tennis elbow

Hi All
I've had a niggling pain in my elbow for around 10 months that reached a critical stage 2 months back when I just couldn't groom anymore. After about 10 (and ongoing) visits to the physio, I am still no better and not able to work without it flaring up bad again. I can only just manage my own 2 poodles but it hurts. I enjoy grooming and want to continue doing it, but I can't if I am in constant pain and doing lasting damage. Has anyone had this problem? I'd be interested in what they did to overcome it.

I assume you're on Glucosamine/Chondroitin, and fish oil. Tammy, doesn't Barb see a chiro every month for her arm? That might be worth a shot to - a chiropractor. The elbow may be a symptom of something in your back/neck?

yes ,after breaking my neck ,i get a few issues with loss of sensation down my arm..shoulder /elbow /hand/fingers

i tried physio....waste of time n money. Chiropractor is the ONLY thing i have found useful.

everyone is different though ,so you have to explore all your options.

Good luck - must be very upsetting for you.

Jan

You poor thing. I had shoulder trouble and had a shoulder reconstruction and in 3 mths was back working again. But I had a really good physio and surgeon and did exactly what they told me to. Have you tried cortozone injections? Must be horrible not to groom. Take care.

I will NEVER go to a chiro again, some of you know why,,
I had tennis elbow years ago, they will give three cortizone shots over a period of time then, i had surgery. That fixed it. Now, it's my other elbow that always hurts. Good luck, I know how annoying it is.

I haven't tried cortizone injections yet. Rather not actually. I'm doing everything that the physio has told me to.
If things don't improve soon, I will try acupuncture. The thing is that I'm going to lose my customers. Most are waiting for me, but that won't last too much longer.

Oh that's really terrible news yapidiyap!! To be up against potentially losing the thing you love most is something we all dread, especially when this job is so physical and I'm sure all of us to some degree or other have some issue physically.

First of all,if your customers value the job you do, they will come back, either that or there's always new customers around the corner in this profession. We're coming into silly season, so don't stress there, that's the last thing you need, more stress. I've recently gone through a stage where I was convinced I had rheumatoid arthritis, it runs in the family strongly, thankfully the tests came back negative and the whole thing just dissapeared but it gave me enough of a fright to understand what you are going through. As Anthony said, glucosomine with chondroitin should be something we all take for our joint health. I have no experience on tennis elbow other than it's something similar to RSI (OOS) and from people who i know have had it, it will flare up from time to time, but aggravating the same area regularly as you do with grooming, will not see it just go away and the problem has to be addressed. I would encourage you to seek further advice and consider surgery or even google it, there's a wealth of information about it. Cortizone will, as far as I know, take away the pain, but not fix the problem, and with any pain medication, it's covering up the pain only for you to work harder on the problem area when your body's trying to tell you the opposite. Chiro's? I'd personally look for an osteopath if ones in your area, they look at the joints AND the bones and try to see the body as a whole rather than separate sections so to speak.

At the end of the day, I don't think this is something that you can fix in a week and the possibility of you losing your clients temporarily and/or your income is something that you seriously have to consider may happen, but the longer you delay it, then so will you delay your road to recovery.

Good luck, keep us in tow.

LOL @ Lorie

for last couple months my elbow been doing same thing. so far have just been wearing tubigrip support. hoping it doesn't get any worse. seems to be handstripping that make it flare up

Wise words Lisa

I suffer from tennis elbow pins and needles, aching, trouble holding anything.
When my son injured the ligament in his leg due to sports we were advised to go to a muscle and tendon manipulator practitioner (trained in England) unreal, my sons leg was okay over the next two days no pain, he was back playing sports that weekend.
My husband use to suffer from frozen shoulders for years until he went for treatment, over time his shoulders improved big time and doesn't have trouble with them anymore.
Majority of sports and ballet people in Brisbane go to him. He pushes the tendons back into place within fifteen minutes, feel so much better after treatment, hurts during the treatment but more like a healing pain (if that makes sense).
Anyway I decided to try it had nothing to lose so tired of the pain, turns out the pain was in my right shoulder and not my elbow. I go to for treatment once every now and then whenever I throw my shoulder out. The muscle in my shoulder has become so much stronger hardly suffer from pins and needles or the aching instead my left shoulder is playing up so whenever it hurts of I trot for treatment. Thank goodness for Syd the muscle and tendon manipulator practitioner!!!!
So many stories I could tell you about this treatment, sure it can wait for another day.
Maybe your shoulder is where the pain is coming from? just a suggestion.
Wishing you well with whatever treatment you choose.

Taichimisty

Thanks Taichimisty, I would be interested in seeing someone like that. It gives me hope. My arm feels stronger with all the exercises that I'm doing and it feels a little better, but not enough to work yet.

Best Wishes Yapidiyap that all is soon well and you are back doing what you love!!

Taichimisty, I know you're new here, but could you ask you muscle guy if he knows others around the country, or if he's part of a particular association that others could look up?

CoatCutter wrote:Taichimisty, I know you're new here, but could you ask you muscle guy if he knows others around the country, or if he's part of a particular association that others could look up?

Don't know if you're allowed to say where he is Taichimisty, but I would like to see him as my right thumb keeps "freezing" and I'm in your area.

When you are back into it make sure you look at your work area and your way of working
A fellow groomer had her physio look at bench height, arm angles etc to mimumise stress.

I am now back at work and am much better. The pain is much more manageable and reduced considerately. I'm looking at all the processes involved from washing and drying (the size of the equipment in my hand and the angles that I use) and clipping and scissoring. Even the vibration of the equipment. I followed the physio's instructions to a T. He says that I will have to maintain the strength in my arm by excercising it a couple of times a week, from now on. Thanks everyone for your advice and good wishes.

I have been doing a wander through the back logs as H&S has become of more interest to me lately. Hey when it hits home - it tends to be more important. I came doen with tennis elbow around two months ago, whilst I know it is not good for you long term. I found a short course of Voltarin did the job in less than a week. I have some Voltarin gel also, and that rubbed on last week immediatley nipped it in the bud before it got bad.

I am nuturing my back at the moment, i know big dogs are an issue, but i find bening over small dogs just as bad.

At a show recently, a few groomers commented how they have all had to have shoulder ops over torn ligaments - how has this gone for others?

Jan

I have found a new product. Pain Away, it is spooky how well it works, also checked it with an animal naturopath and a vet and got the OK to use it on dogs. I know it works for me (sore thumb) so I am sure it will work for them

OOhhh, the sore thumb. That's it for me too! When I wake up it's sort of "locked" but frees up with use. Voltarin is what my doc recommended too. I guess we're about the same wonderful vintage!

Sorry, you named "pain away"". Must try it.

I stopped having birthdays at 37, that was a few years ago though

mutleymanor wrote:OOhhh, the sore thumb. That's it for me too! When I wake up it's sort of "locked" but frees up with use. Voltarin is what my doc recommended too. I guess we're about the same wonderful vintage!

Merryl I have the same thing but with my little finger. Been for tests and it's all good, no arthritis, the doc says 'old age'. Gotta love it.