Left elbow is giving me gyp. Any time I lift anything (incl front of bike) get stabbing pain around the joint. Started when I was doing loads of riding before Xmas. Question then is a) is this common, b) is it a result of bad technique (think I already know the answer to that 😉 ) and c) what can be done (other than not ride, not really an option) to cure it now and prevent it happening in the future? (And before anyone asks, I’m right-handed, so it’s nothing to do with that…)

Cortisone injection at Doc’s. Takes a few weeks to really take effect, but it works.

depends how bad it is i think. cortisone is the recommended course – a friend who is a GP suggested i just take this route immediately as it saves a bit of pain short term, but in my case i was just a bit more careful about how i lifted things up at work, picked up my bag, and made a concious effort not to try to crush the bars with my fist when climbing, and it seems to have cleared up.
have a google around for methods of lifting stuff that won’t aggravate it.
i have been single a while mind, and it is my right arm…

Thanks Guys

Cortisone? Isn’t that the stuff that they used to inject footballers with back in the day prior to them spending the rest of their lives in a wheelchair? 😯
I was hoping for more straightforward cures. Along the lines of “get your girlfriend to massage it with deap heat every evening”, or “bathe it for 15 mins a day in the urine of a pregnant Yak”… That kind of thing.
Oh well, will give it a few days of enforced abstinence and see how it shapes up 😐

a good sports physio will sort it, you probably have muscle issues and I get it, invariably one muscle/tendon is firing in the wrong order and she sorts it out in one go. She’s coming tomorrow to do my knee….

Go to a doctor first for their advice, and then get yourself to a sports physio for some proper advice and treatment. It might be expensive, but getting rid of that kind of pain in your daily life is something that you can’t put a value on.

I had this (tennis elbow?) a while back – riding the bike was not a problem, but lifting it was quite painful.
The two things that helped me were a course of anti-inflammatories (administered by a fairly big stick-on patch)and being careful how I positioned my arm whilst sleeping.
It’s tricky to explain, but I’ll try…
I used to sleep with one arm under the pillow, in a “flexing my biceps” kind of pose. (no sniggering at the back!)
I now keep both arms bent together in a kind of praying pose.
I’ll try to find some appropriate pictures and post them later.

Definitely go and see your doctor though – I’m not a professional (unless you count professional geek)

Latest evidence suggest steroid injections offer short term relief, but have a worse overall outcome than doing nothing.
Rst, and physion, are the best options.

DrP

Had that tennis elbow, not fun. Was offered the injection, but it only masks the pain, its not a cure.
You will do more damage that way. Just took anti inflammatory stuff and tried to avoid anything that hurt too much. Took two years to clear, sorry.

Belugabob I have tennis elbow (2 months now) and I too sleep with my arm outstretched under my pillow. Its quite painful some days and its my best arm. Doc has told me it will wear off. Do the patches work? Im going to go back. Thanks