Nagging injuries...

[pwr_machine]

Anyone ever have these nagging injuries that are consistently aggravated over and over? For instance, it's biceps tendinitis for me. Right now, I'm resting from all back and biceps exercises because the pain and inflammation is intolerable in my right biceps tendon. I'm doing everything I can to speed the healing process up (heat, ice, anti-inflammatories, deep massage, etc.), but it just seems to drag on. It plays with your mind along the way: "am i getting smaller" "am i getting weaker". Probably not, but it's an awful feeling just sitting around and waiting. Can anyone relate?

 

[CipherLock]

I can relate. Three injuries have left me 20+ lbs light for over 8 months.

Most days I go to the gym I see people getting stronger while I stay the same.
I see people look at the rehab exercises I do and I think that they are looking at me like I'm nothing.
I see people in the gym doing the same exercise as me but with more weight, yet still less weight than I can normally do and I think that they think I'm one of those Men's Fitness model types who has no strength, no determination, no balls!

My strength is down, my appetitie is down and worse my wife loves my new smaller size and how long I have been lean.

I want to BENCH!, I want to Barbell Row.... I want to cry.

whew, my name is CipherLock and I'm a work-out-a-holic!

 

[pwr_machine]

We need a support group.

 

[Jordaz]

OHHHHHHHHHHH yeah, I have this tennis elbow on my right arm and it's been fu#king with me since as long as I can remember. I could not bench press for the longest time, which totaly sucked. I feel ya, its like your the incredible shrinking man

 

[lucidblue]

Know the feeling. I injured my rotator cuff in high school playing tennis. Every few years something happens to aggrevate it again. In fact, I'm suffering through that right now. It's starting to feel better but I've had to stop doing any shoulder work besides rotator cuff... and I really shouldn't be doing any pressing, but can't help myself. I just do lighter and less reps. Tennis right now is out of the question.

I've also had cartilage problems in my knee for about 12 years. Usually if I take chondroitin and glucosamine faithfully it doesn't bother me too much. My doctor recommended that I don't get surgery unless I can't deal with the pain anymore. The only time I get really angry about it is when it interrupts ski season.

 

[pwr_machine]

Luckily, I have been able to keep my weight up and I haven't had any changes in strength or size. I'm just ready to start training back and biceps again. I want to grow!

 

[pwr_machine]

I've also had cartilage problems in my knee for about 12 years. Usually if I take chondroitin and glucosamine faithfully it doesn't bother me too much. My doctor recommended that I don't get surgery unless I can't deal with the pain anymore. The only time I get really angry about it is when it interrupts ski season.

I've had knee problems also...arthritis. Warming up and wearing knee sleeves during workouts has made most of the pain subside.

 

[CipherLock]

What only makes it worse is getting older... joints, early mornings and a heavy crutch of caffeine

 

[pwr_machine]

And I have degenerative back disease that keeps me from squatting or deadlifting anymore. The two best exercises EVER! Ok, enough complaining, I'll be back training like a madman soon.

 

[jeremys]

And I have degenerative back disease that keeps me from squatting or deadlifting anymore. The two best exercises EVER! Ok, enough complaining, I'll be back training like a madman soon.

that sucks man

is there any way you can do zerchers or front squats or anything? maybe hacks?

 

[lucidblue]

I've had knee problems also...arthritis. Warming up and wearing knee sleeves during workouts has made most of the pain subside.

Yeah, I wear a lateral brace to keep my patella alligned properly. This has helped a lot. I haven't really had to change my workouts because of this injury, but I have had to change what I do when I ski... no more moguls

 

[pwr_machine]

that sucks man

is there any way you can do zerchers or front squats or anything? maybe hacks?

I survive. I make do with leg press, lunges, leg extensions, and leg curls. I also do smith machine squats that are performed much like a hack squat where my feet are out in front of the smith and I'm leaning back into it. I can also perform regular hack squats on the machine. Zerchers are out of the question. I struggled through a set of stiff legged deadlifts the other day and realized those probably aren't a good idea. No big deal. These legs will still grow!

 

[Scotsman]

Well let's see I have tendonitis in both elbows though really bad in the right one. I have several ligaments and some cartilidge screwed up in my right knee. I compressed two lumbar discs when I was younger. And from a dislocation sometimes I lose all feeling in my right arm. I just fight through the best I can. Sometimes I can't get out of bed on the weekends because my back hurts too bad, but I will never voluntarily stop lifting. I am addicted to the pain and triumph.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[pwr_machine]

I am addicted to the pain and triumph.

Cheers,
Scotsman

My thoughts exactly.

 

[bigguns15]

Keep at it pwr_machine. You'll be good as new in no time.

 

[louden_swain]

Anyone ever have these nagging injuries that are consistently aggravated over and over? For instance, it's biceps tendinitis for me. Right now, I'm resting from all back and biceps exercises because the pain and inflammation is intolerable in my right biceps tendon. I'm doing everything I can to speed the healing process up (heat, ice, anti-inflammatories, deep massage, etc.), but it just seems to drag on. It plays with your mind along the way: "am i getting smaller" "am i getting weaker". Probably not, but it's an awful feeling just sitting around and waiting. Can anyone relate?

Believe me. . .I know your frustration.

Thankfully, the pain is temporary.

 

[IronLion]

I have Broken:

both ankles
both wrists
right arm (compound)
most of my fingers
most of my toes
3 ribs
right foot x 2

I have had bad tendonitis since I was 9 years old. I played 85 game baseball seasons and I pitched a lot...lol

Now I have nerve entrapment in my neck and back from countless stingers and I have nerve entrapment in my elbow joints too from hitting things a lot....lol

The tendonitis and not having full rom in my wrists bother me in the gym but that is about it, I don't do any extention type movements anymore and i am careful with my de bench. I have found that I can work hard and not aggrevate my bicep tendonitis I just know which exercises to avoid. First and foremost is dips, then skull crushers or pushdowns, last is bb style bench....if you are doing any of those, stop and see if you don't start to recover

 

[revexrevex]

I have Broken:

both ankles
both wrists
right arm (compound)
most of my fingers
most of my toes
3 ribs
right foot x 2

whoa

 

[pwr_machine]

My biceps tendonitis is slowly getting better. I can still feel it when I flex my bicep, but it does not hurt near as much as it did a few weeks ago. I've still been putting heat on it, massaging it with ice, and massaging it with lotion. I'm dying to work out back and biceps again! Maybe this week. If not, it better be the week after! It's been too long!

 

[pwr_machine]

You just better be careful I can't have you reinjuring yourself because you are overzealous!

I know, I know. I'll be much more careful and alert to what the heck my body is doing this time around. And hopefully some preventative measures will help keep the inflammation down once I do start training again.

 

[bigguns15]

My biceps tendonitis is slowly getting better. I can still feel it when I flex my bicep, but it does not hurt near as much as it did a few weeks ago. I've still been putting heat on it, massaging it with ice, and massaging it with lotion. I'm dying to work out back and biceps again! Maybe this week. If not, it better be the week after! It's been too long!

You just better be careful I can't have you reinjuring yourself because you are overzealous!

 

[c-sharp minor]

I screwed my back around a month or so ago doing deadlifts with 430 lbs.

I usually try to get 8-10 reps, but felt tired and rounded my back on the second rep.

BIG MISTAKE


No popping sounds or tearing feeling, but something just felt wrong and I terminated my deadlift session.

For the next couple of weeks I had very minor aches in my lower back; nothing major.

I left out deadlifts on my back day but still did squats on leg day, just a bit lighter.

Last week, the day after squats my back started getting major pain and I still have it today, one week later.

I'm doing legs again in 20 min, but I'm only going to do very light squats for very high reps.

 

[bigguns15]

I screwed my back around a month or so ago doing deadlifts with 430 lbs.

I usually try to get 8-10 reps, but felt tired and rounded my back on the second rep.

BIG MISTAKE


No popping sounds or tearing feeling, but something just felt wrong and I terminated my deadlift session.

For the next couple of weeks I had very minor aches in my lower back; nothing major.

I left out deadlifts on my back day but still did squats on leg day, just a bit lighter.

Last week, the day after squats my back started getting major pain and I still have it today, one week later.

I'm doing legs again in 20 min, but I'm only going to do very light squats for very high reps.

I hope it feels better. Be careful though. Back injuries are no joke.

 

[c-sharp minor]

Thanx bro.

I figure I'll do as many reps as I can with 225.

Hopefully, it won't stress my back too much.

Well. off I go.

 

[RobertFontaine]

Last time I did my back it was with a warm up set of 225. You just have to take squats seriously. I wasn't concentrating and slouched a little and that was all it took. Couldn't make it to work the next day because I couldn't get my pants on.

 

[louden_swain]

pwr_machine,

What exercises are affecting the area?

 

[pwr_machine]

I haven't done back and biceps in a few weeks. This evening, I did a few sets of dumbbell curls and worked my way up to the 30's. Light weight, but I wanted to see how it felt. It feels much better. Still not 100%. I may elect to rest it a bit longer.

 

[pwr_machine]

It's the day after and my bicep feel ok. Yesterday's light workout didn't seem to bother it. It must be healing!

 

[louden_swain]

What about lying ticep extensions (skull crushers)?

 

[pwr_machine]

What about lying ticep extensions (skull crushers)?

I have slight tendonitis at the back of both elbows. Lying tricep extension and pushdowns are pretty rough on them. I using do pushdowns with a rope, bench dips, kickbacks. The stuff that's easy on my elbows. My triceps aren't near as severe as my biceps tendonitis. I think it all stems from my few months of boxing earlier this year.

 

[pwr_machine]

you can heed this or not, but I have had some ridiculously harsh bicep tendonitis in the past.

I will continue to modify my workouts until this bout of tendonitis passes. I've done partials and many of the other exercises you mentioned. Heat, ice massage, and regular massage seem to be speeding up the recovery. It shouldn't be too much longer before I'm back training hard again.

 

[IronLion]

I have slight tendonitis at the back of both elbows. Lying tricep extension and pushdowns are pretty rough on them. I using do pushdowns with a rope, bench dips, kickbacks. The stuff that's easy on my elbows. My triceps aren't near as severe as my biceps tendonitis. I think it all stems from my few months of boxing earlier this year.

you can heed this or not, but I have had some ridiculously harsh bicep tendonitis in the past. When I graduated high school I could bench 315 for like 5 reps.....over four years of college I never really got ANY stronger, I was to the point of desperation because it just hurt so bad I couldn't even lift my arms sometimes. I tried everything to fix it, rehab, ice and stem and ultrasound, everything. Finally this winter I started benching like a powerlifter, I cut out extentions, pushdowns, dips, and any other move that pissed off my tendonitis. I replaced those with HEAVY partials for triceps off boards and pins usually with some type of accomodated resistance. I use tate presses to hit the long head of my triceps but didn't add those until it calmed down (roughly 3-4 weeks).

All I am saying is that I went from having to go to the hospital because the trainers thought I might have broke my neck b/c my arms were so weak and kept going numb, to benching 500 raw and having 2 extra inches on my arms....

 

[pwr_machine]

I did a few sets of bench last night. 45 x 10, 95 x 10, 135 x 10, 185 x 10, and 225 x 10. My tendonitis problem is not only around my elbow but up near my shoulder. Last night, it flared up a good bit but with ice and massage I can barely notice it today. I am slowly healing. I can't wait to move some heavier weight soon! I'm headed in the right direction! I'm hoping by next week that I'll be as good as new and healthy enough to attack another training cycle!

 

[eazyb81]

I have been battling a case of what i believe is tendonitis in my elbows and forearms for a couple months now. It started in my right arm, and has now switched over to my left. Most exercises are not too bad on it, but barbell curls really put a number on it. Straight bars are out of the question now; i can only use the EZ-curl bar. When I am finished w/ a set and want to take my hands off the bar, I have to very slowly do it and put my wrists at i certain angle, or i will have shooting pains up both arms. Also, I've had to take preacher curls out of my workout after yesterday because the pain was too much to take. I'm hoping to just fight through it for about 3 more weeks, because I am moving back to my college town on the 15th, and school doesn't start till the 25th. That will give me about 10 days of rest for it to heal, hopefully (crosses fingers). If not, I'm really not sure what I'm going to do.

 

[pwr_machine]

I When I am finished w/ a set and want to take my hands off the bar, I have to very slowly do it and put my wrists at i certain angle, or i will have shooting pains up both arms.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I just don't know what it is. I'm pretty sure that it's not tendonitis. It's like shin splints but in your forearms. I've had the same problem in the past and it would always go away with a little rest. Straight bar curls would always put a hurt on em. You'd think that if I had the problem in the past, I'd know what the heck it was rather than calling it shin splints in the forearms.

 

[eazyb81]

Yeah, a friend of mine basically told me the same thing, that is was shin splints in the forearms. Do you know why this injury occurs? Is it from too much weight to fast, or just weak forearms? On top of this, I think i have a mild case of tendonitis in my left elbow, because it is a nagging pain after i workout and throughout the day, and I have to apply pressure to it sometimes to dull the pain. I think it might be aggravated by my job, where I have to carry bus tubs around filled w/ dishes (i'm a busser at a restaurant). Wow, I never thought I'd be talking about all my aches and pains as a 21 yr old. I feel like an old man .

 

[pwr_machine]

Yeah, a friend of mine basically told me the same thing, that is was shin splints in the forearms. Do you know why this injury occurs? Is it from too much weight to fast, or just weak forearms?

I assume that it's from inflammation and overuse. The actual pain probably originates from the periosteum which is the vascular connective tissue that lines all the bones in our body. I think this is also the origin of shin splints. When I find time, I may look into it further. Rest and ice are your best bet.

 

[louden_swain]

pwr_machine,

Maybe this Christmas break I can come down and train with you. Your goals seem similar to mine so I think it would work out really well.

I have never been to Mississippi.

For now we must concentrate on the Fall semester.

Good luck with your problem areas. . .keep me informed on areas that are giving you trouble.

 

[Serea]

I have several recurring problems:

- lower back (I think it's one of my sacroiliac joints)
- right hip joint (I was born with hip dysplasia, where the joint isn't fully formed at birth)
- left knee (squats aggravate it, but there's no strength loss during the exercise luckily)

 

[pwr_machine]

pwr_machine,

Maybe this Christmas break I can come down and train with you. Your goals seem similar to mine so I think it would work out really well.

I have never been to Mississippi.

For now we must concentrate on the Fall semester.

Good luck with your problem areas. . .keep me informed on areas that are giving you trouble.

That would be great! I'll be mid-training cycle and swaining some food like a madman!

And I'm not ready to start thinking about the Fall semester yet. I'm in the middle of finals for the Summer semester as we speak.

 

[pwr_machine]

Good luck with your problem areas. . .keep me informed on areas that are giving you trouble.

I'm headed to see a doc next Wed or Thu. I'm debating a cortisone injection to speed things up and get me back into action.

 

[fitgrl]

Hey pwr_machine. What's up?
I have a pulled hamstring. I let it heal but I always end up doing something to aggravate it. It really sucks being that I am a fitness competitor. Splits. high kicks, gymnastics, etc... is really painful. I know how you feel.

fitgrl

 

[pwr_machine]

Hey pwr_machine. What's up?
I have a pulled hamstring. I let it heal but I always end up doing something to aggravate it. It really sucks being that I am a fitness competitor. Splits. high kicks, gymnastics, etc... is really painful. I know how you feel.

fitgrl

Glad we can relate.

 

[pwr_machine]

The tendonitis is passing. I'm flexing my bicep pretty hard right now and there is very, very little pain. I may be working out next week!

 

[pwr_machine]

I was prescribed MethylPREDNISolone tablets for 6 days. I hope this does the trick and gets me back to training next week.

 

[pwr_machine]

Just another update for those following my crusade to get back into the gym.

I did a 3 light sets of db curls with the 30's and 3 light sets of cable curls with 50 pounds this morning.

Tendon feels better. It's a dull ache now, rather the sharper pain it use to be. It felt good to get the blood flowing and feel the burn. I've still got my fingers crossed for next week.

 

[revexrevex]

Sucks when injuries hold you back. Some people like you and IronLion could probably be enormously strong if not for the annoying chronic injuries

 

[pwr_machine]

It is frustrating, but I'll make the best of what I got.

 

[pwr_machine]

Sucks when injuries hold you back. Some people like you and IronLion could probably be enormously strong if not for the annoying chronic injuries

It is frustrating, but I'll make the best of what I got.

 

[Biter]

Ouch. I can relate to all this.

I tore the rectus femoris muscle while practicing martial arts, along with two abdominal muscles on the same side. Was fine through the workout, but once I quit the workout, I could barely walk out of the dojo. It's been haunting me ever since - some days I don't feel it, others it tears me up.

I've been doing alot of research for injuries like these. One thing that helped enormously was active release. I've had it done on my rotator cuff a long time ago - well worth looking into. As well, I'm curious about prolotherapy - there seem to be a few people that swear by it.

 

[cheesecake]

Some people like you and IronLion could probably be enormously strong if not for the annoying chronic injuries

IronLiond is enormously strong. Period.

And that's awesome news pwr_machine. You'll be hitting it hard before long.
...chad...

 

[pwr_machine]

And that's awesome news pwr_machine. You'll be hitting it hard before long.
...chad...

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[PolishHammer1977]

I am the proud owner of what was a broken back in 97'. I really don't know if I could even list the multitude of joint problems I had through the years. It seemed that if I didn't stay tight and work out that my body would fall apart.

I know what you mean brutha. It's hard to stay on the sidelines. Real hard. Especially when you know you could be in the game rockin' out. In time man. Heal up brutha.