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If it is beside the elbow, and not below the elbow, it sounds like golfers elbow, which is the ulnar nerve being pressed by the tendon. I had the problem in my left elbow from too many decades of swinging a 32oz framing hammer with my off hand. Surgery allowed the nerve to float freely and the problem was solved. Get a good diagnosis from your doc, since we usually work with wood, and not flesh, at least not on purpose . Good luck with it Lance, I have to start 6 months of rehab for the shoulder surgery I had Friday.

Bob

thanks for defining me as young...even though I'm 52...

actually, using a hammer properly is what is required...do NOT extend the thumb out (as that causes carpal tunnel syndrome) rather wrap it around the handle...using a hammer is a whole body thing...not a flail away situation where you're rolling over your wrist, trying to muscle it with your forearm...things should be rigid, yet relaxed...follow through with your swing...and a 21 oz. hammer if fine enough for anything related to simply driving a nail of any type...]

the 21 oz. concept was taught to me by a framer from Seattle...he's watching me use a bear of a 32 oz. and while he admitted I did have good control of it it was a waste...he proceeds to repeatedly set, slam nails above his head on joists to prove his point and taught me some valuable skills on how to most efficiently use a hammer...

as has been repeatedly stated, nice generic ibuprofen of 800 mg. doses is quite good...it sounds like at this point you are perhaps past the point of a cold compress and perhaps a nice hot soaking bath might benefit you?

+1 on the physio, the docs here just send over there anyway.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Yes I drove drywall nails for 25 years or so. I completely nailed the interior of a whole house by myself. That's when I was in pain. I switched to a screw gun and after about six months I could nail again. That business about wrapping your thumb around the handle is true. Sticking it down the handle is not a good idea. Do you guys really think Lance needs a psychotherapist just for a sore elbow?


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My chiropractor has helped my golfer's elbow the most. But that's just me.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Lance, as a long time runner, I've become quite accustomed to heading off the the sports doc place. Two years ago, I had the same pain issue u are talking about. Tennis elbow. Of course, could be something else, that's Why you should go to doc. Mine was caused by guitar scraping. It was awful. And like plantar facititis, nothing you can do but rest it. It's caused by 1000's of micro tears in you muscles. Normally, the number of tears does not overcome your daily healing capability. But when it does ...

Steroids can help. Pressure braces offer relief. But ultimately, it's time. RICE. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Get a pressure brace for tennis elbow. It's got a little air bag in it that when tightened puts pressure in just the right place. Feels quite good. And slow down for a while.

+1 on the Ice
+1 on the Ibuprofen

Oh and nice barn.

Lance,
Of course, like the others say, you should probably see a doctor or therapist. They didn't help me, but it might be wise to make sure you aren't dealing with something that home remedy's might aggravate.

I got a horrible case of tendinitis in both arms, ulnar and tennis elbow and forearms, from extreme overpractice on a steinway with heavy action. Like you, I "played through the pain" and by the time I quit months later the damage was bad.

What finally helped me was using flexbars by theraband. They come in three sizes of resistance, and you can start with the wimpiest while you are still badly injured. The exercise takes less than a minute, and doing it a few times a day really pays off. I continue using them to this day as a preventive, and knock on wood, my several hours a day of guitar practice is giving me no problems.
MIke

Thanks so so much for all the help guys. Both here and in my PM's
It really looks like I need to do two things, first of, lay off the arm for now, and when I see my doc
in a couple of weeks, see what he has to say about it. I fully suspect he will want me to do therapy. Which I will.
What ever it takes to get past this.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Not to hijack the thread but this is the kind of thing I was alluding to in this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=46070

People don't seem to appreciate, or even comprehend, the knowledge that can be passed along. That's why copies won't be what the originals from a 120 year old factory are. Any replies should be to the above thread.

I play a lot of tennis. Early this year I developed bad tennis elbow after I changed rackets. I found this on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2QQaVfeI4U

Made sense to me, so I bought one of the medium flex bars on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Band-Exercise-Equipment-Relieve-Tennis/dp/B00CMMZUHC

The bar exercises started relieving the pain right from the start. I was back to playing tennis with new rackets that didn't hurt me. After three months no more pain.

I have struggled with wrist tendonitis for 5 years now. The thing that helped me the most was ice massage and ice dips. Ice packs just will not do it. You gotta really get in there with some cold. Its counter-intuitive but ice actually helps blood circulation while reducing swelling and inflammation.

To do ice dips fill a sink full of ice water and dunk up to above the elbows and hold for however long you can stand it and repeat every 5 minutes for an hour, every day until the pain goes away. Once you are out of immediate pain start to incorporate ice massage. To do ice massage, fill up a styrofoam cup with water and put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen take it out and cut the styrofoam off the end. Then use the ice block to do specific massage where it hurts.

Diet plays a huge part in the inflammation response. Consider cutting back on inflammatory foods such as sweets, alcohol, bread. Focus on fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. A paleo-diet.

I wasted thousands of dollars on doctors and physical therapists before I found out what works for me. Ice dips, ice massage, a good diet, stretching and yoga, rest when necessary, and always stretch and warm up before doing what might hurt.

I learned all this from "The Tendonitis Expert". Check him out here...
http://www.tendonitisexpert.com/

The thing that most helped me with De Quervain's Tenosynovitis (the type of tendonitis I had in my wrist) after doing the ice and ibuprofin dance for a few weeks was a nice cortisone shot so I could go on training a few days later.

After all the cortisone shots, ibuprofin and stearoid shots, arm braces with little bands put here, there and everywhere, ice, heat, everything you can think of, some dang spendy, laying off playing for a year, I went to the doc and he sent me to the specialist. X-rays, and guess what...nothing in the elbow. HURT so bad that it bumped into everything. Seemed about as big as a toaster. Even built special very short scale guitars with heavy strings and the lowest action you would ever want to see. They helped, but finally the doc said he would operate. He cut into the elbow and scraped out the junk that was causing the tendons to become inflamed. Then they gave me Euflexxa shots, kinda like motor oil that had to be redone every year. Took about 3 months before I could move my elbow, and six months down the line I was playing guitar. Dr. said that the playing even helped. After about a year, it's all good, and like it never happened. I do have to admit that I am careful that I don't overdo it anymore, but I don't overdo anything anymore...

Yes, I've got an idea: Quit messing around fishing for advice here from a bunch of instrument builders and go talk to an orthopedic physician. Then, depending on what the doctor says, go for some physical therapy or some other round of professionally prescribed treatment.

I am an orthopedic surgeon and this thread has been interesting. Actually much of the advice has been quite good. I retired a while back and found many similarities between lutherie and what I did for a living for over 30 years.

I would say the quality of the responses has been considerably better than a typical "how do you adjust a truss rod" thread on the Acoustic Guitar Forum

That said I'll repeat what I said earlier in the thread, go see an Orthopedist and get a diagnosis and treatment for whatever it turns out to be.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Thanks Terence.
I see my doc in a week and I am sure he will refer me to an Orthopedist.

I really do appreciate everybody's concern and advise.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

When tennis elbow hits me, these stretches are magic:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/s ... nnis-elbow
Relief is immediate and all of the pain goes away after a few days of stretching. The elbow brace did nothing for me, but the stretches were just wonderful.

I did the same thing a few years ago Lance. I developed tennis elbow in the first few days of our house building project. I think it was from the recoil of the framing nail gun. For a guy like me with pretty small arms and a desk job a few days with that nailer and my elbow was screaming. But because we were the ones doing the building it wasn't an option to rest. So I bought one of those arm bands and forged ahead. If you absolutely do need to work those things can really help get you through.
In addition to that solution I also agree with the guys who suggest a sports med doc or going straight to physio for the right exercises.
I also think that a few weeks of rest will really take you a long ways if you're able to avoid lifting a hammer for a while.

My left elbow developed tennis elbow only from playing, and I don't play that much. The GP injected cortisone and it eventually got better, but not instantly.