The Running Thread—2023

[SheHulk]

Following on the footsteps of @SheHulk (BTW, i am with you watch it no need for a dr yet since it does not hurt), I am looking for some medical advice. Thankfully it is not stopping my running. I have what I believe is tennis elbow or computer elbow. I do not play tennis but i am on this computer all day and then play on the ipad at night. My elbow is painful, i would say hurts at a 3 when i am doing nothing. It has been since beginning of Dec. The pain has changed some as i spent time stretching my forearms and massaging them. Pain is now different. Dull ache almost constantly and everyday things i cannot do. Some important things, i need two hands to pour the coffee. I struggle to hang up my jacket. The big one is i absolutely cannot hook my sports bra from behind (which i have to do because of the type it is). My elbow hurts to straighten and bend. My wrist is not much better. I have been taking advil but it is doing nothing. I am super close to going to the Dr. I know a few of you, @avondale, play tennis and maybe have some suggestions.

My problem is it does not seem to get better and short of taking time off work i am not sure what else i can do. I am thinking another possibility is an impinged nerve. This is the arm i completely messed up 8 years ago on a very bad fall. I so don't want to try and figure out a good time to go to the dr. On the flip side, i am able to run .

Whining over....for now.

This may seem obvious, but how is your keyboard positioning while you are working? I find if I'm not careful and have my laptop actually on my lap all day, it's an awkward angle and I start to get pain from overuse.

 

[nancipants]

I don't have any advice for the elbow, @garneska, but I had really horrible carpal tunnel when I was pregnant and wrist braces helped a bunch. I still use them occasionally.

 

[camaker]

Following on the footsteps of @SheHulk (BTW, i am with you watch it no need for a dr yet since it does not hurt), I am looking for some medical advice. Thankfully it is not stopping my running. I have what I believe is tennis elbow or computer elbow. I do not play tennis but i am on this computer all day and then play on the ipad at night. My elbow is painful, i would say hurts at a 3 when i am doing nothing. It has been since beginning of Dec. The pain has changed some as i spent time stretching my forearms and massaging them. Pain is now different. Dull ache almost constantly and everyday things i cannot do. Some important things, i need two hands to pour the coffee. I struggle to hang up my jacket. The big one is i absolutely cannot hook my sports bra from behind (which i have to do because of the type it is). My elbow hurts to straighten and bend. My wrist is not much better. I have been taking advil but it is doing nothing. I am super close to going to the Dr. I know a few of you, @avondale, play tennis and maybe have some suggestions.

My problem is it does not seem to get better and short of taking time off work i am not sure what else i can do. I am thinking another possibility is an impinged nerve. This is the arm i completely messed up 8 years ago on a very bad fall. I so don't want to try and figure out a good time to go to the dr. On the flip side, i am able to run .

Whining over....for now.

Have you tried one of the elbow braces that straps right below the elbow and puts pressure on the tendon and muscles there? Just to be sure, is the pain on the outside of the elbow (Tennis Elbow) or the inside of the elbow (Golfer's Elbow)? I haven't dealt too much with tennis elbow, but have extensive experience with golfer's elbow from Ultimate Frisbee and I think the treatment approaches are similar.

The first level of treatment for either is generally what you've been doing. Anti-inflammatories and rest along with support in the form of a brace. The next step would be a doctor who will most likely send you to PT. If that doesn't resolve things, they'll probably go to a cortisone shot from there. They don't like doing cortisone shots for golfer's elbow because of the proximity to the ulnar nerve. That's what I ended up getting and it got into the nerve, resulting in numbness in part of my arm all the way down into my hand and last 3 fingers. After that point, I think they start looking at surgery.

Good luck!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Following on the footsteps of @SheHulk (BTW, i am with you watch it no need for a dr yet since it does not hurt), I am looking for some medical advice. Thankfully it is not stopping my running. I have what I believe is tennis elbow or computer elbow. I do not play tennis but i am on this computer all day and then play on the ipad at night. My elbow is painful, i would say hurts at a 3 when i am doing nothing. It has been since beginning of Dec. The pain has changed some as i spent time stretching my forearms and massaging them. Pain is now different. Dull ache almost constantly and everyday things i cannot do. Some important things, i need two hands to pour the coffee. I struggle to hang up my jacket. The big one is i absolutely cannot hook my sports bra from behind (which i have to do because of the type it is). My elbow hurts to straighten and bend. My wrist is not much better. I have been taking advil but it is doing nothing. I am super close to going to the Dr. I know a few of you, @avondale, play tennis and maybe have some suggestions.

My problem is it does not seem to get better and short of taking time off work i am not sure what else i can do. I am thinking another possibility is an impinged nerve. This is the arm i completely messed up 8 years ago on a very bad fall. I so don't want to try and figure out a good time to go to the dr. On the flip side, i am able to run .

Whining over....for now.

I had an “elbow thing” after high school that my chiro fixed (it was from softball and I was taking like 1000mg of Morton and taping my arm in 2 places to get through games, and couldn’t hold a bat with that hand when it was at its worst.)

More recently, I did something to my shoulder over the summer making pies, and I couldn’t raise that arm with weight in it pretty much at all…or do push-ups, etc. Mentioned it to my chiro a few months ago and she did an adjustment and it’s completely better now. So that might be somewhere to start.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Knowing what SAFD stands for is the first step.

Knowing which thread it takes place in is the next one...

Some days I’m doing good just to be able to log into my computer…

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I looked at my contact lens boxes and they just said "UV blocking", but additional research on their web page has UV blocking in second-coming font and "you still need sunglasses" in tiny font. So, better than nothing. I'll let everyone read for themselves.
https://www.acuvue.com/why-contact-lenses/uv-blocking-benefits

And with the warmer weather, I managed another run today. Definitely feeling it in the legs, but in a good way.
The local hills make nearly a minute's difference in the pace, but it's still good.

 

[garneska]

This may seem obvious, but how is your keyboard positioning while you are working? I find if I'm not careful and have my laptop actually on my lap all day, it's an awkward angle and I start to get pain from overuse.

I am pretty sure it had to do with my home work ergonomics. It’s bad. @Herding_Cats was also thinking about a chiro, so again not a bad thought. @camaker i was pretty sure it was tennis elbow but now it also seems to be the inside, so I am not sure. It is mostly the topside so still going with tennis elbow. Yeah I am expecting a dr to send me to PT. I have not tried a brace, but mostly because I can’t tell if it will help. nothing I do seems to help. Am glad it does not affect my running except that when my run is done straightening my arm is a pain in the elbow.

I know I don’t need or want surgery so it seems dumb to pay money to go to the dr and have hi say rest it. Am considering going into the office mire just to fix my ergonomics but I like being home with my Whisky (mydog for those who are worried about me ).

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists. Surgery made it only partially better in the one wrist so I never did surgery on the other. But I do now pay careful attention to my posture and arm/wrist alignment when working. I also now drape my arm over a pillow to sleep so that I’m not curling my arms up and waking up with numb hands. And when running I extend my arms and fingers downward every few minutes to prevent pain and/or numbness afterward.
Gads getting older stinks. Beats the alternative though…

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I had an “elbow thing” after high school that my chiro fixed (it was from softball and I was taking like 1000mg of Morton and taping my arm in 2 places to get through games, and couldn’t hold a bat with that hand when it was at its worst.)

More recently, I did something to my shoulder over the summer making pies, and I couldn’t raise that arm with weight in it pretty much at all…or do push-ups, etc. Mentioned it to my chiro a few months ago and she did an adjustment and it’s completely better now. So that might be somewhere to start.

Must be some kind of pies! What kind were they?
Asking for a friend…

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

I have what I believe is tennis elbow or computer elbow...

I have multiple arm issues: carpal tunnel from years of software development and every tendon near my elbows hurt from overdoing it in the weight room. I have tennis elbow AND golfer's elbow.

I wear stiff wrist braces at night for the carpal tunnel.

For the elbows, I use ice (Styrofoam cup method), Voltaren, massage, and elastic compression braces.

I use a full size keyboard with a wrist pad and a padded mouse pad.

Hope you get some relief!

 

[nancipants]

I know I don’t need or want surgery so it seems dumb to pay money to go to the dr and have hi say rest it. Am considering going into the office mire just to fix my ergonomics but I like being home with my Whisky (mydog for those who are worried about me ).

Can you set up a home office? Even just a small desk tucked in a corner with a proper chair might help a lot. I work from home full time and set up one of our spare rooms as my permanent office.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Must be some kind of pies! What kind were they?
Asking for a friend…

Cherry! I worked in the pie room of a local restaurant over the summer, and was the dough person for the crusts. I think we probably averaged 380 pies/day when there were just 2 of us, and sometimes (like around July 4th) there were 3 of us and we did waaaay more than that. They guys I worked with have made pies for a loooong time and are amazing to watch work; I just try to keep up with them.

 

[PrincessV]

@garneska I had something a couple years ago nearly identical to what you describe. Came on out of nowhere, I mostly tried to ignore it (which mostly meant not using my arm for a couple weeks - I got very good at typing and mousing with my opposite hand!) for a few weeks, and it eventually went away. I did try the tennis elbow strap, but it didn’t really do much. What did help the pain was a liberal massage application of arnica cream, with a topper of lidocaine.

I also have an old, poorly healed rotation cuff injury in the same arm’s shoulder, and I’m pretty convinced that drove the elbow thing. So you may want to explore further up or down the chain for an issue.

 

[avondale]

I am pretty sure it had to do with my home work ergonomics. It’s bad. @Herding_Cats was also thinking about a chiro, so again not a bad thought. @camaker i was pretty sure it was tennis elbow but now it also seems to be the inside, so I am not sure. It is mostly the topside so still going with tennis elbow. Yeah I am expecting a dr to send me to PT. I have not tried a brace, but mostly because I can’t tell if it will help. nothing I do seems to help. Am glad it does not affect my running except that when my run is done straightening my arm is a pain in the elbow.

I know I don’t need or want surgery so it seems dumb to pay money to go to the dr and have hi say rest it. Am considering going into the office mire just to fix my ergonomics but I like being home with my Whisky (mydog for those who are worried about me ).

Since you asked about the tennis elbow and I do in fact play tennis...really, for tennis elbow the prescription is rest. Not just stop playing tennis but stop using that arm for pretty much anything. I flirted with tennis elbow several years ago, but fortunately never really got it.

The tennis elbow straps that were mentioned: I personally did not find them that helpful, but I do know a lot of tennis players who wear them. It's a fine line between having them tight enough to help and not so tight that you've got a tourniquet on your arm. And it's not a fix - if you keep playing, even with the strap on, you'll pretty much continue to have it.

From what you said, I really would get it checked out by a doc and/or PT. As you can see from this discussion, there are many variations of similar pain and it's hard for non-professionals to diagnose. Probably the first step will be rest to stop the pain, but then you'll likely need some PT to help you in the future. The PT may also be able to help you decide which ergonomic improvements are most necessary.

I really would emphasize a point I made above: if you're going to rest it, then really rest it. Don't just stop typing or playing video games or whatever it is that seems to aggravate it the most. Stop gripping or pulling or pushing or whatever else you're doing. Annoying? Most definitely. But it will help the problem heal faster. And maybe it's a good excuse to get waited on...oh, I can't pick that up, would you, please? Oh, I can't carry that, would you, please? Also, could you feed me some grapes while I recline on this couch? LOL

 

[avondale]

Since you asked about the tennis elbow and I do in fact play tennis...really, for tennis elbow the prescription is rest. Not just stop playing tennis but stop using that arm for pretty much anything. I flirted with tennis elbow several years ago, but fortunately never really got it.

The tennis elbow straps that were mentioned: I personally did not find them that helpful, but I do know a lot of tennis players who wear them. It's a fine line between having them tight enough to help and not so tight that you've got a tourniquet on your arm. And it's not a fix - if you keep playing, even with the strap on, you'll pretty much continue to have it.

From what you said, I really would get it checked out by a doc and/or PT. As you can see from this discussion, there are many variations of similar pain and it's hard for non-professionals to diagnose. Probably the first step will be rest to stop the pain, but then you'll likely need some PT to help you in the future. The PT may also be able to help you decide which ergonomic improvements are most necessary.

I really would emphasize a point I made above: if you're going to rest it, then really rest it. Don't just stop typing or playing video games or whatever it is that seems to aggravate it the most. Stop gripping or pulling or pushing or whatever else you're doing. Annoying? Most definitely. But it will help the problem heal faster. And maybe it's a good excuse to get waited on...oh, I can't pick that up, would you, please? Oh, I can't carry that, would you, please? Also, could you feed me some grapes while I recline on this couch? LOL

OK, sorry to respond to myself. But something I thought it useful to add. I learned this with my multiple sprained ankles in 2021. You can't really do preventative work while the problem is still causing pain. What I mean is, if someone says, I do XYZ exercise to strengthen this muscle so that I don't get that problem again...well, you don't want to be doing that exercise until you stop feeling pain. Otherwise you could make the injury/problem worse.

For me, it was that I couldn't do ankle stretching/mobility and strength exercises until the sprained ligaments had healed enough to no longer be painful or swollen.

 

[garneska]

OK, sorry to respond to myself. But something I thought it useful to add. I learned this with my multiple sprained ankles in 2021. You can't really do preventative work while the problem is still causing pain. What I mean is, if someone says, I do XYZ exercise to strengthen this muscle so that I don't get that problem again...well, you don't want to be doing that exercise until you stop feeling pain. Otherwise you could make the injury/problem worse.

For me, it was that I couldn't do ankle stretching/mobility and strength exercises until the sprained ligaments had healed enough to no longer be painful or swollen.

I think there is a lot of that going on. I keep trying to do the stuff to help but it probably needs rest and my stretching, exercises, are not really helping.

That is what i notice. i can stop typing but even picking anything up in that arm hurts. I feel like i have to stop everything. Better let my husband know he will be waiting on me . I am planning a dr appointment. I have a trip that needs to be scheduled first so that i can make sure the dr appointment is when i am home. That should happen this week.

 

[Marebear_runs]

Registering for the NYC marathon this morning was tough. Sat in a virtual queue for nearly an hour and then the website kept crashing. Fingers crossed I was quick enough

 

[Novatrix]

Nevermind, just realized you might be a non-NYRR time qualifier.

 

[Marebear_runs]

Nevermind, just realized you might be a non-NYRR time qualifier.

Yep, that’s it!

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Registering for the NYC marathon this morning was tough. Sat in a virtual queue for nearly an hour and then the website kept crashing. Fingers crossed I was quick enough

Just went to put my name in the lottery and got this. Appears Disney has started outsourcing their IT department to other races...