After a recent 3hr Sup session i discovered both inner elbows were a bit sore and have stayed tender for a week now.
No pain when doing normal stuff around the house, only apparent when i go to lift something with a bit of weight in it.
I had not had issues before since taking up SUP about 18mths ago.
I am 52, so i suspect some tendonitis and probably just need to rest it for a while.
Has anyone else had issues and a perhaps a magic remedy?
and had anyone tried this elbow brace?
www.supertenniselbowbrace.com/home/stand-up-paddle-boarder-s-elbow
Thanks
Select to expand quotepaul.j said..
And relax your hands while you paddle, try to never grip tight.
Bingo! ^
First;
Tennis Elbow is related to "gripping" and even "gripping too hard" or "over gripping". You can paddle hard whilst barely even applying any "grip" with the hands.
Solution;
Top Hand - you can have the paddle in you palm and fingers out doing a "high five"! 
Zero grip on top hand.
Bottom Hand - can just curl the finger tips over the shaft, and it's not really "gripping"...
Second;
The problem you could also have is applying too much "canoe" action on the bottom elbow... Using the bottom elbow. You can effectively paddle with straight(ish) elbows. Also see several of Dave Kalama's paddle technique videos. Browse around here: www.davidkalama.com
Third;
Failing all that, you might just be succumbing to old age! Sorry! 
Haha, the guy in the SuperTennisElbow video has bad technique!
I'd work on your technique first. Plus massage... Maybe someone can tell you about massage... I thing a light warm-up massage of the elbow and surrounding muscles. Plus continued massages in the evening and next morning. It helps blood flow, and should help healing, etc.
Mac62 can probably tell you about Muscle Tear & Repair. He's been powering up lately!
I had great relief using the THERMO SKIN Elbow Strap.Apparently it changes the angle of the tendons as it attaches to the bone.
Select to expand quoteSimondo said..paul.j said..
And relax your hands while you paddle, try to never grip tight.
Bingo! ^
First;
Tennis Elbow is related to "gripping" and even "gripping too hard" or "over gripping". You can paddle hard whilst barely even applying any "grip" with the hands.
Solution;
Top Hand - you can have the paddle in you palm and fingers out doing a "high five"! Zero grip on top hand.
Bottom Hand - can just curl the finger tips over the shaft, and it's not really "gripping"...
Second;
The problem you could also have is applying too much "canoe" action on the bottom elbow... Using the bottom elbow. You can effectively paddle with straight(ish) elbows. Also see several of Dave Kalama's paddle technique videos. Browse around here: www.davidkalama.com
Third;
Failing all that, you might just be succumbing to old age! Sorry!
Select to expand quoteSimondo said..paul.j said..
And relax your hands while you paddle, try to never grip tight.
Bingo! ^
First;
Tennis Elbow is related to "gripping" and even "gripping too hard" or "over gripping". You can paddle hard whilst barely even applying any "grip" with the hands.
Solution;
Top Hand - you can have the paddle in you palm and fingers out doing a "high five"! Zero grip on top hand.
Bottom Hand - can just curl the finger tips over the shaft, and it's not really "gripping"...
Second;
The problem you could also have is applying too much "canoe" action on the bottom elbow... Using the bottom elbow. You can effectively paddle with straight(ish) elbows. Also see several of Dave Kalama's paddle technique videos. Browse around here: www.davidkalama.com
Third;
Failing all that, you might just be succumbing to old age! Sorry! Select to expand quoteSimondo said..paul.j said..
And relax your hands while you paddle, try to never grip tight.
Bingo! ^
First;
Tennis Elbow is related to "gripping" and even "gripping too hard" or "over gripping". You can paddle hard whilst barely even applying any "grip" with the hands.
Solution;
Top Hand - you can have the paddle in you palm and fingers out doing a "high five"! Zero grip on top hand.
Bottom Hand - can just curl the finger tips over the shaft, and it's not really "gripping"...
Second;
The problem you could also have is applying too much "canoe" action on the bottom elbow... Using the bottom elbow. You can effectively paddle with straight(ish) elbows. Also see several of Dave Kalama's paddle technique videos. Browse around here: www.davidkalama.com
Third;
Failing all that, you might just be succumbing to old age! Sorry!
Thanks for agreeing with Jacko. As I COACH him and am the one that has him on this path you can still get tennis elbow even having a perfect technique with a loose grip.
Yes the original author could have bad technique but until sighting him who would know.
Jungleman, as stated, have your thumb pointed slightly up. This rolls your elbow in such a way that it takes the stress off the tendons in that area, as PT has said above.
You do have to rest though and let the inflammation recede. Then have someone look at your technique
Yeah I have got the same thing but only on the left elbow. Had it for a few weeks now and have tried stretches and massage on affected area. Does not help recovery when I go SUP'ing 2-3 times a week and just put up with it.
Have changed the way I lift SUP onto vehicle and have not sailboarded for 3 weeks. Rest is a great cure but would prefer not to do so.
I will now try the "thumbs up" and "lighter grip" techniques. Thanks all.
Danny Ching also had a good tip to avioding 'gripping'.
'Pinkies off' - i.e. raise your small fingers off the paddle like you're holdig a dainty tea cup when paddling.
I think rest is a key, yes thanks, so hard to resist going out though when the conditions are good.
I have tried those video exercises Simondo and they certainly target the the trouble spot. I think they are doing me good.
I really should do these stretches before hitting the surf.
A lot of good advise but here is the cure. You will find the the front or back of the elbow is connected to the wrist,hand and fingers.By curling the fingers inward and sometimes contorting them, bend the wrist inward pushing hard with the other hand until you find the spot that really hurts the inflamed place on the elbow.
When you have found this spot push as hard as you can to stretch it out and yes it does hurt. Continue to do this as often as you can and if you are hitting the spot where the inflammation is, it should be gone in a few days.
Also a bit of advise for sore or frozen shoulder is to do a dip from a bench and slowly lower yourself with hands on the bench behind you. If you are not familiar with a dip look it up. Once again you must find the spot and work slowly through that spot.
I have absolutely no qualifications for this advise but is just something that I have learned over the years that has worked for me and others.
No 1 change your paddle technique or get someone that knows what to look for watch you paddle. No 2 get treatment by Physio with massage and dry needling and the right exercises .You will get a lot better result by fixing the problem early than waiting until it so bad you will not be able to paddle. A brace can also work well.
I bought my first SUPs a few months ago. I then went crazy, doing a heap of paddling and loved it. Then I noticed I had developed really bad "Golfer's Elbow".
It is called "tennis elbow" or lateral epicondylitis when there is an injury to the outer elbow tendon
It is called "golfer's elbow" or medial epicondylitis when there is an injury to the inner elbow tendon
I have now not paddled for about 6 weeks and recovery is proving very slow. I have heard these injuries do take a while to heal and I am not going to rush it. I don't want to end my SUP career before it starts!
Cautionary tale. Take it easy and don't go out and start doing numerous 10-20km paddles and surfing for hours soon after you get your first SUP!
Select to expand quotepetedorries said..
Apart from acupuncture trying facing your thumbs UP on the handle
and the shaft[/quote
Thanks for the tip Pete.(and timely for me)Tried it today.For the most part felt it easier not to wrap the bottom hand thumb around the shaft,but keep it to the outside together with the palm.Does this matter?
Select to expand quotejazbelle said..petedorries said..
Apart from acupuncture trying facing your thumbs UP on the handle
and the shaft[/quote
Thanks for the tip Pete.(and timely for me)Tried it today.For the most part felt it easier not to wrap the bottom hand thumb around the shaft,but keep it to the outside together with the palm.Does this matter?
No.
Experiment with the positioning of the thumb. You can paddle along and feel if its straining on the elbow/arm/biceps.
As stated above lots of surfing can be a problem. Bummmmmmer
Ah! I can contribute at last!
Outer elbow = tennis elbow, inner elbow = golfers' elbow. I have both, from doing cleans in the gym for the first time in my life at age 61 about eight months ago. Dope. Then exacerbated from a fall while skiing in January - the first run of the holiday.
It has been quite bad, having to shake hands with my left hand, for instance, and it hurting to pop the top off a beer. (But sometimes you have to get tough.)
I'm fixing it - slowly - by deep needling, massage, stretching and patience. Ok, I don't have the last one. The physio said that anti-inflammatories wouldn't work but I think that Voltaren tabs do work for me.
I didn't cause it by paddling and paddling doesn't make it worse - lifting the board off the roof can do, however. I think that for me paddling makes it a bit better, probably because I'm less stressed - i.e. less muscularly tight - afterwards.
After this long I can probably say the this ain't going to be a few days or even weeks recovery for a not-very-old 52 year old OP. It will take a while.
Re the brace: it may well work a little. I've been getting taped and it looks like this brace does a similar thing. I have a few simpler compression ones and the SUP brace seems as though it will be better. Worth a try, I think.
I'd suggest that 3 hour sessions aren't a good idea, that ice, massage, stretching and heat are all good. Ice to reduce swelling, heat to get the blood flowing fractionally better in the ligament area. For me needling and taping has been effective as well. Cortisone didn't work for me, though it has worked on quite a few other bits of my body.
But I'll stress: I caused this last year, made it worse in January, and have been actively working in it since February. Patience, my friend. I've never broken a bone of any importance, but I've damaged lots of ligaments, and they take lots of time.
The single best thing so far: a 45 minute massage of my forearms. I reluctantly have to admit that deep needling seems to work too.
MMMmmm I tend to agree at times wether its the paddling or it just exasperates it.
I find acupuncture (and this deep needling works to)
I am paddling fine but in pain after and while resting.
Yep lifting boards, taking shirt on/off, popping the beer top. All annoying pain.
I broke my neck year ago so my pain seems to come from the arthritis associated with this done thru the shoulders.
Another solution I have found s the thickness of your shaft. thinner can help relax the hand more....
Select to expand quotepetedorries said..
MMMmmm I tend to agree at times wether its the paddling or it just exasperates it.
I find acupuncture (and this deep needling works to)
I am paddling fine but in pain after and while resting.
Yep lifting boards, taking shirt on/off, popping the beer top. All annoying pain.
I broke my neck year ago so my pain seems to come from the arthritis associated with this done thru the shoulders.
Another solution I have found s the thickness of your shaft. thinner can help relax the hand more....
hahahahahahahahah u guys!!
WEll I have obviously wasted my time giving the cure for tennis elbow shown to me by one of Australia's leading physio's when I worked in the fitness industry a while ago. Did no one read my post. That's fine, suffer if you must but don't come crying to me cause you've got a hurty elbow.
Select to expand quoterockmagnet said..
WEll I have obviously wasted my time giving the cure for tennis elbow shown to me by one of Australia's leading physio's when I worked in the fitness industry a while ago. Did no one read my post. That's fine, suffer if you must but don't come crying to me cause you've got a hurty elbow. Calm down Rockmagnet! I'm pretty sure lots of people have read your post. And why do you assume nobody read it...?
PS - funny Ange!
Topical: Reading Robert Stehlik's web page just now
"Double Bend Update 3/1/11: I received a double bend Werner paddle about a month ago and have been using and testing it since. Although the paddle does not seem to make me faster, I have noticed that my sore "tennis elbow" seems to bother me less after paddling with the bent shaft vs. straight shaft."
Rockmagnet, I think that's part of the treatment, but - particularly for someone only ten years younger than me - it's not going to be a quick fix. And your post helped me, by the way. :)
Also, there are two different problems being talked about here, tennis elbow and golfers' elbow. Similar but different. The cause could be the same, however, over-use in Jungleman's case, simple dumbness in my case.
Get a ball and stick it into a few of the smaller muscles in the shoulder. If could be referred pain
Stretch and mobilise
Terres Group
Supraspinatus
Peck minor
Also look at posture on the board while paddling might need to work on the rhomboids to help keep your shoulders back and down.
hey rock magnet...im really keen to try yr method..can u put up a short video so i know im doing it right
cheers tony
Any other tips for relaxing the grip? I get too pumped up in a race that at about the 2/3rd mark can't even grip the paddle with my left hand (when it's on the bottom). Left is worst but still feel it in the right
Select to expand quotedralyagmas said..
Any other tips for relaxing the grip? I get too pumped up in a race that at about the 2/3rd mark can't even grip the paddle with my left hand (when it's on the bottom). Left is worst but still feel it in the right
Practice! Focus on relaxing your hands all the time when training, the more you do it, the better the body will remember to do it automatically.
Most people will tense up more in a race than when training, that's only natural when your focus is getting to the finish line as fast as possible rather than thinking about the most efficient way to get there. But if you over exaggerate with different drills in training (eg. letting go of the bottom hand on the recovery phase, thumbs up as Pete said, keeping fingers straight/uncurled on top hand so weight is transferred through your palm alone etc.) then what currently feels relaxed will gradually become habit, what's currently 'normal' will be your 'pumped up' race technique, and you'll stop reaching that point that's unbearable.
It may not come naturally at first, but learning to relax (hands, feet, hips, shoulders etc) will be one of the most, if not the most, beneficial things you can do to improve your paddling.
Also...
When you say the pain is in your bottom hand... are you pulling the blade towards you with your bottom hand? Try leaning your weight onto your top hand ie. pushing the blade down (vertical movement) rather than pulling it backwards (horizontal movement). Even though you're putting the force vertically through the paddle, as the paddle moves downward it will propel the board forwards towards the paddle rather than pulling the paddle back towards the board. This should ease the pressure on your bottom hand (it can then be used to stabilise the paddle and stop it sliding from side to side) and make your paddling both easier and more efficient.
Hope this helps 
