Elbow Pain

by Ricardo
(New York)

Dear Elle,
About 2 months ago I twisted my elbow while it was under tension. It did not pop but I experienced a shot of pain. Since then I have been unable to push weights or do push-ups as it seems to let me know, while I am doing a pushing motion. I am able to curl and do pull ups without any issue. So if I look at this with a metaphor as you like to use in the WEB site, I would need to hold things closer and not push things away. Is there an affirmation that I need to say?

During the day it feels fine as long as I do not push out under pressure.

OR is it just a strained elbow?

Comments for Elbow Pain

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Response to Elbow Pain
by: Elle Bieling, RN

Dear Ricardo,

Sounds like you are an active and fit kind of guy! Good for you! Staying strong as you age is very important.

You did not say exactly how you hurt your elbow, but I can say that any twisting motion in a body part when you push, pull or lift at the same time is often a set-up for injury. In the future, try not twist during movements, to avoid injury.

Since your pain is now 2 months old, it seems to me that it is more than just a strained elbow, or an isolated event. If you did not completely rest your elbow after the initial injury, most likely it has turned into more of a repetitive motion injury, or one that you continue to re-injure. This is true especially if you continue to do your push-ups or push when you lift weights. Any type of racquet sports would also aggravate this type of injury.

While I am not a doctor, it is most likely that you are suffering from a common condition called 'tennis elbow,' a tendinitis on the outer or lateral edge of the elbow. You may even have small tears in the muscle at the elbow. You don't say how severe your pain is, so if it is just mild, then you may have only a mild repetitive injury.

If you have any tingling or numbness in your lower arm or hand/fingers, or if you have a lot of pain radiating down your arm or if you have a weaker grasp, then you need to see a doctor.

Otherwise the only thing to heal your elbow pain is complete rest of that arm, until total healing can occur. If you can totally rest it for a week at first, then see if the pain is gone by gently testing it, that would be very good. If you still have pain with pushing activities, rest completely for another week, and so on, until the pain is gone. If you don't do this, most likely you will have pain in your elbow for a long, long time, because you will continue to re-injure it with your pushing activities.

When you say that your elbow was 'under tension,' when you hurt it, does this metaphor have significance to you? Is this a metaphor that you should meditate on? Is your Body Window speaking to you about tension?

You are very astute in your assessment of yourself, by wondering if you are pushing things away, and not holding them close enough to you. Not only are you pushing, but you are pushing 'with tension.' This is significant for you.

Elbows are also significant in that they bend and flex the arm. Are you inflexible about something that you are pushing away 'under tension?'

If you take just 10 minutes/day to sit quietly and
meditate on these questions, you will find your answer. Focus on your elbow, and ask it what messages it is trying to tell you. Open your heart to receive the answer. Feel the blood and positive energy flow to your elbow.

Say, "I am flexible and hold only what is important to me gently and close to my heart."

May you find health and healing for your elbow pain as you listen to your Body Window!
great comments
by: Stacey J. Elks

Great! I was looking for exactly the same thing all day yesterday.

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