Medical Advice

[paul253]

So kind of a weird question here but I was wondering if anyone here would be able to give me some medical advice. Here is my issue:

 

I played baseball starting at probably about 7 years old all the way through my senior year in high school. When I was in the 8th grade, I started experiencing pain in my right (throwing) elbow. It basically hurts right in them elbow, kind of in the back outside part of the elbow. It starts to hurt if I throw for too long or too hard. And it hurts A LOT if I throw too much. I remember after a few high school games it hurt so much I could barely hold my arm up, and that is when I played outfield. It's not like I was pitching or anything. For some reason, I never said anything to anyone and I just played through it. I stopped playing baseball after high school but still have the problem when I play softball. I'm kind of debating asking a doctor about it but to be honest I don't really want to do any sort of serious treatment because it only affects me when I play softball and I have played through it for 15 years and have no problem continuing to play through it. I'm just really curious what the problem is because I know it isn't normal. Does anyone have any ideas?

[Nottso]

Sounds like "Tennis Elbow" (simple tendonitis). I've had it for over 30 years. Go to your local pharmacy and ask about a "pillow" or brace for it. It's just an elastic band that goes around your arm with a little plastic air pillow that rests against the sore spot, somehow supporting the tendon. You wear it when doing activities that cause it to hurt. I've used them with mixed results. I think they cost about 8 or 10 bucks, and it certainly can't do any harm.

 

Barring that, you should sacrifice a live chicken.

[DuWayne Steurer]

if it's on the outside point of your elbow, it's almost assuredly tendonitis, or as nottso said, tennis elbow.

 

The simple solution is to get a tennis elbow brace. It's just a velcro strap that goes over the biggest part of the muscle on your forearm. Your doc would probably do the same thing.

 

They might also do a cortisone shot.

 

Ibuprofen (or any other NSAID) should help as well. Naproxin works really well, but tends to give you dry mouth.

[Hammer]

Agree with the "live chicken". Seriously though, make sure to take some sort of anti-inflammatory before and after your game (Ibuprofen works for me). Also, get a refillable soft ice bag to use after the game. Will you feel like an old man the first time you do it? Yes. I have been doing this since I was in my mid twenties because like you, I never went to see a Dr. when I should have. It could be something more than tennis elbow but if you keep the inflammation down (like the rest of the time it doesn't hurt) you will much more comfy.

[dadofandrew]

If it only hurts when you play softball, I can't believe it's much more serious than tennis elbow. People with serious injuries, like rotator cuff tears, can't even shampoo their own hair.

[Marc Newfield of Dreams]

Do you feel any numbness or tingling in your hands when you throw? I had elbow pain and tingling while playing softball my freshman year of college, and had it checked out. Turned out it was a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. Since I wasn't a real athlete, I just had to shut it down for 6 weeks.

[paul253]

I guess I have gotten a little tingling every now and then. Shutting down hasn't worked much though. I've taken months off at a time and the first time I throw again I'll have the same problem.

[JonnyLungs]

Your history sounds about the same as my own. At 15 years old my elbow popped in a game (that I was pitching on short rest) and I pretty much stunk the rest of the year. After that it was the same story. Rest it over the offseason, come back and all the early season throwing would just make it feel like jello. I ate ibuprofen like candy.

 

Same way now that I'm just playing softball once a week. Last year was probably my first pain free year though. Really, I just started dialing back my throws. If I put everything into a throw, I usually end up airmailing it and experiencing numbing pain throughout my whole forearm. So now I just kind of toss back to the cutoff man. Faster guys can take an extra base on me I guess but they'd probably get two extra bases when I airmail a throw.

[Marc Newfield of Dreams]

I guess I have gotten a little tingling every now and then. Shutting down hasn't worked much though. I've taken months off at a time and the first time I throw again I'll have the same problem.

I'm guessing it's probably tendinitis then. The tingling would happen every time I threw, and it was because the ligament was hitting a nerve. If I really dial it up without properly warming up I'll still feel it, but not nearly as bad as before.