Persistent Elbow pain

I've been suffering from tendinitis on the lateral side of my right elbow since the beginning of March. At first, I didn't attribute the pain to anything other than normal wear and tear from climbing (part of being an uninformed new climber). I had a killer trip to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas in mid-March where my elbow hardly bothered me at all, so I further assumed I was ok. Fast forward a couple of months, and I'm knee deep in chronic elbow pain. I eventually read up on what was going on, got scared, and started doing reverse wrist curls, push ups, and dips after a few weeks of rest and ice.

Kicker is, it hasn't gotten much better. The slightest movement or tweak will set my elbow off. I'm really frustrated because I don't know what else to do. Not climbing for five months has driven me absolutely crazy, not quite sure if I can take it much longer. I try and do some VERY light climbing every three or four days, all open hand grip, no crimping. I heard from a guy at the gym that this along with repetitive stretching is the best way to cure it, I'm just looking to know if I'm doing doing all that I can to get better as soon as possible. Any help or advice is much appreciated.

Seems like most everybody gets some variation on this at one point or another. Usually from just being too enthusiastic about climbing, or from training too hard too fast. The good news is that it'll eventually heal on its own accord. The bad news is that you may be looking at up to 12 months before it does, and the damage done is to some extent permanent. I've had two rounds of this injury, both lateral and medial, and the last recovery took about 10 months. I assume that I lengthened that period by trying to "climb through it" at first. Finally quit climbing completely for about three months, and then started in on Eric Horst's rehab exercises. Other people have had good luck with acupuncture, icing and/or mild exercise for the joint. There's all sorts of voodoo and home remedies for this one, though, so it can be hard to figure out what treatment is really efficacious. Best of luck!

Not to inject a note of sanity but it is very worth going to see a professional for this injury. My elbow tendonitis took me off the wall for a long time. Many PTs, especially locally in Boulder, know this injury very well and there are quite a few things that they can do. There are also lots of variations to the injury and an expert diagnosis of the location and severity is needed to do a proper job of treatment. All the 'exercises' and icing we talk about that worked for one or more of us may be meaningless in any individual case that 'sounds' similar. With that said, do expect a long recovery. You can recover and maintain but, at least in my case and for many others, this one's a bitch. Luck

Daniel H... consult a professional..seek out an MD and/or PT as there can be a myriad of issues at work here. I really feel your pain, as I just saw the light after 5 months of persistent elbow pain due to over zealous use of a "funkness device" while replacing bad bolts. Definitely, knock off the push ups and dips!! Regular icing and Ibuprofen really help, but taking a break (Down time REALLY Sucks!!) and doing other activities may help with the pain and keep you sane. Consult Eric Horst's book on Training for Climbing and once the pain diminishes, work back into climbing SLOWLY!! LOL

Even one appointment with a PT is great if you listen and take notes on the exercises to do. I have to stretch several times a day now and had to get a new keyboard at work. A deep massage by the PT will also help stretch it and increase the blood flow.

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the input. I almost positive I've impeded the healing of my elbow more than once, climbing too hard too soon. Seems like the best advice is to take time off, ice and massage. Like I said, I've tried all the home remedies and nothing has really helped, so Ill be stopping those for now. I've got an appt. with a PT on Monday, so we'll see what is said. Time off sucks, but I want to climb for the rest of my life so a few more months doesnt sound so bad.