My elbow has been giving me a wee bit of gyp for the last few months so I eventually got it checked out and the problem is tennis elbow.
As i don't play tennis, I reckon it's the casting that's causing the problem.
Any handy hints into what I might be doing wrong? I am a tad wristy, I think that may where the problem comes from.
cheers
Ardbeg
Without having read too much about the condition, the problem looks like it has happened at the right time of year. You need a rest from repetitive motions , first and foremost, so keep off those dodgy websites :).
Once upon a time I used to get a lot of wrist problems and later on, elbow/forearm problems and it is only now that I realise that my dodgy (very wristy) casting was the cause.I have learned a lot more and leaned a bit more towards textbook casting and my old problems have thankfully gone away.
This is food for thought. Once the trout season is done, maybe a Perthshire/Embra casting extravaganza could be an idea? We talked about this before, but maybe this time....
Alex
I've suffered from similar problems over the past few years. I attribute it to a period of a few months where I practiced casting rather a lot.
The main problem, I belive, was not so much the casting but the orientation of my grip. I was experimenting with a 'V-grip' whereby the hand is rotated inwards a bit so that the palm points down at the ground. It's a similar hand position to when using a computer mouse. Casting like that it's easy to use a lot of wrist. I think it puts excessive strain through the tendons in the lower arm and therefore contributed to tennis elbow.
Although it's not a perfect solution, I find that adopting a more traditional 'shake hands' style allows my wrist to more along its natural line of strength. I've no idea what your grip style is, but it might be worth thinking about.
Ta,
mike
Quote from: haresear on September 17, 2010, 02:41:07 AM
This is food for thought. Once the trout season is done, maybe a Perthshire/Embra casting extravaganza could be an idea? We talked about this before, but maybe this time....
A good idea. Personally it's very unlikely I would attend this kind of event during the fishing season for the same reason I would never go to a sexyloops event or the Don event at Castle Forbes and certainly not to game fairs even if they are just along the road. The fishing season is for fishing.There are another 6 months of the year for this kind of stuff.
Count me in, I'll even help organize it. Might be a good overnight hotel event for members with jovial festivities etc. Should really be done in the members only areas of the forum though to keep it from the eyes of 'undesirables'.
I'm afraid ( as a sufferer myself ) that once you've got it it takes ages to sort out. Total abstinence from whatever has caused it is best as it is a repetitive strain type of injury. :shock: Failing that an adjustment of technique is the next best thing. I used to wear a band over the widest part of the forearm to reduce strain on the tendon by limiting the bulge of the muscle. You can get them commercially but a wide strip of elastoplast works just as well - bit painful when you pull it off though :roll:
I have tennis elbow I'm a wood carver and find that the over tight grip was the main problem at one stage I gave up fly fishing completely to preserve my then threatened occupation then gradually came back to river fly fishing changing to only fishing to seen fish and didn't just chuck it and chance it. did the trick I seldom suffer now also changed my carving technique found the injections (cortisone)very painfull in themselves
Tom
I feel your pain Steve, I suffered the same for quite a while and it seemed to be a combination of things that caused it. The main one for me was gripping the rod too tight and trying too hard to cast to the other side of the stockie water I used to frequent. The other things that were contributing were the length and weight of rod, using a 10ft #8 rod with a wf #9 line for 8 hours straight without a break can't be good for the elbow! I dropped down to a 9ft #7 and immediately felt the difference. I doubt however that is your problem as you use a light rod anyway. Fortunately for me my stockie days are behind me and all my kit is 5wt or lighter and I no longer try to cast every yard of line I can.
When it was really bad a tight neoprene elbow strap that went halfway down the forearm helped considerably. But as others have mentioned the only way to get rid of it completely was total abstinence from fishing and having to learn to use my left hand at work for screwdrivers and ratchets etc. I stayed away from the cortizone jags as a couple of my mates have had them with varying degrees of success and I didn't think the pain of the injection was worth it.
Get yourself a decent fitting elbow support, neoprene ones are a bit more expensive but they help keep the area warm and last longer than the elastic ones, oh and stock up on Ibuprofen or Voltarol.
hope you get it sorted soon.
daz
I had it one year. I blamed it on a very powerful 11 ft rod. It was a blessing in disguise as I learned to cast in a basic fashion with my left hand. Have you tried using an extension handle or a switch rod?
I think "tennis elbow" is on the outside of the elbow and "golfers elbow" is on the inside. Over tensioning by tight gripping is usually blamed :( :( Hope it clears up before the Christmas season corkscrew comes out.
The steroids and above all rest should fix it Liam. You have months before the fishing gets going in earnest. Maybe think about lighter gear too. I'm sure it was Alex who told me he had issues due to fishing with heavy rods and lines - in the sea for mullet I think. Get yourself a #4 weight, it's heavy enough for most Scottish fly fishing in fact last time I was in NZ I fished with a #4 Sage Z-Axis most of the time and comfortably handled much bigger trout than you encounter here most of the time.
Quote from: admin on December 07, 2016, 04:21:59 PM
The steroids and above all rest should fix it Liam. You have months before the fishing gets going in earnest. Maybe think about lighter gear too. I'm sure it was Alex who told me he had issues due to fishing with heavy rods and lines - in the sea for mullet I think. Get yourself a #4 weight, it's heavy enough for most Scottish fly fishing in fact last time I was in NZ I fished with a #4 Sage Z-Axis most of the time and comfortably handled much bigger trout than you encounter here most of the time.
it was actually through pike fly fishing for too long one day using heavy gear one day that caused my tennis elbow. I did as you have said, drop down to using #3 and#4 rods of no more than 9 feet and my tennis elbow settled down after a long time.
As it happens I now seem to have golfers elbow too in my left elbow (self-diagnosed) which may be something to do with playing too much guitar with poor technique. I recently changed the length of the guitar straps to to see if this helps change the angle my elbow assumes. I'll try swallowing some Dicloflex anti-inflammitories too to see if that helps.
I'm glad it is my left elbow and not my right as my next and probably final trip to New Zealand is now just over four weeks away :D
Alex
Quote from: haresear on December 07, 2016, 04:53:44 PM
my next and probably final trip to New Zealand is now just over four weeks away :D
slipped that one in nicely, Alex... :wink: :8)
Sometimes you can help both forms of epicondylitis by using some stress point therapy - never really believed it until I tried it. Not a universal panacea but less invasive than steroids. For medial epicondylitis (golfers) turn your palm upwards with your lower arm flat on a table and clench your fist to find the flexor muscle. Once you have found it relax your fist and feel for a "knot" usually about 1 1/2 inches below the elbow and apply direct pressure to it until it relaxes. Still need to use your brace etc as well - I've also found Elements type of brace very helpful. I always thought there might be an element of total BS in this but the concept worked well in horse injuries and my elbows are fine now!
I think you will find extra thickness on the rod handles a help. I have tape on several rods and extra grip tape on all my badminton racquets. It makes quite a difference. Hope the healing process continues.