Tag: tennis elbow

June Letdowns

On By LeraIn Cycling, Life, runningLeave a comment

It’s been a heck of a month, especially since I don’t even have my bike right now. Three weeks ago, I was riding it and the front tire went flat. I had to walk it home about a mile and replace the tube. After I had it repaired, I rode just over a mile and it went flat again. I inspected the tire and saw nothing in it, which I expected since the flat was happening on the rim side. Last time that happened, it was the rim tape that needed to be replaced. I was tired of dealing with the issue, and the brakes needed to be repaired anyway, so I just took it to the local bike shop to let them deal with the issues. They told me it would be 2-3 weeks because they were really busy, which didn’t bother me all that much. Well, I called today (week 3), and they told me it would be a couple more weeks because they were waiting for a tire to come in, because thanks to COVID, there’s a shortage of them now. The guy told me the mechanic left me a message last week, but there’s no messages in my voicemail. I had him check my phone number just to be sure it was correct, and it was, so I don’t know what happened with that. All I know is that I’m going to lose my mind not having a bike for several more weeks, even though it may end up doing my body good.

As anyone who’s been reading this knows, I’ve been having trouble with my hip again, gluteus medius tendonitis to be exact. I took a month off from running and felt pretty good last week, so I tried a run, and I only got 8 minutes in before the pain was worse than it had been in a long time. I fought back tears walking home; I was beyond frustrated. Last week, I asked my past physical therapist about when a cortisone shot would be wise to consider, and he said, “Now.” I thought it over, and ended up scheduling an appointment with the doctor who treated it last time. I got really lucky and got an appointment for yesterday, his only opening until after the Fourth of July holiday. Someone must have cancelled right before I called. I’m so glad I didn’t have to wait three weeks to see him.

The appointment went well. I was 99% sure he was going to suggest a cortisone shot as the next course of treatment based on our discussion last time, and I was right. I know it has the potential to cause problems if done too frequently, but it was only my first one, so I wasn’t too worried about it. The shot was almost painless, which was a pleasant surprise because the size of the needle was huge. It was no worse than a normal injection. The doctor told me that if I didn’t have improvement in a week, he was going to give me a standing order for physical therapy. In the meantime, I’m working on my home program stretches. I wanted to ask my PT some questions today while I was doing occupational therapy for my elbow, but he wasn’t in the clinic this afternoon, so I have to wait until Thursday. I was curious about when it would be safe to start trying to run again, what other things I should be doing at home besides stretching, if adding strengthening to my program again would be helpful and when to do it, and what would happen if I did need to return to the clinic. I’m not sure that it will be necessary to return, but I want to know what kind of things we would be doing there since I can do 80% of it at home. I don’t want to waste his time. I’m getting ahead of myself, and I need to be patient and give the injection time to work. Today is my day off from work, so I won’t really know how it might hold up until later this week, and especially when I start running again. I was told at the doctor’s office that I could run in a few days, but that doesn’t seem safe to me. Maybe I’m just too afraid of hurting myself again, but I want to talk it over with my PT to know for sure. I really trust his judgment and he’s more familiar with my goals.

In other news, this week is going to my last week of occupational therapy. I have almost the same strength and flexibility in my right wrist now as I do in my left. The only deficit I have on my right side is that my strength with my arm extended is low because of the pain it causes at my elbow. At least I have one thing going right for me for a change. My shoulder is still sore at times, but I’m hoping that will eventually go away now that my elbow is improving.

I really hope July is a little more positive for me. I was going to run a 5k, but that’s unrealistic at the moment, so I’m going to a local lavender festival with a friend instead. It’s the same day as the race was supposed to be, so at least I still have something to look forward to. If I can get my bike back, I’ll be all set. I also started looking at a new 5k goal, and I think it won’t be until October, but it will be a Halloween themed race held at an orchard, and runners are allowed to dress up in a costume, so it’ll be fun to think about what to dress as. Given all that’s happening with my hip, I’m not sure trying to race any sooner than October would be wise. I’m going to be training slowly so I don’t have any other issues, fingers crossed!

It’s Working

On By LeraIn LifeLeave a comment

Occupational therapy is starting to improve my tennis elbow. I’m about to wrap up my fourth week going, and my measurements compared to when I first started are better. There’s still quite a large deficit in strength between my left hand and my right hand, so my therapist and I discussed it and I’ll be going for another month. My pain level is about the same as when I started, but we’re trying to improve my endurance so I can work without it hurting so much. My job can be physically stressful depending on the day, so the endurance will help. I find it kind of strange that the strength in my right hand is so much less than in the left because it doesn’t feel like it is. The only difference I notice is that I drop things a lot more than I used to. My therapist gave me a low resistance band to help strengthen and stabilize my shoulder and some special putty to work on my hand and forearm strength. I’m feeling optimistic that in another month, things should be almost back to normal.

Return to the Clinic

On By LeraIn LifeLeave a comment

This week I started occupational therapy for my tennis elbow. I didn’t know it was going to be classified as occupational therapy (I assumed it would be physical therapy), but the name doesn’t really make a difference in treatment. The way my clinic breaks it up is that OT is for hands, elbows, and shoulders, and PT is for everything else and occasionally shoulders. For my insurance benefits, that means my available sessions are 30 visits since it’s classified differently. I figured I was going to have to do self pay therapy again since I already used a bunch of PT visits early this year for my hip, but I got lucky and have a fresh count to go through.

It took some time to get the appointment set up. My doctor’s office was supposed to mail the referral form to the house (and it did finally arrive 9 days later–talk about snail mail). Apparently since my doctor is part of a certain local health system that has their own affiliated rehab clinics, they automatically got an electronic copy of the referral the same day of my appointment, which I didn’t realize was going to happen. That clinic called me a few hours after my appointment to ask if I was having severe pain, if my daily activities were limited, or if I was post-op, and they told me that because of the pandemic, those were the only conditions under which they were accepting patients currently. I was polite when I told them I was planning to go somewhere else, but I was also annoyed because my doctor wouldn’t have referred me for therapy if he didn’t think I’d benefit from it. It was a good thing I wasn’t interested in going to that clinic anyway.

I patiently awaited my mailed referral form all last week until Thursday afternoon. I was supposed to have received a call to set up a follow-up appointment for 3 months from now, and hadn’t yet all week, so I gave the office a call to set one up. While I was already on the phone, I asked the person I was speaking to if she could possibly fax the form to Athletico so I could call and get my evaluation scheduled for the following week. She said she would do it for me, and I left it at that. I called Athletico Friday morning last week to see if the form had arrived, and it still hadn’t, but they let me set up an appointment anyway (with no conditions attached, unlike the other place). The clinic called an hour later to say they finally got the referral and that I was good to go.

Tuesday was my first appointment, and it went well. I’m working with someone new with it being classified as OT (my PT was probably happy to get a break from me for this injury). She’s really nice and I think she’ll be great to work with over the next month or more. A lot of the appointment was an evaluation and discussing my symptoms and activities that I was having difficulty with. My elbow hurts every time I work, to brush my hair/teeth, to pick up a glass of water, and even to clasp my bra. Pretty much any movement that uses my hands to grasp hurts my elbow and forearm muscles, not to mention any twisting motions, like turning a doorknob. My OT took some strength measurements and showed me some exercises to work on at home, and that was the end of the first visit. Today I worked on some new things in the clinic after ultrasound and an ice massage. She also did some stuff to work the muscles around my shoulder because it’s been bothering me off and on since my elbow pain started.

All in all, it was a good first week of therapy. I’m a little sore from working the muscles extra, but it will be worth it in the end. I’m grateful that Athletico was able to see me in the clinic and that they didn’t have any of the stipulations the other place had. Just because my pain isn’t severe and I don’t have activity restrictions, doesn’t mean I don’t need help. I think 4 months of home treatment is plenty of time to give it before seeking additional help. I’ll never go anywhere else for physical/occupational therapy because I know they’re always there for me when I need them.

It’s May?!

On By LeraIn LifeLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Let me just start by saying that I didn’t intend for two months to go by without posting an update. There’s been a lot going on lately and it’s hard to believe that it’s already May. I might break some of it up into separate posts just so this isn’t so long.

First, I finished physical therapy for my hip in early-mid March. It’s still not all the way better, but I reached a point where I wasn’t benefiting much from going. I was able to do a lot of the stuff at home. My PT told me that as long as it wasn’t getting worse, he wasn’t worried about it. In the two months since I’ve been there, it’s stayed about the same. I don’t know what to do about it. The main problem is that it gets very stiff, which makes it painful, but no matter how much I stretch it, I can’t seem to get much relief. It’s letting me run, though, so I’ve just been trying to deal with it the best I can. With the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has been upside down and doctor’s appointments are hard to come by right now for something that isn’t serious. Now that things are setting down a little, I might make an appointment with the orthopedic doctor who was treating it and see what I might be able to do about it. I had hoped the heel lift my PT gave me would have helped more than it is, but so far, not much luck. I’m just trying to focus on being diligent with my stretching several times a day and hope that eventually things loosen up.

Next, my tennis elbow is being extra stubborn. It hurts every day, I can’t straighten my arm all the way sometimes, it’s starting to affect my shoulder, and even simple things like brushing my hair are painful. Worst of all is how it feels if I spend a lot of time on my bike. That’s the final straw; I can’t let it get bad enough to get in the way of my biking. My doctor and I discussed options for helping it, and I was told that I could try an injection if I wanted to or I could try physical therapy. I know that doing steroid injections isn’t always the best answer right away, and it’s not as though the pain is severe, so physical therapy made the most sense, and that’s the way my doctor said he would go if it was him. It figures that I finally finish PT and have to go back. This is starting to become a trend. I don’t have anything set up yet because my appointment was a phone appointment yesterday and my doctor said his office staff would have to mail the forms to my house (not sure why they couldn’t be faxed to the clinic I always go to). I do know from when I was there last and discussing the possibility of having to come in for my elbow that I’ll be working with a different therapist. I think she’s an occupational therapist, so she does more upper extremity things. I follow up with my doctor in three months, and if at that point things are still unchanged, I have to see a specialist. I’m really hoping that physical therapy will help; it’s been four months and I’m ready to be done with it.

Now for some good news: at least my carpal tunnel is feeling a lot better. I’ve been wearing splints on both wrists at night and I feel so much better. I still have problems with numbness and tingling sometimes, but I would say things are 90% better than before. I didn’t realize how little I was sleeping because of the pain, but the splints have been a lifesaver.

Finally, things at work are better. They weren’t immediately; we did finally get a new manager, but one who was morally corrupt. I asked for a transfer after only two weeks of working with her (it was that bad) and everything has been so much smoother since then.

I know this post has been largely focused on my health issues this time, but there’s just too much to cover all at once. This post would have been way too long for anyone to want to read. I do have some other things that I want to share, but they’ll be waiting for another day. I don’t plan to wait so long to write next time.

February Update

On By LeraIn Cycling, Life, running, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A few things have happened since last I wrote, and I thought I’d fill all of you in. First, I had my annual appointment with my primary care doctor (Dr. S is the absolute best) to re-evaluate my asthma, and we decided that I could try to step down on my daily medication. Now, instead of a combination inhaler with a steroid and long acting bronchodilator, I’m trying just a steroid inhaler. I’m actually a little nervous about how it will go because I didn’t do well when I tried that three years ago. I’ve had excellent asthma control for the last few years, though, so it makes sense to see how I do. If worse comes to worse, I just go back to taking the combination inhaler and we try again at some point in the future.

While I was at the doctor, I asked him to look at my elbow, and I was right: it’s tennis elbow. He said he knew almost immediately because my case was so textbook, which never happens with me (usually I have weird issues). He told me to try a brace on it, ice it, stretch, and use ibuprofen as needed, and if that doesn’t seem to help, we can try physical therapy. I also brought up the issue of my hands tingling, and he said it’s bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. He gave me braces to wear at night to keep the nerve from getting compressed. I’m hoping it helps and the problem resolves. It’s really annoying trying to hold a fork or spoon, pen, or crochet with my hands tingling and going numb. Bloodwork was ordered just to make sure it wasn’t a systemic issue, and everything came back normal, so it’s just overuse like everything else. I follow up with Dr. S in three months to make sure everything is on track.

Getting quite the collection of braces going.

In other news, physical therapy for my hip is going well. I’ve had 3 ASTYM treatments so far, and I’m hoping that will resolve the last of my hip woes. My therapist told me he wanted to do it because other nearby areas were starting to get tightness in addition to the gluteus medius: the gluteus minimus, the tensor fasciae latae, and the IT band. I’m glad he discovered that before I start my running program up again. The last thing I need is another problem starting or coming back.

I’m counting down the days until I can start running again: 17 days left! I’m not allowed to run until the last week of February, but I’m going to ask at PT if I can at least do some really short interval runs (30 seconds at a time). If I can’t, that’s okay. I’ll do what I have to for proper healing. I was given the go ahead by my physical therapist to do a 5k in mid-May, so I’m doing the one the local zoo hosts. It raises money for conservation and I get free admission to walk around the zoo afterward, so it’s a really great event. The best part is that I have two friends who want to run it with me! I’m looking forward to it more than words can say. I really hope I can make this one! I plan to run at least 5 races this year, especially the holiday ones. One of the local orchards does a Halloween race, and then there’s the Thanksgiving turkey chase. Other than those two, I’m not sure which ones I want to do yet. There’s a women’s only one in the summer where each runner gets to go down a long flight of stairs individually at the start that sounds cool, and there’s a state border run that I might do, too. I have plenty of time to decide, though, so no rush!

Lastly, work is still ridiculous, but I made it clear I wasn’t able to work so much overtime anymore given all of my new injuries. I think we might actually be getting a manager soon. I was told they were doing interviews today, so I’m hoping someone can take over by next week. I really hope it’s someone who is easy to work with and can work around all of my upcoming appointments and race dates.

Living at PT

On By LeraIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

In my last post, I mentioned that continuing physical therapy would be left up to my PT and I to discuss. Considering my desire to get back to running and considering I still need some help strengthening my muscles and loosening them up, along with my crazy work schedule that doesn’t leave me time to properly rest my affected injuries, we decided to continue on a week by week basis for now. I attended two sessions this week, and I’m honestly not sure what to think about my progress because a new issue started trying to pop up. I don’t have as much pain as I did when I started, but now my IT band is getting tight on the side where I already have the gluteus medius tendinitis and trochanteric bursitis. Given this new development, my PT decided that giving ASTYM a try would be worthwhile. Those of you who have been following along with this blog might remember that I had this done on my Achilles tendon this past summer and it’s what ultimately helped me recover from that surgery. I had my first ASTYM session for my hip/IT band today and I was really dreading it because I remember how much it hurt last time, but to my surprise it wasn’t as painful in that area as it was on my Achilles tendon. The worst part was having to wear shorts, which I hate because I hate my legs. I actually only had one pair from before I lost 70 pounds, and they’re huge on me, but they worked pretty well for ASTYM since my whole leg had to be exposed. I just changed back into my capris when it was time to work on the exercises so I didn’t end up losing my shorts on the floor xD

I left this out last time, but I started to get elbow pain last week that is very persistent and bothers me when I do pretty much anything. Doing some of my own research, I think it’s tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis). I have an appointment with my primary care doctor in a week and a half, so I’m hoping to get a definitive diagnosis so it can start feeling better. I feel like I’m living at my physical therapy clinic. Every time I feel like I can escape, something else happens. I hope I don’t have to attend sessions for my elbow, but I won’t know until I see my doctor. I’ve also been getting tingling in my fingers on both hands, which hurts enough to keep me up at night sometimes, so it’s just a matter of time before that needs treatment, too. Having a physical job is doing me no favors. I feel like the only way I might convince the powers that be to get us a real manager is if I show up with my arm in a sling, which may very well happen considering my shoulder on the same arm is also bothering me (not as much as the elbow, though). Maybe once there’s some outward sign that I can’t do 80% of the work alone, things might speed up. I’m tired of working overtime and being in pain. I want to be able to get back to running. I’m planning to start training again in 5 weeks, which would put my first 5k race the last week of April, or first week of May, but that’s assuming everything stays on track. With the way things have been lately, it’s hard to say. I’m going to work as hard as possible at PT; if I can get back to running, that’s the first step to getting back to tennis, which I really miss!