[TheForge] elbow

[Phlip]

OK, guys, I've been kinda staying out of this- been busy workuing on my
smithing trailer- but, having torn up every joint in my body at one poibnt
or another, I do know about this, a bit.

"Tennis elbow" depending on who you talk to, is sometimes labeled
"bursitis", sometimes labeled "tendonitis". Either means in inflammation of
the bursa (bursitis- a bursa is a small pocket of synovial fluid used to
ease the rubbing of tendons over bones) or an inflammation of a tendon
(tendonitis- less likely to occur, but they're the attachment line between
the muscle and the bone).

In either case, you've hurt something, and it's bitching and trying to heal,
which is why it's inflamed and hurting. Your best bet is to go easy on it
and let it heal. After the first three days, where it ought to be kept cool
(to reduce the inflammation), you need to keep it warm (to help the blood
get to it with healing stuph) and unstressed. Once it's pretty well healed
of the last damage you've done ;-) you can look at strengthening the joint
and associated parts with exercise- this is where the rehab therapist comes
in.

The first part of rehabbing a joint is to keep it flexible- totally not
moving it will reduce its ability to function. The second part is moving
from merely keeping it flexible into strengthening it, and the third part of
rehabbing a joint is to strengthen it in the weak area which blew out in the
first place.

If you're going to try to do this yourself, you need to do the same sorts of
things. Whatever you do, don't push it into pain- soreness is OK, you're
either strengthening muscles and associated parts, or bringing them back to
full usage, but if you cause yourself pain, you're doing more damage, thus
lengthening the healing process.

I'm willing to bet that what you did in the first place was overdo- you had
a project and ignored your body signals because you were so into your
project. Now, you're paying. from here on out, you're going to have to move
slowly. Use a lighter hammer, make sure you've got a comfortable grip, and
quit when you need to. YTou cn actually do a pretty fair amount of smithing
if you rest frequently. Gradually, as you work into what you're doing, your
joint strength will start to match your muscular strength, and you'll be
less susceptible to injury.



Phlip

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....