Knitter's Elbow Update

My left elbow still hurts like a sucker.  It's far better than it was when I injured it originally, two months ago, but still hurts in most positions.  I'm beginning to think there's a trip to the doctor in order.  A quick recap:

I moved across town, and while moving a mattress with my 17yr old daughter, injured my left elbow.

Nausea-inducing pain arrived 24 hours later, and it was nearly impossible to find a comfortable position.  Naturally, I finished the move anyway.

Once in the new place, I started babying my arm by keeping it in a sling.  This seemed to be the only position guaranteed to induce constant pain.  I abandoned this sling thing after three days.

I waited around for doing nothing about my injury to be enough for it to heal.  I did this for about three weeks.  This was not successful in any way.

I got religious about not using my left arm for any purpose, and began icing 1-2 times per day. 

After about ten days of the above, it started feeling better.  Naturally, I started using it again, "only a little".  This is because I am, at least in part, a total idiot.

About ten days into using it "only a little" it's back to hurting nearly all the time.  I carefully avoid any significant weight bearing with it, I don't drive with it, and I've only knit twice in the last month, but just incidental use (putting on a bra, answering the phone, cooking, washing a pot) is kicking my butt.

I'm going to try keeping it Ace-wrapped all of my waking hours.  Maybe the distraction of it being immobilized at the elbow will be enough to remind me not to use it for even incidental activities.  If not, off to the doc.  It's tough, though.  Have you ever tried to wash the pots from dinner one-handed?  Or cook from scratch?  Or put on pantyhose?  I swear, making a how-to video on life with one functioning arm might be a very profitable venture.  I'll get on it just as soon as I figure out how to get anything done.

Knitter's Elbow

Illustration from WebMD.com

As I've mentioned a couple of times, I've recently moved my home.  I'm only just across town, but it has made a difference in  my world.  The biggest change, knitter's elbow.

If you're not familiar (as I wasn't), it's the same injury they describe as tennis elbow, and no matter what you call it, knitting aggravates it. Caused by inflammation of a tendon connected to forearm muscles, it's a sharp and hobbling pain in the outside of the elbow, in my case on the left side.  I injured my arm moving a mattress a month ago, and reduced my overall activity level significantly in hopes of a speedy recovery.  Not so much.

It's a month later, and my elbow is worse.  I'm impressed at how painful this is!  I was in the grocer yesterday, and reached out for a 14.5 oz can of tomatoes at elbow level with my left arm.  In the two feet of space between the shelf and my cart, I dropped it!  My grip loosened in response to the pain shooting through my arm, and I realized I have more of a problem than I had realized.

As a former personal trainer and licensed massage therapist, I've done a fair amount of studying this phenomenon, and therefore lived blissfully in denial.  To accept that tennis/knitter's elbow is the problem would be to accept that ice, a sling, and (gasp!) no knitting were part of my future.  Obviously denial was preferable.  Not anymore.  I can't cook, open a jar, or do most other things that require two hands.  (You should see me try to drive!)

Have you had or do you have Knitter's Elbow?  If it's keeping you from sleeping, or visibly swollen, red or bruised, see a doctor.  None of the above?  In my athletic experience, with total rest and ice therapy, it can be over within about two weeks when you're lucky, a month to six weeks when you're not.  And if you're not noticing improvement at all after the first two weeks, you need to see your doctor.  There are surgical interventions for this pain when it's not just an inflammation but a tear (or worse) to your tendon.

It's hard to imagine what I'm going to do with no knitting for the next two weeks or more.  The Kindle will get a workout, and I suppose I can go for walks, but that will hardly fill my time.  Maybe it's time to gain a full appreciation of the filmography of Woody Allen.  Or learn French.  I'll let you know what's going on.  Anybody out there in the same boat?  I'm open to suggestions, and to your stories of recovery.