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5:00 am
March 21, 2011
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I've had a bout of bursitis (elbow) recently. I got it drained today and had a cortisone injection. No hammering for a while.
Has anyone else suffered this? How did you get rid of it?
9:29 pm
NWBA Member
April 19, 2010
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Tom: Not knowing your circumstances I'm taking a shot in the dark here, but it may be time to get help with the body mechanics involved with swinging a hammer. I'm NOT a very good artist or blacksmith,but body mechanics were still part of one's training when I served my horseshoeing apprenticeship in Riley, Kansas in the 60's.
Maybe some discussion here on the subject?
1:16 am
March 21, 2011
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I appreciate the thought, Eric. My hunch is that this has more to do with accumulative wear than with hammering form. I haven't even been at the forge for a month. OTOH, I've been a carpenter for 30 years (though again, no hammering recently) and I've put a lot of wear on my body over the years.
But if you've had bursitis before and had a quick recovery then I'm all ears. For now it's ice, anti-inflammatories and rest.
2:30 am
March 18, 2010
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Can you spell "power hammer"?
“There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot,
but then there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence,
transform a yellow spot into the sun.” ~ Pablo Picasso ~
2:50 am
NWBA Member
August 7, 2010
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Good Morning,
There was a note from a member (I think New York State) who may have been a Doctor/Physio person, who made a recommendation that I have followed.
Take an elastic band (I use one that comes on brocolli), put it around your finger tips and stretch the elastic band with your fingers going outwards. Do this and hold the fingers for a few seconds and then relax. Do it a bunch of times, stop if it hurts. Put the elastic band in your pocket (I use it to hold my wallet shut). Do it again when you remember. Keep doing it off an on during the day (when you aren't doing something else). Don't make a big procedure out of it, just do it like when nobody is looking.
The explanation that was told is that by doing this you are exercising the muscles in the opposite direction as to what caused your "Tennis Elbow". There is no short cut, you must allow the muscles to cure themselves. Let them relax!!! If it hurts, STOP DOING WHAT MAKES THE ARM HURT.:p
Nuther Fyne Dai above the dirt.
As long as we are above our shoes, We know where we are.:happy:
3:16 am
June 10, 2010
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I believe Bursitis is a bit different than tennis elbow, something that I suffer from occasionally. What really helps me is a brace call "Bandit" http://www.elbowpain.com/Elbow.....upport.htm. It pays to have a pro show you how to put it on, so it is doing what it is suppose to do. I certainly allowed me to continue working although carefully. I'm not sure if this would be a help with Bursitis but might be worth asking, or possibly there is another brace, The bandit is many times better than the old elastic sleeve.
2:26 pm
NWBA Member
September 25, 2010
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OK, so since this may be germane to my use of the hobby some day. I looked both up.
Tennis Elbow is an issue with the Common Extensor Tenon which rides the outside of the elbow. Repetitive motion can cause this and it used to be mostly associated with over exertion, but it has been shown to be more of a sudden movement induced injury involving micro and macro tears of the tenon and tenon cuff. A pressure bandage of some sort can help.
Bursitis is an inflammation of the Bursae, which is responsible for making any muscle/Tenon movement over bone as friction free as possible. If it isn't infected, it can be addressed with rest (most important), ice and anti-inflammatories/pain killers. A pressure bandage of any sort will just make it worse as it is an issue of friction in the first place and the pressure would make it worse.
Not a doctor, just good with Google. 😀
Regards,
Tim
Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.
Mark Twain
6:44 pm
March 21, 2011
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Daryl;12443 wrote: I believe Bursitis is a bit different than tennis elbow, something that I suffer from occasionally. What really helps me is a brace call "Bandit" http://www.elbowpain.com/Elbow.....upport.htm.
I've used one of those for tennis elbow before, too. It helped. But this is bursitis.
7:45 pm
January 18, 2011
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I use an off the wall pain medication to help with that part of it.....at least in summer time......I catch a honeybee in a small container with holes it the top, blow in whatever smoke I happen to have on hand to make the bee groggy, open the top and grab a wing with a hemostat, then place the bee where the pain is in order to be stung......Seriously.....It helps me.....
There are plenty of ways to get bee venom that aren't near as much fun. Cortisone shots ain't a pleasure, plus cortisone has bad side effects.....Not forgetting that people who are allergic to bees are excluded....
- Honeybee Therapy » Products
http://www.honeybeetherapy.com/products -
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
— Dr. Seuss
9:13 pm
NWBA Member
September 25, 2010
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Bruce Macmillan;12448 wrote: I use an off the wall pain medication to help with that part of it.....at least in summer time......I catch a honeybee in a small container with holes it the top, blow in whatever smoke I happen to have on hand to make the bee groggy, open the top and grab a wing with a hemostat, then place the bee where the pain is in order to be stung......Seriously.....It helps me.....
There are plenty of ways to get bee venom that aren't near as much fun but cortisone shots ain't a pleasure either, plus cortisone has bad side effects.....Not forgetting that people who are allergic to bees are excluded....
Bruce,
I have a friend in Ohio with MS, who swears by the bee stings for her hands to work better for week or even months at a time. 😀
Regards,
Tim
Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.
Mark Twain
1:30 am
NWBA Member
March 22, 2011
Offline
Hello all, as a full time Physical Therapist with 12 years of orthopedic experience, here's my 2 cents worth (and I realize that with inflation, that may not be much).
A common cause of bursitis is when muscles, tendons, or other soft tissue structures are too tight and this coupled with repetitive use causes friction on the bursa which could get inflammed.
The first aid response to swelling is R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compress and elevate). Inflammation is a mild, sometimes chronic form of swelling (thus the icing and elbow bads helping sometimes). Tylenol, Aleve, etc are in a class of drugs called NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory DrugS), cortisone is a steroid, a much stronger anti-inflammatory (and the injection put the med right where it needed to be instead of circulating through the blood stream.
How to get rid of it is to let it heal, gradually increase the use as your tissues tolerate, stop when it hurts (think making inflammation worse), and ice when it hurts (ice is nature's anti-inflammatory). I'd reccommend seeing a PT for an evaluation. A good PT will be able to determine if there's an imbalance in your muscles (where you were going, Neil G), will be able to tell if some structures are too tight, and give you the appropriate exercises to stretch the tight stuff and strengthen the relatively weak stuff.
Neil may have the right idea, but without evaluating the arm, I'd be hesitant to say that it's a good idea for sure. Remeber, if it hurts, don't do it. And forget the saying, "No pain, no gain".
good luck
-billyO
as always
peace and love
billyO
2:23 am
March 21, 2011
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Thanks, Billy.
3:36 pm
NWBA Member
March 22, 2011
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Hopefully it was helpful, Tom. Feel free to let me know if I can answer any other questions. I'm always willing to give unsolicited advice, but having some direction helps.
as always
peace and love
billyO
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