Anyone get Tennis Elbow from Musky Lure Chucking?

[Joey]

This year I did my best to master chucking big musky baits with my baitcaster and noticed a dull pain in my elbow become increasingly more sore as the months went on.

 

Now it hurts whenever I pick something up or put pressure on my elbow.

 

I bought an elbow brace the other day but it only seems to make it ache more.

 

Anyone else ever have this problem and if so, what remedies have you found worked or didn't work.

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Joey

[douG]

JoAnne, I gots some bad right elbow stuff going on, resulting from resting my arm on the desk whilst I surf teh interwebs. I am trying Plan Buh, will let you know how it all works out.

[Beans]

I got mine from screwing...liturally !

 

I ended up going to see the Blue Jays doctor...at that time he ran a sports medicine clinic at The Mount Sinus Hospital...

 

Lots of heat, cold treatments, excercise and ultra sound...

 

Took about three months to clear up but I would get the odd twinge once in a while afterwards

 

Good luck

 

BTW...I bought a cordless screwdriver soon afterwards...

Edited November 22, 2008 by Beans

[irishfield]

Massage Therapist my dear. Go get the knots rolled out of that arm.

[Rich]

I got it from years of bass fishing, add in the last couple years of musky/big pike tackle and it's screwed. I find the supporter helps - DO NOT get the supporter that wraps around your elbow, it makes it worse! Get the supporter that tightens from your wrist to about halfway up your arm. Tennis elbow is caused by loose tendons in the forearm NOT in the elbow. Tightening the elbow will screw up your whole arm in the long run.

 

Just the words of advice I received from the doctor. When I wear the supporter on the forearm, no problems whatsoever. She said it's going to be a problem for life, so just wear the supporter while fishing and any other time deal with the pain otherwise the tendons will just continue getting looser.

[wallyboss]

Joey an elbow brace won't help. If it's the outside part of the elbow that hurts(tennis elbow) you need a wrist brace that will stop your wrist from going up. and if it's the inside of the elbow(golfers elbow) you need the wrist brace that will stop your wrist from going down. Ice it up for 20 minutes at a time and after you remove the ice let it come back to regualr temperature before doing any type of exercise. It is a tendon and if you try to exrecise a frozen tendon you will damage it more. I used a bag of frozen peas to ice it up because it will take the form of your elbow. if your doctor suggest a cortizone shot , tell him to forget it. Like beans said , most tennis elbow injuries are from repetitive movements. I messed up my right elbow at work but if I positioned my wrist properly it didn't hurt so I kept working like that and ended up with a golfers elbow also. It took me 1 year to get rid of it. I used to have a small rope tied to my fishing rod when I went fishing because I never knew when my elbow would let go. After a year of icing it 4-5 times a day and exercise my pain is totally gone.

 

I just read Rich post?? and my therapist told me that a tennis elbow is caused by inflammation of the tendon???

Edited November 22, 2008 by Spiel

[LeXXington]

Got mine from Getting married.. oh wait thats my wrists

 

Find a hot tub and some beer

[Joey]

Wow, more people than I thought get this. Good advice here. I didn't get the elbow one, I got the cuff one like you mentioned Rich. I guess I should only wear it when I'm doing something that aggravates it then and not when its sedentary. Good advice, thanks.

 

I'll try the ice trick and maybe I can talk Paul into massaging it

 

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated also.

 

Thanks.

 

Joey

[DRIFTER_016]

It used to happen to me when huckin' them big baits. That's why I now troll!!!

[Greencoachdog]

I've had my share of that pain back when I was swinging a hammer for 60 hrs. a week Joey

 

Menthol creams such as Ben-Gay, Flexall 454, and Icy Hot will bring some relief... and the self adhesive menthol patches will work even better! Add a couple safety coated Ibuprofens too (taken internally). A good hot soak in Epsom salts water before the patches or cream will work even better!

 

Your elbow should heal over the winter... just in time to start all over again in the spring!!!

Edited November 22, 2008 by GCD

[kickingfrog]

#1. Get a medical diagnosis.

 

Failing that...Cranking arm? Casting arm?

 

Rest it, then rest it some more.

 

Consider how you hold your rod/reel while crankin' and/or casting there might be some adjustments that you could do to help.

 

Try not to get every last metre out of every cast so that you're not going "all-out" all the time.

 

Do some finger manipulation and stretches for both hands/arms while running from spot to spot.

 

Use your electric positioning motor to get you a little closer before casting.

 

Look at a reel that has a lower gear ratio to make cranking and landing easier (problem is you might reel faster to make up for the lost line pick-up).

 

Start slow early in the season to build-up your arm strength.

 

Build up your arm strength in the off season.

 

Stop catching all my musky!!!

 

Good luck.

[Kerry]

Joey,

Here's a little exercise which will help with the forearm stress and may relieve your tennis elbow.I'm quite familiar with the pain of tennis elbow due to my job.

Hold your arm straight out from the shoulder palm up,now take your opposite hand and pull back on your four fingers just to put a stretch which you will feel in the lower forearm.Hold for 15 secs.

Shake it out gently and do the same position with the arm palm down.Now take your other hand and roll your fingers down and in towards the wrist just to put a stretch which you will feel in the upper wrist,hold for 15 seconds.Shake it out gently.You can do this periodically throughout the day as it helps relax the forearm muscles which also takes pressure off the elbow.A gentle stretch and hold is sufficient no need to overextend anything.

 

Kerry

[Rizzo]

been there...unfortunately i go so long between fishing excursions mine has never developed into a chronic problem. Only time of year I get out regularly is the fall, and then I mostly troll!

[brickNblock]

Hey Joe....

sorry to hear ya got the pain thingee too from them baits.

Maina, Saric and Meshikomer(sp) all spell the same thing...the right rod for the right bait for many, many reasons...but they never stress the STRESS on the elbow..and it does ache after 6hrs 'specially if your hard at it the very next day..usually thre very first retrieve...

Joey, the only thing I can add to the long list you havefrom others..

is....that I match the rod to the bait and actually find it less stressful on the all the body parts but any sort of repitition is going to find a way to kill the joints....

I know you love the sport like the rest. of us so ..'GRINnBare it'........well, NOT EXACTLY..

 

I find if I take a 'lil hockey tape...(the white stuff)...and tape it just above and below the elbow and then again at my wrist it relieves the pain until you take it off.

I tape it with about 2 wraps at each location but not too tightly after the 3rd day of CHUCKING.

 

Then again if I really know we'll be heading out to a decent water where we will be catching instead of fishing Ill go for a cortizone shot about 3-4 days prior to the trip. I get the shot right in the elbow joint and INSTANTLY the pain is gone but it does return shortly after the trip is over but you know what......

The entire experience wether it be 1 long hard day or 3-4 days is completely pain free......

 

It does come back to bite ya in the butt tho..........

For me..it works and ...I dont miss the opurtunity for that kind of trip for anything.

 

 

(No offence to the pro's I mentioned please.....I belive what they /you...say....correct rod for the matching bait , weight and....APPLICATION.

 

Hope it was of some help GAL......

 

Geeze, we'd like to spend some time with you two sometime...perhaps over the winter out our way...

peteNcharmaine.

[OhioFisherman]

I had some friends get it bass fishing, one armed casters. Being able to cast with either hand lightens the stress on just being able to cast with one.

 

One had surgery for it, haven`t talked to him in a while and not sure how that has worked out, short term ok. Others just rest the arm, ice, ben-gay and such. Motrin?

[bigugli]

Repetitive stress and over extension from long hours of fishing will get at the joints eventually. If you've had any previous muscular injuries the problem shows up much quicker. My shoulder locks up after 3 days of continual casting. I carry the usual assortment of ices and liniments for the quick fix followed by a few visits to the chiro to loosen things up. Its the price to be paid for the sport.

[Doctrt]

The technical term for what you have, may (cover my butt) either be lateral epicondylitis (or tennis elbow) or medial epicondylitis (or golfer's elbow). If the pain is on the back and outside of the arm it is lateral ep. and if it is on the front (palmar side) and inside, it is medial ep..

 

Both are caused by repetitive use of the wrist muscles, for tennis elbow it is wrist extensors and for golfers elbow it is the wrist flexors.

 

Overhead or side casting may cause pain at either site while flipping usually causes medial ep.

 

Regardless here is a clarification of what Tennis Elbow is. The cause and treatment of Golfer's Elbow is essentially the same, just at a different location:

 

As a Chiro for the past five years this is something I see a lot. Not to mention, a condition that I have suffered from myself, due to a combination of flipping (bass and mostly steelheading) and work around the house, building a deck (drilling, hammering and other gripping activities).

 

The tendonitis comment from above is accurate as it is a tendonitis of the common wrist extensor tendon. The wrist extensors merge into a common extensor tendon which inserts into the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, so if you want to be precise it is an elbow complaint. There is truth, however, that it is the wrist extensors that are the cause. Repetitive activities can eventually cause micro-tearing at the tendonous insertion, which causes inflammation and pain. When the complaint becomes chronic, the body, in its attempt to prevent actual macro-tearing at the insertion, causes calcification of the tendon at the lateral epicondyle (a radiographic finding that I've seen on some of my patient's x-rays). The key is to not let it get to this point. Immediate treatment should consist of rest and ice (how many of us are really gonna rest when there are steel in the rivers - but do your best!). Rest actually means eliminate the inciting activity, so switching hands may do the trick. The tennis elbow braces are effective, but what those above have said is true, they must be worn about two finger breadths down from the elbow crease. This is in order to offset the amount of pull directly on the tendonous insertion. When the complaint begins to become chronic, or is with you long enough that it is really bothering you, this is when you need to seek help.

 

The most effective treatment at this time for chronic tendonitis of any sort is called Active Release Therapy (ART), or Myofascial Release Therapy. This is a treatment that can be performed by just about any Chiropractor, Massage Therapist or Physiotherapist that is trained to do so. The one downfall - it's not comfortable. What this treatment consists of, is firm pressure against the tendons by the treating doctor or therapist's fingers, while the tendon is allowed to pass underneath through its full range of motion. This acts to break up any scar tissue adhesions that are having it tend towards calcification and a real chronic problem. Ultrasound afterwards can help to reduce swelling and pain, as will ice. Anti-inflamatory medications will help the process along, but that is something to discuss with your Family Physicians. For years one of the treatments of choice was cortisone injections, but from what I have seen, any effect that is offered is transient and when repeated, they have the ability to weaken tendonous and ligamentous structures.

 

All of this being said, a true diagnosis can not be made via the internet so please see a qualified Doctor or Therapist for a full examination (another time just covering my butt!)

Hope some of this helps.

 

T

Edited November 22, 2008 by Doctrt

[qmccharlie]

I had a sore elbow for years, but have solved the problem. The doctor had me squeeze a rubber ball or one of the bean balls that they make for it to exercise your fingers, etc. I sit in the car and work the ball when I am driving. It will take the sting out in a few weeks. I have been doing it for a long time and have not had a recurrance of the problem. Like everyone else says, go see a doc to make sure it is only tendonitis. If it is tendonitis then the rubber ball will help to tone up the muscles and tendons that are causing the problem.

[Moosebunk]

Some great responses here... exercises, insight, pathophysiology, personal experience... I like this thread, it's a good one Joey. My right forearm, left shoulder and right knee are my weak spots... and like anyone we all have chinks in the armor that our lifestyles sometimes exploit. One of the best things you can do is reinforce by strengthening the surrounding structures and prepare the weak spots for future use through active range of motion excercise and stretching............................... you know where I'm going with this..?

[lew]

Sorry to hear about your sore arm Joey, but I'm thinking perhaps your hurt yourself while hauling in that 56"er when we were out last September

 

 

 

Go see and doc and get yerself fixed up properly, cause don't forget, you & me have got a date with a big slimer on the West Arm next June and you need to be in top fighting form by then.

Edited November 22, 2008 by lew

[Beans]

Just remembered one of the excercises my therapist gave me to do at home between sessions with him...

 

Sit sideways at a table with your hand dropping over the edge at the wrist...start with a 10 oz.tin of soup and lift it up and down a few times using only the wrist and then stop and rest...repeat a few times...I used my wrist brace on my forearm in the beginning...eventually increasing the weight...

[OhioFisherman]

LOL Norm, 12 ounce beer ok for starters?

[mistyriver1]

Joey, just thought I'd add a couple of things. Firstly, if you go the route of a cream, try Myoflex, works good on my wife's back and it doesn't smell like Bengay does.

 

Another thought for you. Have you ever thought of getting a left handed baitcaster ? I have one and when I'm out for a day of muskie fishing I find switching between the left and right hand baitcasters gives the muscles a bit of a break or at least your using different ones slightly. Besides, this gives you another reason to buy another reel and rod

 

Jim

[douG]

SEE? A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WHO RECOMMENDS ACTIVE RELEASE THERAPY!!!!!!!

 

It really does work, honest. Find a provider in your area here.

Edited November 22, 2008 by douG

[Joey]

Wow!!!! These are all great responses. Guess I'm not alone in my pain here.

 

Thanks everyone and Lew, its a date.

 

Beans, quit screwing around okay But I guess if you must, hanging over a table is a good position

 

Joey