Apart from acupuncture trying facing your thumbs UP on the handle
and the shaft

paul.j said..

And relax your hands while you paddle, try to never grip tight.

Bingo! ^

First;
Tennis Elbow is related to "gripping" and even "gripping too hard" or "over gripping". You can paddle hard whilst barely even applying any "grip" with the hands.
Solution;
Top Hand - you can have the paddle in you palm and fingers out doing a "high five"! Zero grip on top hand.
Bottom Hand - can just curl the finger tips over the shaft, and it's not really "gripping"...

Second;
The problem you could also have is applying too much "canoe" action on the bottom elbow... Using the bottom elbow. You can effectively paddle with straight(ish) elbows. Also see several of Dave Kalama's paddle technique videos. Browse around here: www.davidkalama.com

Third;
Failing all that, you might just be succumbing to old age! Sorry!

Haha, the guy in the SuperTennisElbow video has bad technique!

I'd work on your technique first. Plus massage... Maybe someone can tell you about massage... I thing a light warm-up massage of the elbow and surrounding muscles. Plus continued massages in the evening and next morning. It helps blood flow, and should help healing, etc.

Mac62 can probably tell you about Muscle Tear & Repair. He's been powering up lately!

This simple piece of equipt and exercise helped me ....

Simondo said..

paul.j said..

And relax your hands while you paddle, try to never grip tight.

Bingo! ^

First;
Tennis Elbow is related to "gripping" and even "gripping too hard" or "over gripping". You can paddle hard whilst barely even applying any "grip" with the hands.
Solution;
Top Hand - you can have the paddle in you palm and fingers out doing a "high five"! Zero grip on top hand.
Bottom Hand - can just curl the finger tips over the shaft, and it's not really "gripping"...

Second;
The problem you could also have is applying too much "canoe" action on the bottom elbow... Using the bottom elbow. You can effectively paddle with straight(ish) elbows. Also see several of Dave Kalama's paddle technique videos. Browse around here: www.davidkalama.com

Third;
Failing all that, you might just be succumbing to old age! Sorry!

Yeah I have got the same thing but only on the left elbow. Had it for a few weeks now and have tried stretches and massage on affected area. Does not help recovery when I go SUP'ing 2-3 times a week and just put up with it.

Have changed the way I lift SUP onto vehicle and have not sailboarded for 3 weeks. Rest is a great cure but would prefer not to do so.

I will now try the "thumbs up" and "lighter grip" techniques. Thanks all.

I think rest is a key, yes thanks, so hard to resist going out though when the conditions are good.
I have tried those video exercises Simondo and they certainly target the the trouble spot. I think they are doing me good.
I really should do these stretches before hitting the surf.

No 1 change your paddle technique or get someone that knows what to look for watch you paddle. No 2 get treatment by Physio with massage and dry needling and the right exercises .You will get a lot better result by fixing the problem early than waiting until it so bad you will not be able to paddle. A brace can also work well.

petedorries said..

Apart from acupuncture trying facing your thumbs UP on the handle
and the shaft[/quote








Thanks for the tip Pete.(and timely for me)Tried it today.For the most part felt it easier not to wrap the bottom hand thumb around the shaft,but keep it to the outside together with the palm.Does this matter?

Ah! I can contribute at last!

Outer elbow = tennis elbow, inner elbow = golfers' elbow. I have both, from doing cleans in the gym for the first time in my life at age 61 about eight months ago. Dope. Then exacerbated from a fall while skiing in January - the first run of the holiday.

It has been quite bad, having to shake hands with my left hand, for instance, and it hurting to pop the top off a beer. (But sometimes you have to get tough.)

I'm fixing it - slowly - by deep needling, massage, stretching and patience. Ok, I don't have the last one. The physio said that anti-inflammatories wouldn't work but I think that Voltaren tabs do work for me.

I didn't cause it by paddling and paddling doesn't make it worse - lifting the board off the roof can do, however. I think that for me paddling makes it a bit better, probably because I'm less stressed - i.e. less muscularly tight - afterwards.

After this long I can probably say the this ain't going to be a few days or even weeks recovery for a not-very-old 52 year old OP. It will take a while.

Re the brace: it may well work a little. I've been getting taped and it looks like this brace does a similar thing. I have a few simpler compression ones and the SUP brace seems as though it will be better. Worth a try, I think.

I'd suggest that 3 hour sessions aren't a good idea, that ice, massage, stretching and heat are all good. Ice to reduce swelling, heat to get the blood flowing fractionally better in the ligament area. For me needling and taping has been effective as well. Cortisone didn't work for me, though it has worked on quite a few other bits of my body.

But I'll stress: I caused this last year, made it worse in January, and have been actively working in it since February. Patience, my friend. I've never broken a bone of any importance, but I've damaged lots of ligaments, and they take lots of time.

The single best thing so far: a 45 minute massage of my forearms. I reluctantly have to admit that deep needling seems to work too.

petedorries said..

MMMmmm I tend to agree at times wether its the paddling or it just exasperates it.
I find acupuncture (and this deep needling works to)

I am paddling fine but in pain after and while resting.
Yep lifting boards, taking shirt on/off, popping the beer top. All annoying pain.

I broke my neck year ago so my pain seems to come from the arthritis associated with this done thru the shoulders.

Another solution I have found s the thickness of your shaft. thinner can help relax the hand more....

hahahahahahahahah u guys!!

WEll I have obviously wasted my time giving the cure for tennis elbow shown to me by one of Australia's leading physio's when I worked in the fitness industry a while ago. Did no one read my post. That's fine, suffer if you must but don't come crying to me cause you've got a hurty elbow.

Love the wheels Ange

Get a ball and stick it into a few of the smaller muscles in the shoulder. If could be referred pain

Stretch and mobilise
Terres Group
Supraspinatus
Peck minor

Also look at posture on the board while paddling might need to work on the rhomboids to help keep your shoulders back and down.

Any other tips for relaxing the grip? I get too pumped up in a race that at about the 2/3rd mark can't even grip the paddle with my left hand (when it's on the bottom). Left is worst but still feel it in the right