Tricep Tendonitis -- Treatment? Recovery?

I've had severe pain just above the back of my elbow for four weeks now. Thought initially that this could be due to a pinched nerve, but an MRI was clean. I received a steroid injection in the elbow a week ago and have received some relief. Yesterday, I decided to get some deep tissue work done and my therapist basically told me the lower part of my tricep where it inserts into the elbow is insanely inflamed.

Now that I poke at the tender area it's pretty clear to me that I have a strained tricep or possibly tricep tendonitis since it's been going on for a month now and despite rest and anti-inflamatories, no improvement. I literally can't bend my arm fully without feeling sharp pain in back of the elbow, jsut above the bone.

Anyone go through this and recover?

What was your exercise routine?

I've heard that eccentric exercises are the way to go here to stretch the tendon.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

KY

Nobody on this huh?

It's my understanding that tricep tendonitis or a tricep strain is rare.

This is not golfer's elbow either which is located below the elbow on the forearm. This is above the elbow, in the back of the arm, where the tricep tendon connects to the elbow.

KY

Hi!

I too have been recovering from a tricep strain. I got it at least 2 months ago but i ignored it for several weeks because i was still making good gains and it was not very painful. I finally decided to rest it after it got pretty bad.

At first i was just taking time off, not really giving it any special attention. then i started wrapping it and taking a bit of Advil to reduce inflammation. After about 2 weeks of doing that with no noticeable improvement i saw a doctor who gave me a NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to take twice daily. I also started icing my elbow a few times a day and its been about 4-5 days since then and im finally seeing improvements.

The doctor told me to get physio if it was not healed within a week but im going to hold off on that for a few more days. I dont feel any pain anymore moving my arm but im pretty sure if it lifted/tried to put it under stress I would.

Nobody really told me to exercise it at all, i did read about doing it several times online but 2 doctors told me to stay off of it so i haven't worked out in a month(sucks).

But overall you sound like you have it a lot worse than me. The worst i ever had it was unable to fully extend my arm without pain.

Jam,

Thanks for the reply. I'd say my situation must be a lot worse. God knows why since I don't remember injuring this.

I iced and took advil in bunches for three weeks. Zippo in terms of improvement. I still could hardly bend my arm without fear of shooting pain. Then, I got the steroid injection and that seemed to put a dent in this thing, but damn, this problem is going to take a lot more than that. The shot may have stopped this from getting worse, but it hasn't fixed the problem.

I've also been using an anti-inflamatory gel called Voltranex or something like that. Not sure if it's working.

I think this is going to take some time. I probably need to do specific tricep exercises with very light weight/high reps to a) get the blood floowing to the area for healing, and b) stretch the tendon. I'll probably mix in some tissue work as well.

This is the damndest thing. Still don't recall an "ouch" moment where I fouled this thing up.

KY

[QUOTE=jam88;598672543]Hi!

I too have been recovering from a tricep strain. I got it at least 2 months ago but i ignored it for several weeks because i was still making good gains and it was not very painful. I finally decided to rest it after it got pretty bad.

At first i was just taking time off, not really giving it any special attention. then i started wrapping it and taking a bit of Advil to reduce inflammation. After about 2 weeks of doing that with no noticeable improvement i saw a doctor who gave me a NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to take twice daily. I also started icing my elbow a few times a day and its been about 4-5 days since then and im finally seeing improvements.

The doctor told me to get physio if it was not healed within a week but im going to hold off on that for a few more days. I dont feel any pain anymore moving my arm but im pretty sure if it lifted/tried to put it under stress I would.

Nobody really told me to exercise it at all, i did read about doing it several times online but 2 doctors told me to stay off of it so i haven't worked out in a month(sucks).

But overall you sound like you have it a lot worse than me. The worst i ever had it was unable to fully extend my arm without pain.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kyoun1e;598690393]
This is the damndest thing. Still don't recall an "ouch" moment where I fouled this thing up.

KY[/QUOTE]

ya, me either, I think its something that comes on slowly and builds up, i remember many months ago i was feeling some discomfort when i would rest my elbow on an arm rest of a chair for example, then a while after i noticed it while doing dips, then a while after that it got really bad to the point where i couldn't do a single dip.

Strange indeed.

I actually deal with tendonitis regularly in my elbows, forearms, and it just started in my triceps. I was told that you're triceps arent as strong as your bench that you're doing and its causing them to strain. I was also told to lay off any pressing movements for a couple of weeks until it starts feeling better, and if you have to do some pressing movements then use "baby" weight, and only start trying to do them again when your tricep inflamation calms down. Apply the RICE method, and some anti inflamatories and take it from there...

Hi again, I found this link and remember this thread so i figured id share.

[url]http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/Rehabilitation-Tricep-Tendontis-m63839.aspx[/url]

It has some exercises and stretches in there which might be useful for you. I have yet to try them but i am almost ready to start them, maybe a few more days.

Goodluck!

[QUOTE=jam88;601768293]Hi again, I found this link and remember this thread so i figured id share.

[url]http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/Rehabilitation-Tricep-Tendontis-m63839.aspx[/url]

It has some exercises and stretches in there which might be useful for you. I have yet to try them but i am almost ready to start them, maybe a few more days.

Goodluck![/QUOTE]

Jam,

Thanks much. I actually found this same page myself and starting doing some of these.

Unfortunately, two different physical therapists have told me I DON'T have tricep tendonitis.

What I apparently have is ulnar nerve irritation at the elbow.

Jeesh.

KY

[QUOTE=kyoun1e;597745073]I've had severe pain just above the back of my elbow for four weeks now. Thought initially that this could be due to a pinched nerve, but an MRI was clean. I received a steroid injection in the elbow a week ago and have received some relief. Yesterday, I decided to get some deep tissue work done and my therapist basically told me the lower part of my tricep where it inserts into the elbow is insanely inflamed.

Now that I poke at the tender area it's pretty clear to me that I have a strained tricep or possibly tricep tendonitis since it's been going on for a month now and despite rest and anti-inflamatories, no improvement. I literally can't bend my arm fully without feeling sharp pain in back of the elbow, jsut above the bone.

Anyone go through this and recover?

What was your exercise routine?

I've heard that eccentric exercises are the way to go here to stretch the tendon.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

KY[/QUOTE]

same thing but now after like 2 months of this and moving into my apartment my forearm feels weird, like nerve inflammation

The WORST thing to do in this situation is to inhibit your bodies natural healing method, inflammation, by taking anti-inflamatories. If this is a 4 week old injury, then you are still in the tendon "itis" stage. Your best bet at this point would be to immediately stop all exercises that are causing you pain. Next, see a sports medicine doctor that will do an ultrasound diagnoses of the area. This will show potential thickening, disarrangement, inflammation, etc of the tendon tissue. Your best treatment options will be ART (active release technique), PRP (platet rich plasma) and a good knowledgable sports PT. See another doctor if the one you are seeing blindly recommends ICE, rest, and anti-inflammatories. This is a typical diagnosis by completely clueless family physicians. Tendon injuries are not difficult to treat if they're treated correctly early on.

Lastly, don't cheat yourself. TAKE TIME OFF. Injuries of this sort take 6-8 weeks at the minimum to fully heal. You are more then likely doing something wrong if you have this injury in the first place. Overtraining, not enough rest, muscle imbalances, etc.

Good luck!

OP can you update on what you did to treat this? I have pain on my tricep tendons as well but I also have subluxing ulnar nerves. How can irritation of the ulnar nerve lead to pain in the tricep?

[QUOTE=kyoun1e;597745073]I've had severe pain just above the back of my elbow for four weeks now. Thought initially that this could be due to a pinched nerve, but an MRI was clean. I received a steroid injection in the elbow a week ago and have received some relief. Yesterday, I decided to get some deep tissue work done and my therapist basically told me the lower part of my tricep where it inserts into the elbow is insanely inflamed.

Now that I poke at the tender area it's pretty clear to me that I have a strained tricep or possibly tricep tendonitis since it's been going on for a month now and despite rest and anti-inflamatories, no improvement. I literally can't bend my arm fully without feeling sharp pain in back of the elbow, jsut above the bone.

Anyone go through this and recover?

What was your exercise routine?

I've heard that eccentric exercises are the way to go here to stretch the tendon.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

KY[/QUOTE]

I'm a doctor, and also an ISSA certified personal trainer. Since its been five years since this q was posted, I will talk about this condition in general. As someone already mentioned, the RICE principle works (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). As far as tendon problems are concerned, I can't stress this enough - REST, REST, REST and more rest. Liberal ice application and antioxidant intake helps. I know rest sucks, but it works. Up your lean protein intake, get NSAIDs from a physician (not over the counter), give your triceps rest - and when I say triceps, this includes shoulders and chest! Stick to biceps and leg workouts, give your triceps a chance to heal. Try wall - pushups once a month to see if they are getting back to normal. I have seen these sort of tendon issues persisting even from six months to a whole year. So don't push yourself - this will only hurt you further. Prayers for all those with this issue. Stay strong and stay motivated!

Regards

[QUOTE=vinonat;1361924631]I'm a doctor, and also an ISSA certified personal trainer. Since its been five years since this q was posted, I will talk about this condition in general. As someone already mentioned, the RICE principle works (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). As far as tendon problems are concerned, I can't stress this enough - REST, REST, REST and more rest. Liberal ice application and antioxidant intake helps. I know rest sucks, but it works. Up your lean protein intake, get NSAIDs from a physician (not over the counter), give your triceps rest - and when I say triceps, this includes shoulders and chest! Stick to biceps and leg workouts, give your triceps a chance to heal. Try wall - pushups once a month to see if they are getting back to normal. I have seen these sort of tendon issues persisting even from six months to a whole year. So don't push yourself - this will only hurt you further. Prayers for all those with this issue. Stay strong and stay motivated!

Regards[/QUOTE]

Thanks for posting this and although the thread is old(er), a lot of people come down with triceps tendon injuries.

I have a very high pain tolerance, so I never even noticed when I was having tendonitis issues, so I developed calcification in the triceps tendon where it inserts into the elbow joint. It's been 6 weeks and it's still tender and I've been resting it for the past 6 weeks - not fun.

I haven't done any physio or taken anything specifically for it - just rest and ice. I think in my case, I'm going to need a referral to a sports doc to start some physio.

I did have an x-ray done a while back and they indicated that I have a minor bone spur on the elbow as well and I "heard" the only way to get rid of that is a small surgical incision - that'll likely mean more rest/rehab.

/sigh

[QUOTE=vinonat;1361924631]I'm a doctor, and also an ISSA certified personal trainer. Since its been five years since this q was posted, I will talk about this condition in general. As someone already mentioned, the RICE principle works (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). As far as tendon problems are concerned, I can't stress this enough - REST, REST, REST and more rest. Liberal ice application and antioxidant intake helps. I know rest sucks, but it works. Up your lean protein intake, get NSAIDs from a physician (not over the counter), give your triceps rest - and when I say triceps, this includes shoulders and chest! Stick to biceps and leg workouts, give your triceps a chance to heal. Try wall - pushups once a month to see if they are getting back to normal. I have seen these sort of tendon issues persisting even from six months to a whole year. So don't push yourself - this will only hurt you further. Prayers for all those with this issue. Stay strong and stay motivated!

Regards[/QUOTE]

Sorry to say this, but this is just terrible advice. Rest, Ice, NSAID's and all do nothing more then symptom treating and do absolutely nothing to the underlying problem! You can rest and ice for a full year, it will return as soon as you hit the weights again.

What is exactly the problem here? The triceps is strained and knotted up. Herefor, it is in a shortened state, pulling on the tendon it attaches to. Because this tendon is being pulled on and lengthened for an extended period of time, it inflames, that is why your elbow starts to hurt at that point. You see, your Rice protocol treats the inflammation, but does nothing to the knot, which is most probably in a different location higher up the muscle.

What you need to do is apply trigger point therapy. Check and buy the trigger point therapy workbook by Claire Davies. It is gold, any serious trainee should have it. Palpate the triceps muscle in this case in search for the knot. Once you feel the tender spot you can start massageing the knot out with your fingers. Test your elbow by flexing and bending. Literally, within minutes of applying this method, your elbow tendonitis will be gone! repeat this process at least once or twice a day. Give it a week, and the muscle and tendon will be okay and you are good to go again

[QUOTE=Mojoke;1375597473]Sorry to say this, but this is just terrible advice. Rest, Ice, NSAID's and all do nothing more then symptom treating and do absolutely nothing to the underlying problem! You can rest and ice for a full year, it will return as soon as you hit the weights again.

What is exactly the problem here? The triceps is strained and knotted up. Herefor, it is in a shortened state, pulling on the tendon it attaches to. Because this tendon is being pulled on and lengthened for an extended period of time, it inflames, that is why your elbow starts to hurt at that point. You see, your Rice protocol treats the inflammation, but does nothing to the knot, which is most probably in a different location higher up the muscle.

What you need to do is apply trigger point therapy. Check and buy the trigger point therapy workbook by Claire Davies. It is gold, any serious trainee should have it. Palpate the triceps muscle in this case in search for the knot. Once you feel the tender spot you can start massageing the knot out with your fingers. Test your elbow by flexing and bending. Literally, within minutes of applying this method, your elbow tendonitis will be gone! repeat this process at least once or twice a day. Give it a week, and the muscle and tendon will be okay and you are good to go again[/QUOTE]

Sorry to say, I'd take a Doctor and Certified Trainer's advice over some random guy who thinks he knows better any day. :-)

[QUOTE=Brosef13;1384506753]Sorry to say, I'd take a Doctor and Certified Trainer's advice over some random guy who thinks he knows better any day. :-)[/QUOTE]

He is obviously a completely outdated doctor, and a terrible trainer. Any one in the medical field would know that the RICE method was studied extensively and is about as useless as tits on a bull, it then got changed to PRICER, which also shows any application of ice does nothing. The world-wide used term that is now used is MEAT, Movement, Exercise, Analgesic and Treatement. Resting a mucle will do more harm than good, how is it going to heal if it becomes deconditioned? Dumb. The movement and exercise part is there to encourage range of motion at the affected joint and therefore an increase in blood flow with nutrients to repair the injury. The Analgesic is basic pain killers that will manage pain in this acute setting, as less pain will allow you to move more normally. Decrease your weight, don't over-strain yourself. I've got this content from CURRENT studies that are taught at university, not outdated useless information too many practitioners still follow.

[QUOTE=kyoun1e;597745073]I've had severe pain just above the back of my elbow for four weeks now. Thought initially that this could be due to a pinched nerve, but an MRI was clean. I received a steroid injection in the elbow a week ago and have received some relief. Yesterday, I decided to get some deep tissue work done and my therapist basically told me the lower part of my tricep where it inserts into the elbow is insanely inflamed.

Now that I poke at the tender area it's pretty clear to me that I have a strained tricep or possibly tricep tendonitis since it's been going on for a month now and despite rest and anti-inflamatories, no improvement. I literally can't bend my arm fully without feeling sharp pain in back of the elbow, jsut above the bone.

Anyone go through this and recover?

What was your exercise routine?

I've heard that eccentric exercises are the way to go here to stretch the tendon.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
So if u push on the bone on the upside of the elbow point it should be painfull , in training its normally an incremental thing, u know somethings up but u hope u can train thru it right, it eventually gets to the point where u cant go on. So went to a specialist who gave me a cortizone shot right into the spot, pain was gone in 2 day yipee went back to my heavy training happy as Larry it was great for a month then came back twice as bad.. I think the killer was heavy lying ez bar extensions , hectic on the joint and tendon. Anyway i have been thru this in each of my arms before, both times i had to do the unthinkable .......Rest ..... yes that dreaded word ...sorry. The reality is the microtraumar to tendons and bone s take a long time to heal because blood supply is poor. I think sometimes we forget that tendons take longer to strengthen than muscles so take it easy when u start increasing your strength quickly. ALso if u change exercises which tax the tendon differently , ease into it and allow the tendon and joint time to make the adjustment.. . You may be superstrong at tricep push downs but it doesnt mean you suddenly decide to jump onto the EZ bar and go max when u havent done it for months.....Initially it was only lying EZ bar that was a problem then the problem moved to push downs and now bench is a problem..... so it looks like im going to have to join the pencil necks in the pool for a while.... I dont know if swimming might also be a problem but i have to do something... last time the elbow took months to heal so im hoping for the best.... I have never had physio or treatment ... only rest and light very light exercise...The pain should be and ache if u push on it, quite painfull. If its the nerve it will be a sharp pain like a stabbing or like searing burning or elctricity shooting thru your elbow. If its the tendon bone attachment it will be sore when u push on the bone.... They will only need to operate if the small part of the tendon has ripped off and taken some bone with , or there is a loose fragment floating around and causing inflamation. they will want to remove it. If it is microtraumour ...... rest is all they can do and some tlc ..... Hope this helps

I had an injury; felt like a nerve pain in elbow, assumed it would just go away soon.. as soon as that pain did go away, I had a tightness and also, swelling but the swelling is on the inner elbow area.
After a week, I went to my chiro, and he said it was Tricep Tendonitis. It's been over a month now, and the pain is gone but the swelling is there. He told me to lay off working out but now I'm afraid to do ANYTHING even yoga (as you do use the triceps for almost everything).
As a female who does yoga, I'm freaked out as I never did anything like this and wonder if the mild swelling I have is normal for this?
No one (dr.'s ) seem to give me a straight answer. My regular Dr said "yes, it's tendonitis. rest it"
What does "rest it" mean? For how long? Swelling is residual? When does it absorb again? Does the swelling mean that there is a bigger issue?
Any advice?

I had a similar situation occur on both my elbows (gah!) and I used to practice yoga almost daily, in addition to push ups and a very active lifestyle (cycling, snowboarding, yard work, etc.). I stopped doing all push ups, but continued doing yoga since I didn't feel pain while I practiced... but whoa, bad idea. It would inflame the next day and I'd be miserable for a few days following. After a couple of months of trial and error and finally visiting a couple physios and chiros, I backed off and changed my practice dramatically (you can do yoga without weight bearing on your arms - but it's different for sure) and have gone to a chiro for active release technique and graston and then to a PT for strengthening exercises. The idea with graston is that you can continue to do activities (they are modified however) in order to strengthen the surrounding tissues while you heal. I'm not going to lie - I'm still dealing with this issue, but I didn't start incorporating these other things (and resting) until a few months of experiencing pain. The swelling is related to the inflammation in your tendons, you will need to ice religiously until that phase is gone. I don't have inflammation any longer but I'm still struggling with pain in the tips of my elbows when I apply pressure. Best of luck, I hope yours goes away much more quickly than mine!!!

[QUOTE=Idoyoga;1423047571]I had an injury; felt like a nerve pain in elbow, assumed it would just go away soon.. as soon as that pain did go away, I had a tightness and also, swelling but the swelling is on the inner elbow area.
After a week, I went to my chiro, and he said it was Tricep Tendonitis. It's been over a month now, and the pain is gone but the swelling is there. He told me to lay off working out but now I'm afraid to do ANYTHING even yoga (as you do use the triceps for almost everything).
As a female who does yoga, I'm freaked out as I never did anything like this and wonder if the mild swelling I have is normal for this?
No one (dr.'s ) seem to give me a straight answer. My regular Dr said "yes, it's tendonitis. rest it"
What does "rest it" mean? For how long? Swelling is residual? When does it absorb again? Does the swelling mean that there is a bigger issue?
Any advice?[/QUOTE]

Your doctors arent wrong, it's just that most general practitioner's knowledge of tendinitis treatment is a little dated, and simplified. They have too many people to see in too little time; tendinitis just gets brushed off as a minor problem.

RICE and NSAIDs are helpful only in the acute phase of tendinitis, as in the first couple weeks. After the initial swelling and pain subsides, RICE/NSAID therapy does very little other than pain relief.

Tendons have poor bloodflow and as such heal very, very slowly. The physician who chimed in above is also not wrong--REST, REST, REST is the name of the game for complete healing. People just think there "has to be another way"---they dont have the patience to stop the aggravating activity for more than a week or two, then they come back and say it didnt work. Advanced or chronic tendinitis can take 6-9 MONTHS to fully heal. I know, it's depressing.

I have been dealing with triceps tendonitis for almost a year now. I acquired it trying to make a comeback into powerlifting; I was making 5-10 lb weekly incremental gains in my overhead press and bench for about 2 months. This was just too much, too fast, and I have been dealing with it ever since. I'm guilty too of of failing to rest properly---I'll take 1-2 weeks off of pressing and then return for fear of losing size. The ol' Manorexia strikes us all.

PRP has mostly replaced prolotherapy, but the evidence is mixed on its efficacy. Corticosteroids are generally a big NO when it comes to tendinopathy because of the risk of rupture. Surgery is only reserved for extreme cases or ruptures. Gradual eccentric strengthening is the only conservative method that has good evidence behind it for treating tendinitis successfully. Usually this is done through PT.

Triceps tendinitis is one of the worst inflammatory problems for a bodybuilder or powerlifter, because we rely so much on pressing and extensions. I mean how do you train the triceps otherwise? You may be able to stave off loss of gains by doing non-extension pec exercises like flyes, but in my experience they cannot replace a heavy press, so you're just mitigating the muscle loss, not preventing it. But it may be the only solution to healing this problem. That, or complete pressing/extension/throwing rest until you are pain-free, with a gradual return to pressing starting with body weight only.

CBD in bodybuilding is used mostly as a recovery agent.

IT has pretty powerful anti inflammatory affects that have been documented .

It would be used pre or post workout if there were any signs of inflammation. It has been shown in some studies to be several hundred times more potent then NASAIDS such as aspirin.

You need to make sure you have a supplement that is just CBD , this means it is a legal supplement , and also that your workout will not be affected

I used , Oil of Sunshine , for this purpose. It was shipped to me and I supplemented 1 to 2 times a day.

[QUOTE=kyoun1e;597745073]I've had severe pain just above the back of my elbow for four weeks now. Thought initially that this could be due to a pinched nerve, but an MRI was clean. I received a steroid injection in the elbow a week ago and have received some relief. Yesterday, I decided to get some deep tissue work done and my therapist basically told me the lower part of my tricep where it inserts into the elbow is insanely inflamed.

Now that I poke at the tender area it's pretty clear to me that I have a strained tricep or possibly tricep tendonitis since it's been going on for a month now and despite rest and anti-inflamatories, no improvement. I literally can't bend my arm fully without feeling sharp pain in back of the elbow, jsut above the bone.

Anyone go through this and recover?

What was your exercise routine?

I've heard that eccentric exercises are the way to go here to stretch the tendon.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

KY[/QUOTE]
Hey Man, how is it now? I have a same problem. elbow tip is bit sensitive and swollen. Can't do any triceps workout :(

[QUOTE=kyoun1e;597745073]I've had severe pain just above the back of my elbow for four weeks now. Thought initially that this could be due to a pinched nerve, but an MRI was clean. I received a steroid injection in the elbow a week ago and have received some relief. Yesterday, I decided to get some deep tissue work done and my therapist basically told me the lower part of my tricep where it inserts into the elbow is insanely inflamed.

Now that I poke at the tender area it's pretty clear to me that I have a strained tricep or possibly tricep tendonitis since it's been going on for a month now and despite rest and anti-inflamatories, no improvement. I literally can't bend my arm fully without feeling sharp pain in back of the elbow, jsut above the bone.

Anyone go through this and recover?

What was your exercise routine?

I've heard that eccentric exercises are the way to go here to stretch the tendon.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

KY[/QUOTE]

Id try active release , if that doesnt work by 10-12 sessions it probably work work. Super importantly, the second it hurts stop that exercise immediately.

I had this problem last month having problem when i extend my elbow with weights
But i dont have any issue extending my elbow without any weight in my hands
I also have an ultrasound therapy
Iceing my elbow every day
But nothing happen i dont think its going to heal every sing person have there own law of healing some say use heat some say use ice some say do tharaband exercise dr say take rest
Is there any body who suffer from this and healed