Tendonitis - Can't play for 2 weeks!

[erikido]

Knowledge is power! I have learned a lot in my life by asking questions.

So in addition to what the doctor said (whose advice I am following), there is also a lot to be learned form others who have experienced the same thing. How long will this be a problem? What did others find helpful to solve the problem? Alternative treatment. Etc.

Note that there is a lot of knowledge on the internet. I've always received excellent advice from others about anything I ask about including construction projects, financial matters, medical issues, or whatever. And the internet is made up of people from all walks of life. This includes doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc.

Many doctors and hospitals will encourage their patients to go to "support groups". This is a group of people who all have the same illness/injury. They help each other. Sometimes they may just talk about dealing with the insurance company or whatever.

And misery enjoys company!

I didn't mean it as a derogatory comment in any way. So I hope you did not take it that way.

Fair enough as to your explanation. But, it sounded like u got some advice from a doctor which you didn't take(don't really remember exactly, but that is the impression I got.). I always cringe when my friends do this

One of my friends was in a bad car accident and had severe back pain. She said no one could even give her a LIGHT massage without pain including my friend the licensed massage therapist(which I proceeded to without causing her any discomfort). After giving her the massage I also gave her several stretches to perform every day in the morning. Had her do them a few times to get it down. So what does she say...OH that does feel good...Then 3 days later she is complaining about the pain again (wants another massage of course). So I ask her if she has been performing the stretches and of course she says no.... She also wondered why pt wasn't helping her out....Gee if you don't do what the person says then you probably won't get better.

It does sound like you are taking the necessary steps though...And one more suggestion. Take anything anyone(myself included) says on here with a grain of salt when it comes to injuries and or illness. Sure get more opinions, but go and ask your doctor about the other opinions and if their are any other possible complications in your case.

I personally never take anyones word on the internet (regarding health issues)until it is validified by a peer reviewed journal or medical proffesional(journals will have more weight because they are unbiased portrayals of information. While medical proffesionals can sometimes portray a biased view)

 

[cuetechasaurus]

I broke one of my fingers a few years ago, and I got this mysterious craving for chicken fingers. Miraculously my finger has healed since then!

 

[arthurbacon]

tendonitis

I too am interested in this thread about billiard sports injuries. I over-practiced my tennis serve 25 years ago and ended up with a severe case of tennis elbow (couldn't even pick up a dictionary). Then recently, enthusiastic about developing a "monster break" I over-did it again (breaking about 100 racks a day) and guess what, duh...the old tennis elbow again. Okay, so now I am practicing off-handed for a while to let things rest...but I am also wondering about that cushioned wrap on Lucasi cues. Is there any point in looking at them? Are they decent cues? I have a beautiful Judd stick but I also believe in "technology" and the fact that Hohmann plays with one inclines me to think that perhaps the vibration dampening effect of the Lucasi rubber wrap might just help. I know, I know... ice and rest, rest and ice...the rest is just nice...wishful thinking. Oh well, say la vee.

 

[TomInFaribo]

Fixed mine

I thought I had tendonitis for the last year and a half. Breaking in 9 ball I believe caused it so I had to go to the soft break. Even then I'd get home at night after the Wed night tourney and my arm throbbed so bad I could hardly sleep. Went to holistic Chiropracter and he fixed it on my first visit. Never a problem since. The Tendon was out of place on the front of my shoulder. Also fixed my dry heel problem.

 

[mantis99]

I was practicing breaking fast the other night and developed wrist/arm pain. It hurts to move my wrist at all.

I went to the doctor today and he said I have "tendonitis" and that this is caused by "overuse" of the tendon.

Then he told me I can't play pool for 2 weeks! (That big meanie! )

Anyone else ever have "tendonitis"?

How long till you could play again?

Things you did to make it better/worse?
(I played all day after I did this and made it worse....)

Tendinitis is an inflammation injury (itis after a word always means that, thus an inflammed tendon), so reducing inflammation should be your first mode of action. Icing (20-30 minutes 3 x daily) the affected area and taking an antiinflammatory such as ibuprofen or aleve will help if your Dr. says it is ok given any other health conditions you may have. Gentle stretching of the affected tendon will also generally be beneficial as long as you do not push into pain. Massaging the muscle belly of the affected tendon will decrease stress to the tendon and enhance blood flow which will also be of benefit. Depending on where your injury is, there are braces that can be worn to help avoid putting undo stress on the tendon with daily activity, but I don't know enough of the injury to tell you anymore about that. Remember that tendons connect muscle to bone, thus overuse of the muscle that the tendon is connected to will aggravate it. In the end, a basic strengthening program will help avoid recurrence of the injury. You can start that with a resistance level that allows you to perform the exercises pain free once the initial acute pain is gone.

Length of healing depends on a number of things with severity of irritation being the main one. A mild tendinitis can decrease significantly in a few days, but bad tendinitis could take months. Since you caught this quickly and have not continually irritated it, your chances of getting rid of it quickly are good. If you give me some more information regarding the level and location of pain, I may be able to help you some more. I work as an orthopedic physical therapist, and work on these type of injuries on a daily basis.

 

[mantis99]

I hope your doctor didn't just send you away with rest. Theres a fair amount that can be done for tendonitis. In the past rest and ice was pretty much the only remedy but current research suggests that eccentric exercise of the injured tendon after accute onset has the greatest effect conservatively, and if that fails a cortisone injection can make good inroads into the problem. If you want it rid of quickly you could go for a cortisone injection now which may well get rid of it instantly, over in the UK a private physio will do it for around £30.00 or $55.00. Theres a bit of information here

http://www.medical-library.org/journals2a/Tendonitis.htm

Sorry I can't be of more help I'm playing on my computer between patients so I'm in a bit of a hurry.
Eccentric exercises are ones where the muscle is lengthening under contraction. Imagine bending your elbow then with your other hand putting a weight in that hand and then slowley straightening your arm lowering the weight down with gravity. The bicep will be working eccentrically while the arm is straightening.

Andy.

p.s. try applying a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory gel to the painful area. In the UK the common one is Ibruprofen.

This is very good advice. The body of evidence for eccentric ex is very strong, and makes up the core of exercises we use in these type of injuries. We need to know more about the injury though to suggest an actual ex for it. Realize also that it should be fairly pain free when you do it.

 

[JMW]

I broke one of my fingers a few years ago, and I got this mysterious craving for chicken fingers. Miraculously my finger has healed since then!

Thank goodness for Viagra! I was getting sick of eating rocky mountain oysters!!!

 

[mantis99]

BB,
Part of your discomfort may simply be DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), which is the effect of micro-damage to muscle fibres under eccentric contraction workloads greater than they are used to coping with. If it is doms, should feel better in a few days.

As an athlete I avoided cortisone and anti-inflams as long term they tend to weaken the tendons and the anti-inflams can be pretty harsh on the liver. Still, they can be a good quick fix sometimes.

For more chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel, regular massage of the area to loosen up the muscle fibres and separate attachments to the nerve can work wonders with some patients.

Also, you could try increasing your intake of glucosamines and chondroitin (sp?). You can do this by eating more meats that contain ground up tendons and ligaments and skins. Probably cheaper than tabs or powders.

Note: In the future, warm up gradually and don't increase the workload too rapidly. Allow the body to adapt.

Good advice overall, but a few small things. Current research suggests that glucosamine has no real benefits for joint injury or injuries of this nature. Also, as long as you have normally functioning kidneys and liver, ibuprofen can be taken at a level of 3200 milligrams per day without harm although you should consult your physician before considering taking it. While avoiding cortisone is not a bad idea, you can have up to three injections in an area per year without creating tendon and ligament damage

 

[mantis99]

I know this is nonsense in general, but I do highly value what Colin says and I have read things which support what he is saying.

Also I have learned about "specific hungers" and that the body will crave certain things as needed. And I find it interesting that I crave shrimp and that what I bought was the tiny shrimp. The kind which sometimes has small pieces of shell mixed in. FYI I have also been craving mashed potatoes. So interesting about the suggestion above and my cravings being related.

I didn't have any luck finding food with the ingredients, but I did find a product which contains both Glucosamine and Chondroitin at the health food store. So I bought that and will give it a try.

You would have a hard time eating enough foods containing glucosamine to reach the levels suggested for tissue and joint health. I have recently reviewed the literature regarding this, and the current body of evidence suggests that there is not a real benefit from these supplements. You never know for sure, and it really can't hurt. It is very applicable to what I do for an occupation, and my wife is a dietitian, so we are constantly looking at these types of things.

 

[mantis99]

I didn't mean it as a derogatory comment in any way. So I hope you did not take it that way.

Fair enough as to your explanation. But, it sounded like u got some advice from a doctor which you didn't take(don't really remember exactly, but that is the impression I got.). I always cringe when my friends do this

One of my friends was in a bad car accident and had severe back pain. She said no one could even give her a LIGHT massage without pain including my friend the licensed massage therapist(which I proceeded to without causing her any discomfort). After giving her the massage I also gave her several stretches to perform every day in the morning. Had her do them a few times to get it down. So what does she say...OH that does feel good...Then 3 days later she is complaining about the pain again (wants another massage of course). So I ask her if she has been performing the stretches and of course she says no.... She also wondered why pt wasn't helping her out....Gee if you don't do what the person says then you probably won't get better.

It does sound like you are taking the necessary steps though...And one more suggestion. Take anything anyone(myself included) says on here with a grain of salt when it comes to injuries and or illness. Sure get more opinions, but go and ask your doctor about the other opinions and if their are any other possible complications in your case.

I personally never take anyones word on the internet (regarding health issues)until it is validified by a peer reviewed journal or medical proffesional(journals will have more weight because they are unbiased portrayals of information. While medical proffesionals can sometimes portray a biased view)

Good post. The reality is that one persons injury could be caused from a very different source, requiring totally different treatments. The best advice is from your medical professionals, although, in this case there is probably more that could be done.

I definitely see this type of injury coming from the neck originally, however, it is by no means always the case, thus I would not jump to the chiro idea real quickly, especially since you have a specific trauma to relate the injury to.

 

[ironman]

I was practicing breaking fast the other night and developed wrist/arm pain. It hurts to move my wrist at all.

I went to the doctor today and he said I have "tendonitis" and that this is caused by "overuse" of the tendon.

Then he told me I can't play pool for 2 weeks! (That big meanie! )

Anyone else ever have "tendonitis"?

How long till you could play again?

Things you did to make it better/worse?
(I played all day after I did this and made it worse....)

i can feel for ya. I am now 60 and have suffered this since I was about 18. It began when I was a pitcher and Quarterback.
The only relief I ever found was the cortisone injection and the Doctor states in another response. I became afrain of so many of those after a while.
I then went Ibprofen, continuous "Light" stretching, then ice and heat.
mine though was different as it was in the elbow or just above.
many laugh at it, but it can take a 90 MPH fast ball down to about 45MPH very easily.
Good luck and I feel your pain!

 

[Black-Balled]

Well.... ...off to the grocery store to buy "ground up tendons and ligaments and skins" Yummmm! Serving suggestions?

Seriously there are "specific hungers" you get when your body needs a specific nutrient. I have been craving a particular low cost frozen "turkey roast". I think they stick the whole turkey in the grinder and grind the whole thing up!

Anyone know of any specific foods (probably frozen) in the U.S. which contain ground up tendons and ligaments?

vietname noodle soup, pho.

Friggin delicious and you can get damn near and part of cow you want in it.

A good amount of lime and the hot sauce (sriracha), a little of the brown sauce+ a few jalapenos. MMmMMMmmm. Yould wont even care tripe ain't no fish.
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/06/140220680/confessions-of-a-sriracha-fanatic