tennis elbow and other RSIs

[steponmebbbboom]

hello, i am looking for advice on prevention/coping strategies. i suspect i have the beginnings of a repetitive strain injury on my hammer arm. take your right arm, wrap it around your stomach and place your palm on your stomach, at the elbow there should be a point facing forward. there is a thin line of tenderness extending from that point about an inch toward my hand. i dont think im gripping my hammer excessively hard. this has developed after an uncharacteristically long production run. thanks.

[Glenn]

What size hammer are you using?
Show us a photo of your hand grip on the hammer.

uncharacteristically long production run

Quit before you get tired. It is usually not so important that it can not be done in 2, 3, or more short sessions. If the client says it is important, charge them for the week off work recovering from the injury and it will magically become much less important.

[JohnW]

Heck, I don't know. Maybe choke up more on your hammer. Get a heavier hammer and choke up more. Use fullers, flatters, etc. Have your wife, or son strike for you.

[Rich Hale]

Good body mechanics make for less strain..keep your tyumb off the top of your hammer handle, relax your grip and keep your elbow in close to your ribs are only a few things that may help .Once you have an injury it is usuall not something you can work through and make it go away See a specialist in sports medicie . They know how to treat and how to rehab if needed. I had a shoulder repair by a Dr that does a shoulder or knee almost everday.

[Ice Czar]

BP1001 Hofi Hammer Technique
BP1002 Hofi Hammer Technique

[ThomasPowers]

Don't say week off say 6 months off! Nothing like pain to tell you you have been doing it wrong.

Don't try to work through the pain it just makes it WORSE!

[steponmebbbboom]

great discussion. thanks guys. glenn and rich, see attached picture for holding technique. i believe mine is currently a #3, i found the #2 french transmitted too much shock up the handle for how hard i had to hit it. johnw, id love to. see sig line. czar, thanks for the blueprints, will study. perhaps proper throwing technique will allow a smaller hammer. tom, will definitely see a specialist, perhaps some of you can weigh-in with experiences as/re sports medicine/therapy. would not want to cause any permanent damage. again many thanks.

[steponmebbbboom]

by the way guys, i call dibs on said attached picture for an avatar once my year of mourning is up. ROFL.

[skunkriv]

One exercise for prevention I have heard is this. Take a fat rubber band, like some produce is bundled with (asparagus? not sure, I don't eat it). Touch the fingers and thumb of one hand all together. Place the rubber band around them at the base of your fingernails. Open your hand, repeat repeat. You will feel where it is working the muscles.

Sound strange? Extend your arm and wiggle your fingers. You can see the muscles/tendons working right near the elbow where bbboom is saying he has his pain.

[julian]

like skunk suggested, exercise the hammer muscles in your arm before you overwork them. If you're putting too much force on muscles that can't handle the weight, other parts/tendons will try and do the work, which will mess things up. It took me a few months to get used to using my "hammer muscles" when I first started out, and lifting weights/working out has helped a ton as well.