Tennis Elbow Classroom

Mothers and fathers get this thumb injury from picking up their babies... Gamers from their controllers... Cell phone users from too much texting – Percussionists, golfers and anglers, too! You might think it's just a SIMPLE case of Tendonitis but it's actually a slightly more complicated tendon syndrome known as a 'Tenosynovitis.' It's often commonly referred to as Mommy Thumb, Mother's Wrist, Texter's Thumb, Gamer's Thumb and Smartphone Thumb. Learn all about De Quervain's Tenosynovitis in this podcast episode by Allen Willette from Tennis Elbow Classroom, including: The symptoms of this painful thumb condition. The causes and nature of De Quervain's. And what's really going on in the tendons and why it's important to understand it. We go deeper than your typical conventional medical view which tends to be overly focused on suppression symptoms rather than dealing with the underlying causes.

Is there a link between certain antibiotics (and other drugs) and tendon disorders like Tennis Elbow, Golfer’s Elbow, Rotator Cuff injuries (and other tendon issues) – And even tendon ruptures? Yes, there’s a class of antibiotics called ‘Fluoroquinolones’ that have been know for decades to cause various forms of tendon damage – (Cipro being the most well-known and commonly prescribed.) “As of July 2008, the FDA mandated that all FQ products have a black-box warning indicating an increased risk in adverse events including tendon rupture.” And in this episode, Allen Willette, from Tennis Elbow Classroom goes into detail about these antibiotic-induced tendon injuries, including: Which specific antibiotics have a risk of tendon damage How these drugs can damage your tendons (and even joints) How these injuries differ from "typical" tendon injuries And thoughts on how one might recover from these injuries For the full article accompanying this episode, including citation / links to the medical references, visit: https://tenniselbowclassroom.com/causes/antibiotics-tendon-damage/

If you have Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow and you find out you have a tear in your tendon – Is it possible to recover without surgery? And are there any less-invasive alternatives to full, open surgery if, in fact, you do need some medical intervention? In this podcast episode, Allen Willette, from Tennis Elbow Classroom answers these and other questions related to tendons tears – Specifically related to these particular elbow injuries. How tears diagnosed in the first place – The different types of tears The prospect of healing different degrees of severity and what they probably require. The less-invasive alternatives to surgery, including ProloTherapy, PRP and Stem Cell Therapy. As well as two “lessor” surgical procedures, Tenex and TenJet that can be performed rapidly under local anesthesia. For the full article, visit: https://tenniselbowclassroom.com/treatments/healing-tendon-tears/

When should you consider getting an MRI if you have a Golfer’s or Tennis Elbow injury? Allen Willette from Tennis Elbow Classroom answers this question in this podcast episode. Which also covers several key, related questions including: Do I need an MRI to diagnose my Tennis or Golfer's Elbow? When is the right time to get an MRI scan – If at all!? What will the MRI tell me – and what do the results actually mean? And are there any good alternatives? Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI for short) is considered the “gold standard” when it comes to imaging or “seeing” what’s wrong with soft tissues.If there are any significant defects in your tendons the MRI will reveal these in the greatest detail currently available in medicine. This is the best objective measure (although not the only measure) you can get of how severe the damage to your tendons may be.(Tendon damage being the essence of what Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow are.) But there are several things to take into consideration about if and when you really need to go to the significant trouble involved in getting an MRI. Link to the accompanying article, with links to articles referenced in the episode: https://tenniselbowclassroom.com/what-is-te/mri/

Why is it that casting, reeling and other fishing motions can sometimes end up causing a lot of inner or outer elbow pain – and sometimes even debilitating tendon injuries? In this episode Allen Willette, of Tennis Elbow Classroom, explains the underlying causes as well as how to treat these frustrating fishing-related elbow injuries. Including how to avoid the common mistakes that can impede your recovery and prolong your misery. "The pain sometimes begins with a whisper, like the gentle 'swish' of fly line through the misty, morning air…" "You start to notice a minor ache or little pinch at your elbow as you cast or reel, especially when you've hooked a feisty bass or rainbow…" "And your arm may feel heavy and tired at night after a long day on the water, perhaps with a dull, burning throb at your inner or outer elbow." "Is it anything to worry about? – Or just a minor nuisance? – Another sign you're getting older, perhaps?" "Or is this something more?"

One of the worst things about Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow is that it can sometimes hurt so much at night that it keeps you from sleeping. If you're among the UNfortunates who struggle with this dilemma, you end up facing the “double jeopardy curse”... Of not only suffering with the searing pain of Tennis or Golfer's Elbow during the day while trying to work or enjoy a game of tennis or golf… But also having your desperately-needed sleep and recovery time constantly sabotaged by the incessant pain at night. But even if your sleep isn't disrupted by pain, you may still be wondering why your elbow hurts so much first thing in the morning. In this episode, Allen Willette covers these questions, as well as: What's the best position to sleep in when you have Golfer's or Tennis Elbow? Are there topical preparations or other treatments that can help relieve your pain and help you sleep through the night? And should you wear a brace in bed at night around your wrist or elbow – or is it better not to?

For all you injured and hurting musicians – Especially pianists / keyboard players. In this episode I interview my first guest, Pianist Andrew Furmanczyk, a piano and music educator, who's been teaching piano 15+ years both online and off. He's also been on an incredible 14-year journey battling a Golfer's Elbow injury related to playing the piano. Andrew joins me to share his story, ponder the dilemma of injured piano players, in general, and to offer some suggestions to any musicians who are injured, in pain or who are looking for injury prevention tips.

As a piano or keyboard player is there anything worse than being injured and in pain - Especially if you're a professional musician? Painful injuries, like Tendinitis, DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Even Golfer's and Tennis Elbow are the curse of so many pianists (and other musicians.) So, whether you're just starting to notice symptoms, like stiffness, tension and pain - (that may still resolve with rest) OR you already have a full-blown injury that doesn't seem to respond to anything, at this point… This episode is dedicated to helping you better understand these incredibly frustrating injuries – and find the right treatment path. We're going to cover: The truth about "Tendonitis" and inflammation; The myth of Total Rest” The missing link in piano RSI treatment; And the standard treatment approach - compared to what I believe is a much better strategy

Should you wear a brace to treat your Tennis Elbow? Although it may be recommended by your Doctor, there are several key reasons why a support, brace or splint may NOT be a sensible treatment for Tennis Elbow after all. (Unless pain relief in the short term is a higher priority for you than healing and recovery in the long term.) Yes, like so much of the "common wisdom" around Tennis and Golfer's Elbow - it's counter-intuitive!

Should you use ice therapy to treat your Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow like your Doctor, Trainer, Physical, Therapist (and your friends) tell you to? Actually, no! – "But what about the inflammation?… All the medical websites and authorities say I should ice my elbow to reduce inflammation, because it's Tendonitis! Could they all be wrong?" Hint: Inflammation isn't the problem. It's not actually your enemy and probably not even the cause of your pain.