Sore right elbow/hyper extension

[Toecutter]

Just curious if anyone else has experienced this, my right elbow as of late has been killing me because of the way I'm hitting. I understand the problem and working on the resolution but it creeps back in every now and then. Anyway it feels like I'm hyper extending the right arm at the elbow and definitely causes pain during and after practice. Before anyone jumps on the doctor band wagon I'm not asking for medical advice just seeing if anyone else has dealt with the issue and how they resolved it.

[tango]

Yes.

In the past, I had some soreness in the elbow because I really did have a slight hyperextension... eventually, though, that goes away (in my experience)

But recently (relatively), I had an experience where it felt like my tricep detached from my elbow. I'm still not 100% sure what it was, but I went through about 6 weeks of physical therapy (1x per week) and cut WAY back on what I was doing in practice. It is a nagging injury that is still not completely healed..... and it has been going on for...uhh... let's call it 6 months.

Anyway, the pain is much more manageable now, but clearly, my elbow is not 100%.. On a really good day, I'd say it's about 80ish% .... on a bad day, 50-50.

Either it's going to heal or it won't... I have not gone for an MRI, but that's really what I ought to do.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Are you hyper-extending or is it tennis elbow? Tennis elbow is a common problem in JSA.

[Toecutter]

I'd say mine is about the same, as long as I'm really concentrating on completing the cut then no problem but its been a nagging injury that has been persisting for about the last 4-6 months.

I tore my left bicep in an oidashi practice about a year ago, then re-tore it worse during our regional team tryouts. Never did recover full strength in it and part of the muscle didn't reattach, now I have a lop sided bicep on my left. Anyway the moral of that one for me was don't push it.

[b8amack]

Inside or outside?

[Toecutter]

Are you hyper-extending or is it tennis elbow? Tennis elbow is a common problem in JSA.

I believe its hyper extension, I'm basically snapping my elbow out at the end of my cut. I understand what I'm doing wrong, its been a bad habit for a while now. I've just finally reached the age that all these things add up faster and result in my body protesting versus how long it takes me to remedy the problem.

Inside or outside?

It doesn't feel like an inside or outside thing, its more like the socket itself. If I had to liken it to anything I'd say something like how I would imagine nanny elbow feels?

[jjcruiser]

When mine gets sore I wear a restrictive elbow pad that makes it hard (not impossible) to extend fully. It's a little uncomfortable on my muscles but it seems to help the overextending problem.

[Toecutter]

I have one of those for when I tore my bicep. I haven't tried wearing it but it is enormously uncomfortable and I'm not sure it would prevent the snapping at the end. It would definitely make more more conscious of the problem though so maybe I'll give it a shot.

[b8amack]

It doesn't feel like an inside or outside thing, its more like the socket itself. If I had to liken it to anything I'd say something like how I would imagine nanny elbow feels?

Then I haven't had that. Sorry.

[pgsmith]

Hyperextending your elbow will irritate the tendons connecting to it. If you don't change that you'll do permanent damage, according to my orthopedist. Whenever I have pain flare up in my elbow, I follow the advice from this NY Times article that was pointed out to me several years ago ... http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...-tennis-elbow/

I bought a Thera band flex-bar, and it works pretty well for me.

[DigitalDowntown]

I haven't had much experience with a hyper-extension injury and kendo, but Paul's link to the NY Times article with advice for tendonitis looks very promising. Thanks for the link, Paul!

[philipjsmith]

Might be worth getting an MRI.
Had a similar injury a few years ago and ignored it. Ended up having to have my elbow joint cleaned out surgically due to build up of scar tissue. Would have been prevented by rest in the initial stages of the injury
(P.S. I'm a physiotherapist so should have known better!)

[Toecutter]

That doesn't sound good, it comes and goes so I don't think its something major, but I'll keep that in mind. I think I'll try the brace and the flex bar and see how things go. Today for example it feels like I have a huge knot in my bicep and its sore to open my arm to full extension, but thanks for the advice from everyone.

[pgsmith]

One more little bit that you may want to look at. When I have folks overextending their right elbow, it's usually because they are using too much right arm in their cuts. It takes longer to switch from pushing with the right arm, to pulling for shibori. If you use less right arm in your cuts, it is easier and faster to pull your cut up at the end.

Just a thought and something to look at.

Good luck!

[Alicia]

Hi Toecutter,
I've had this problem for a while now, exactly like you describe. I think it tends to happen to me more often if somebody blocks my cut, like in kakarigeiko if a men cut is deflected unexpectedly. And it really hurts. The first times that it started hurting I took a break for a few weeks to let it settle, and now I am a lot more conscious of trying not to do anything that will aggravate it - still happens too regularly for my liking, but it hasn't got really inflamed since.

As Paul pointed out, it may be to do with me using too much right arm, although I think now I've started having problems with my elbow it is aggravated more easily anyway, even if I can fix that problem. Anyway, no helpful advice from me sorry, just wanted to send my commiserations on an irritating injury!