severe tendonitis

[mred182]

Hi All

Just got into powerball recently, but dont think Ill be breaking any records soon..yet.
I have quite painful tendonitis in my ring finger on my left hand and right hand. Have heard powerball could provide some rehabilation for this condition. Can anyone reccommend which of the exercises on the site to do to help ease my pain e.g. Also think I have golfer's elbow so could anybody reccommend any exercises or which way perhaps would be better to rotate the power ball i.e. clockwise or anticlockwise for this condition, and if rotating it one particular way would not be a good idea as it may worsen the condition.
Look forward to your ideas
cheers

mr ed

[Physioblue]

Just a few questions and I'll get your rehab routine to you.

Ring fingers on both hands - which aspect of your finger is sore, the front (palm) or the back?

The golfers elbow. Is this both elbows or one? And can I assume that the pain is on the inside of the elbow, right over the bony bit?

Sorry, but I just need to be sure.

Chris

[mred182]

Hi Physioblue,

sorry for the late reply. The ring finger that is sore is on both hands and it is the joint connecting the top part of the finger to the lower part of the finger (so taking the fact that there are two joints in this finger, the one that is causing me pain is the uppermost joint)
Also about the golfers elbow, you are right the pain is on the inside of the elbow on the bony bit. Perhaps the pain in my ring/problem finger is somehow connected to this or maybe vice-versa (since they are both inline). Pain also gets worse when I clench my fist especially when I clench the ring finger.
Thanks for the reply, let me know if you need more info and I'll get back to you asap if needed.

cheers
mr ed

[Physioblue]

Yup sounds like a case of golfers elbow there. You are right it is probably linked to the finger problem, but its not that one caused the other. More likely that what caused one is also causing the other.
In terms of direction is doesn't really matter but i suppose you could argue that clockwise in your right hand and anticlockwise in the left may give you an edge, but theres not a lot in it.

Golfers Elbow

The pain is on the inside of the elbow, practically on the bony bit of the joint. There may be some pain down the inside part of the forearm.
If you hold your elbow straight and stretch your wrist and fingers up (towards the back of your hand) it will probably bring on the pain, as will gripping something hard.

If this sounds like your problem do the following:

Start by stretching the arm. Hold your elbow out straight and bend the wrist up (towards the back of your hand). Use your other hand to pull on your fingers and give it a bit more stretch. Hold this for 20 seconds. Repeat.

Powerball at a level that feels comfortable for 5-10 mins. The important thing is to try to generate the mildest of symptoms. Stop as soon as you feel anything. If you get symptoms at 2 mins stop there. If you don't get symptoms at 10 mins, carry on or speed up.
The ideal speed would be one that brings on a mild pain at about 5-10 mins.

You must stop the moment you feel pain.

Repeat the stretches you did before, then cool the elbow for 5 mins, either with ice wrapped in a towel, or just a damp cloth, or anything else you can think of.

Do this once a day only.

You should notice an improvement in 2-3 weeks.

You are encouraging the muscle and tendon to become stronger and this doesn't happen over night, so be patient.


I hope this helps and its the same thing for your fingers so just do the one regime and you should hopefully feel better soon

Chris

[mred182]

Chris,

you're right the pain does start at the bony bit of my elbow and radiates down the side though it is more severe when I curl my wrist rather than bending it back e.g. I can tell you that when using a straight barbell this puts extreme pressure on my wrist and really causes bad pain (bit of a redundant statement lol) in the affacted area however when using one of those bent barbells that allow me to bend my wrist somewhat the pain is somewhat less.
Thanks for the advice, will give your routine a go and keep you posted on any improvements hopefully

cheers
mr ed