain out of my body, and the more I challenged it and purposely hit shots that I knew hurt more, the less it hurt.
By the time I got home the pain had subsided to where it was before playing. It never got worse or more aggravated that night or the following day, so I knew I had made the right choice. The pain Sunday was no different than the previous weeks, but I was determined to exorcise the pain once again. I played tennis for over 2 hours Sunday at full capacity the entire time. The pain was 70% less intense than Friday night. Amazing!
The pain today (Monday) is minimal and I know that I still have some work to do, but I am now confident that the worst is over.
Just an added note - In those two days of tennis out of the 6 people I interacted with and played with 5 of them expressed unsolicited concern for my decision to play through the pain. The only person who did not question my return was my very supportive fiance. I was given print outs on creams and braces from a friend who works the front desk at the tennis club on Friday night (he made online print outs while I played and gave them to me on my way out), another friend actually went out and bought me a neoprene elbow brace to give me on Sunday before playing, another told me "you should never be playing when you feel ANY type of pain." Another suggested I get PRP injections in my elbow as a preventative measure and the last called me a stubborn fool and a glutton for punishment. I only told 2 people why I was challenging the pain (TMS) and both looked at me like I was crazy..."so this is all in your head?" I can easily see why fear keeps most people from accepting TMS and challenging the pain.
|
| mk6283 |
Posted - 11/14/2009 : 19:20:15
I used to experience tennis elbow in high school before I ever knew what it was, let alone what TMS was. I have one of the worst serving forms you will ever see so I just attributed it to that (that's what probably provided the impetus for my brain to attack my elbow at the time). In recent years, I still have the same horrendous form, but never a twinge of pain because I now know that it would only be TMS if it were to ever arise. Why would playing tennis cause inflammation in my elbow!? If it were indeed inflammation, wouldn't my elbow be swollen!? What the hell would cause pain without inflammation!? TMS!!!
Best,
MK |
| forestfortrees |
Posted - 11/14/2009 : 16:16:08
Hi amissive,
It sounds like you've done a lot of reading, but there are a couple of success stories in the wiki's page on elbow pain, in case you missed them.
I've struggled with many of the same concerns that you have because I was diagnosed with Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). RSI is typically associated with computer use, but if you look at the words, it could easily describe Tennis Elbow as well. In other words, the standard medical explanation is that you've put a repetitive strain on your elbow by playing tennis, so you've injured it--so why couldn't Tennis Elbow be called a "Repetitive Strain Injury." Since your concerns are so similar, it might be helpful to read a bunch of RSI success stories.
Anyway, I can totally relate to your concerns about working through the pain. That was a huge concern for me for many years. I read that tendons heal only very slowly and that if you work through the pain, they may never heal, and it really scared me. For me the solution was working through the pain, but I don't want to try to tell you what is right for you.
It sounds like your tennis partner may be making it hard for you to completely accept the TMS diagnosis. One thing that might really help is seeing a doctor. In one of the great TMSHelp threads that Jim D mentioned, Nikki wrote, "Thank you all for your replies. I e-mailed Dr. Sopher and he agreed that I have TMS. Also, I saw Dr. Schecter on Monday and after examining me and talking he also agreed--TMS! Since I never had tennis elbow, even though Sarno writes about it, I needed proof and I got it." Since you are so concerned about having the correct diagnosis and medical damage, perhaps a visit to a TMS doctor might help.
Forest
tmswiki.org |
| amissive |
Posted - 11/13/2009 : 08:02:39
Thanks you Jim for your response. I have read all the posts on this site related to TE, and I really appreciate all the feedback everyone offers. People's willingness to share their stories on this site has been very helpful to me in the past.
My question for you, and anyone else willing to chime in, is that with the other forms of TMS that I have experienced over the years the symptoms subside or come and go once I begin the "work" needed to accept the condition. By the time I get back to challenging the pain physically I am convinced of the diagnosis and conquering it on the tennis court becomes much easier. The difference with TE is that the pain has been steady and unrelenting through the "work" proccess to the point of no physical activity for the past 4 weeks. Did you experience the same thing? And were you only successful at overcoming the pain once you got back to lifting or challenging it physically?
A big part of my fear in misdiagnosing the condition is that my tennis partner experienced the same onset of TE. He started with cort-shots, surgery, then came back only to tear it and requiring surgery a second time. He came back again but after still experiencing pain he just had PRP injections. This has kept him away from the game for almost 2 years now. He doesn't accept the possibility of TMS and when he hears me talking about challenging the pain he warns me of the dire consequences. |
| Jim D. |
Posted - 11/12/2009 : 13:15:56
I have encountered tennis elbow quite a few times. It has been the most difficult TMS pain to overcome (it seems so closely related to physical activity). But I have done so. Without repeating everything I have said on the subject before, I suggest you do a search for "elbow" on this forum. There are many threads, but I recommend these: "Elbow Pain--Again" by me, "Any Weightlifters out there?", "Frustrated with Tennis Elbow!", and "Tennis Elbow" by Brian. There are a lot of ideas in those posts. If you have questions, I'll be glad to share what I have learned.
Jim |
|
|
