Tendinitis

[Ridiculous]

Two days ago I managed to strain the tendons in my inner elbows while manoeuvring my dumbbells into position. The right one is pretty much completely back to normal now, but the left is still stiff and if I let my arm hang, the forearm rests at about a 5 degree angle instead of straight down like normal. I can straighten it out quite easily and it is only slightly uncomfortable when I do.

It is obviously getting better on its own, as yesterday it was resting at about 10 degrees and was much more uncomfortable when straightened, as well as the elbow area being slightly swollen. The swelling is completely gone now.

So anyway, as it seems to be healing pretty well on its own, I was wondering if stretching it is helpful or harmful to the healing process? Or is it better to try and prevent extra strain on it? There seem to be differing opinions about this out there, and it doesn't seem like a great deal of research has been done into tendon recovery.

Also is there any guideline for how long I should wait until I lift with that arm again, or is it just until it feels normal again? Muscles are good to go once the DOMS has worn off (although I leave it a full 7 days anyway), is it the same for tendons or do they remain weakened for longer?

[starfish]

If it is still bothering you I'd give it some more time.

[TraceElement]

RICE meathod... rest, ice, compression, and elevation. These are all things to help minimize swelling, inflamation and promote healing.
Unless KaraBulut has words of wisdom on this, I would suggest waiting for it to feel back to normal before really moving it around alot. Doing so could cause the tendon to pull away from the muscle.

[Ridiculous]

Originally Posted by TraceElement

RICE meathod... rest, ice, compression, and elevation. These are all things to help minimize swelling, inflamation and promote healing.
Unless KaraBulut has words of wisdom on this, I would suggest waiting for it to feel back to normal before really moving it around alot. Doing so could cause the tendon to pull away from the muscle.

Yeah I did the whole RICE thing initially and the general pain, swelling etc. has gone. Mainly I am concerned about the stiffness, as that is all that really remains. Is the stiffness indicative of remaining injury, or is it just a symptom of me moving it as little as possible for last two days? Some sources say to stretch it (some even saying weight bearing exercises can help) while others say to keep it still.

[KaraBulut]

The thing with tendon and ligament injuries is they tend to be cumulative. They are especially frustrating because many people resume activities when the soreness goes away, only to reinjure it because it hasn't fully healed.

Because this hasn't resolved quickly, you do want to continue to ice it and add an antiflammatory like ibuprofen or naproxyn to help with the inflammation.

If after a few days, the swelling and range of motion haven't returned to normal, you may want to see a physical therapist to get some range of motion and recovery exercises that will help facilitate healing but not overtax your joint.

[Ridiculous]

Well the swelling had gone after the first 36 hours or so, and the pain had ceased yesterday. As of today the stiffness has also gone and I do have full range of motion (I also had full range of motion before today, it just required more of a concious effort to extend). The only thing that remains is a slight discomfort when it is fully extended, which fades if I hold it there for 5-10 seconds or so - the same as for stretching any other limb, although obviously extending your forearm shouldn't require stretching.

Originally Posted by KaraBulut

They are especially frustrating because many people resume activities when the soreness goes away, only to reinjure it because it hasn't fully healed.

Can you give a guideline for how long you should wait after the soreness has gone?

[KaraBulut]

Originally Posted by Ridiculous

Can you give a guideline for how long you should wait after the soreness has gone?

There's not a simple answer to this because it really depends on the extent of the injury. The level of swelling and the loss of range of motion points to this being a more significant injury than just DOMS or a mild sprain. That's something that your doctor or a physical therapist would have to advise you on after taking a look at the injury and evaluating the loss of range of motion that you are experiencing.

Rehab specialists have proposed that these types of connective tissue injuries involving tendons and ligaments are cumulative. Where we used to describe them as being like rubber bands, we're realizing that they're more like strapping tape- having both tissue that can stretch as well as more rigid fibers that aren't as flexible. When you damage the rigid fibers, it can take weeks to completely heal.

The new approach that they have you do the RICE approach for a few days, then resume very light exercise using very low weight with emphasis on range of motion and endurance/strengthening. What they do not advise is that you go back to the exercise that caused the injury or try to resume the level of weight where you were when the injury occurred.

In this case, the best advice that I can give you is to have your doctor take a look at the injury and determine what has happened and decide what the best approach for treatment is.