Bohi question

[jeremy]

17 minutes ago, mas4t0 said:

 

Have you been under the care of a physiotherapist and sports doctor?

 

Depending on your strength level, a flexbar might be all you need to fix tennis elbow. If that's not enough, a loadable leverage bar/ Thor's hammer weeks be the next step.

 

This is exactly why higher volume and higher rep ranges isn't recommended.

 

You get poorer strength gains and repetitive strain problems.

 

Rest and then low volume with higher weight.

 

Its the mostly likely thing to fix your tendonitis.

 

Read Starting Strength ASAP.

I've tried almost everything including the flexibars, blue and green . Physiotherapy and peptide injections,  massage etc. It's actually cost me ALOT of money to try these therapies, all to no avail. The only thing that has allowed my tendon issues to subside is rest and time. I'll be trying the exercises you have mentioned,  lower reps and higher weight.  I also have a 1500 gram suburito,  any exercise recommendations for incorporating that into to training? I stopped using it years ago because of my tendon issues . Thanks again for all the feedback !

Edited January 29, 2022 by jeremy
Mistyped

[jeremy]

14 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Id take up swimming to.

I've been swimming once a week since it's summer here, it's actually good for my joints,  little to no pressure on my elbows and great cardio!

[mas4t0]

10 hours ago, jeremy said:

I've tried almost everything including the flexibars, blue and green . Physiotherapy and peptide injections,  massage etc. It's actually cost me ALOT of money to try these therapies, all to no avail. The only thing that has allowed my tendon issues to subside is rest and time. I'll be trying the exercises to mention,  lower reps and higher weight.  I also have a 1500 gram suburito,  any exercise recommendations for incorporating that into to training? I stopped using it years ago because of my tendon issues . Thanks again for all the feedback !

 

No.

 

If the flexbar didn't help, it's because you're already too strong for it, a lever bar for low reps might still help.

 

All your suburito is good for right now is exacerbating your tendonitis.

 

You want a barbell and someone competent to teach you how to use it.

 

Avoid weight machines too.

 

At 40, if you're getting overuse injuries which weren't a problem when you were younger and you've maintained a similar activity level...

 

It might be worth asking your doctor to take some blood tests to check your testosterone levels. If your testosterone levels are low, testosterone replacement therapy could be life changing.

[Katsujinken]

Tennis elbow and joint problems in the upper body within the context of swordsmanship signal that the lower body is not sufficiently connected. 
 

No upper body conditioning on its own is sufficient to prevent injury from overuse when you’re swinging a 30+ inch length of steel thousands

of times at speed. Even aluminum iaito can cause problems over time if the lower body and tanden are not sufficiently engaged. 
 

Slow, loaded suburi with a 3-4 pound  tanrenbo should be part any sword curriculum, not to build pure upper body strength, but rather to teach the body to use the lower body for power generation. With a base level of appropriate conditioning (for swordsmanship) the upper body transmits power. This is a massive oversimplification of course—I’m just sharing some concepts that I hope contribute to the thread. 
 

And the flexbar is an amazing thing! Highly recommended for tennis elbow. 
 

Edit: when used properly a suburito/tanrenbo will not cause tendinitis. But as Mark has intimated, you do need a foundational level of strength and overall joint health. I wouldn’t work with the tanrenbo until the joint problems are better. Feel free to PM me in the future and I can recommend some resources. 

[mas4t0]

@jeremy,

 

I'm sure this will all have been covered by your physiotherapist, but how you use your arms and hands contributes to the tendonitis.

 

Have you been able to isolate the root cause?

 

An occupational therapist might also be able to help determine if it's caused by one of your normal day to day activities, and suggest a solution.

 

If you'd developed tendonitis while starting a strength training programme, we'd usually bet the root cause to be where you're positioning the bar (during the squat) and how you're gripping it.

 

From the variety of issues, it sounds like you have insufficient overall upper body strength or are utilising the joints and muscles of your upper body incorrectly.

 

The main aim of the leverage bar and flexbar is to train neglected muscles. If these muscles are not used for certain movements, other muscles compensate (as best they can) and in so doing, exert undesirable forces on the joints.

 

As with kinetic linking; mobility, flexibility, strength and coordination are all vitally important. A lack of adequate muscle flexibility for instance can cause the tendon to be regularly sprained; all the factors are important.

 

The best approach is to tackle all these things and become a better overall athlete.

 

To better understand the problem take a look at these videos:

 

 

 

 

[mas4t0]

Reading this back, it occurs to me that there's likey some confusion over what's meant by strength training, weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman, etc.

 

They are not bodybuilding and are all focused on strength rather than aesthetics.

 

The vast majority of professional athletes lift weights as a key part of their strength and conditioning training, especially in the USA, but this does not make them strength athletes.

 

Explained in more detail here:

 

 

[jeremy]

7 hours ago, mas4t0 said:

@jeremy,

 

I'm sure this will all have been covered by your physiotherapist, but how you use your arms and hands contributes to the tendonitis.

 

Have you been able to isolate the root cause?

 

An occupational therapist might also be able to help determine if it's caused by one of your normal day to day activities, and suggest a solution.

 

If you'd developed tendonitis while starting a strength training programme, we'd usually bet the root cause to be where you're positioning the bar (during the squat) and how you're gripping it.

 

From the variety of issues, it sounds like you have insufficient overall upper body strength or are utilising the joints and muscles of your upper body incorrectly.

 

The main aim of the leverage bar and flexbar is to train neglected muscles. If these muscles are not used for certain movements, other muscles compensate (as best they can) and in so doing, exert undesirable forces on the joints.

 

As with kinetic linking; mobility, flexibility, strength and coordination are all vitally important. A lack of adequate muscle flexibility for instance can cause the tendon to be regularly sprained; all the factors are important.

 

The best approach is to tackle all these things and become a better overall athlete.

 

To better understand the problem take a look at these videos:

 

 

 

 

The problem is bit bicep tendonitis , it's distal bicep tendonitis, it's harder to treat than bicep tendonitis.  The exercises I have been given treat golfers elbow but exacerbate the distal bicep tendonitis.  Thanks for the videos . I'll go through them today. 

[mas4t0]

1 hour ago, jeremy said:

The problem is bit bicep tendonitis , it's distal bicep tendonitis, it's harder to treat than bicep tendonitis.  The exercises I have been given treat golfers elbow but exacerbate the distal bicep tendonitis.  Thanks for the videos . I'll go through them today. 

 

Did you get to the root of what was causing the distal biceps tendonitis?

 

Are you (for instance) holding heavy loads isometrically, lowering heavy loads eccentrically or otherwise using the biceps extensively in your daily activities in a way which would cause excessive wear and tear?

 

Inflammation of tendons is generally the result of micro tears and sprains of the tendon. The solution is generally to rest and fully recover and then gradually build strength through suitable strength training.

 

That would involve starting out with light weights and learning perfect form, then incrementally increasing the weight while ensuring to maintain perfect form and get adequate rest. 

 

Were you discharged from the care of the physiotherapist without the problems being addressed or any referrals being made, such as to an exercise physiologist?

[jeremy]

9 hours ago, mas4t0 said:

 

Did you get to the root of what was causing the distal biceps tendonitis?

 

Are you (for instance) holding heavy loads isometrically, lowering heavy loads eccentrically or otherwise using the biceps extensively in your daily activities in a way which would cause excessive wear and tear?

 

Inflammation of tendons is generally the result of micro tears and sprains of the tendon. The solution is generally to rest and fully recover and then gradually build strength through suitable strength training.

 

That would involve starting out with light weights and learning perfect form, then incrementally increasing the weight while ensuring to maintain perfect form and get adequate rest. 

 

Were you discharged from the care of the physiotherapist without the problems being addressed or any referrals being made, such as to an exercise 

I first came down with distal biceps tendonitis when I did a biceps curl with my resistance bands last year in June/July when it was freezing cold weather and I don't think I had warmed up enough  . I stopped physio with all these things when I found that the exercises they prescribed me were making my other issues worse . Golfers elbow I've had since 2018 on and off . It eased back a little after taking a few months of peptides,  but is starting to return . I found the flexbars made tennis elbow and golfers elbow worse , and did nothing for my biceps tendonitis.  It's been a long run and very costly that's for sure . 

[Ken-Hawaii]

All of this from a bo-hi question. Brian, I think this discussion could be valuable on its own, in a permanent location. Can do?

[Brian]

24 minutes ago, Ken-Hawaii said:

All of this from a bo-hi question. Brian, I think this discussion could be valuable on its own, in a permanent location. Can do?

As always, compile it into an article and I'll convert to pdf and add to the downloads section? I simply don't have the time.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Okay, Brian. Once the discussion has reached a stopping point, I'll compile it & pass it to you.

[jeremy]

I apologise for allowing this to get off topic , but for what it's worth it has been very educational and enlightening ! 

[mas4t0]

On 1/31/2022 at 9:44 AM, jeremy said:

I first came down with distal biceps tendonitis when I did a biceps curl with my resistance bands last year in June/July when it was freezing cold weather and I don't think I had warmed up enough  . I stopped physio with all these things when I found that the exercises they prescribed me were making my other issues worse . Golfers elbow I've had since 2018 on and off . It eased back a little after taking a few months of peptides,  but is starting to return . I found the flexbars made tennis elbow and golfers elbow worse , and did nothing for my biceps tendonitis.  It's been a long run and very costly that's for sure . 

 

Given that treatment has been ineffective and you'd likely struggle with a normal strength training program, I'll offer some suggestions.

 

Always thoroughly warm up. The viscoelastic behavior of tendon and ligament is highly temperature dependent. If it's cold, wrap up. When you're training, if you have long periods of inactivity, you can either keep the room well heated or wear a suitable base layer to ensure the tendons in your arms stay warm.

 

I could provide plenty of elaboration on this point, but it would be a waste of time to do so. You're not a teenager; If you routinely forego a proper warm-up, this alone could be the cause of your tendonitis.

 

The various issues you're having are of course related to one another. To address this we want to start at the most distal joint: the fingers.

 

When my wife started running, she had knee pain whenever she ran more than 5 miles on a given day.

 

The natural inclination would be to focus on the knee, as that was the source of the pain. But when I examined her, starting with the toes (most distal), I found that:

 

The toes were inflexible and weak.

The ankles had poor dorsiflexion.

There were no issues with the knees.

 

The treatment for the toes involved stretching, working on dexterity until she could control each toe independently, picking up marbles with the toes and using silicone toe spreaders.

 

When the problems with the toes were resolved, the range of motion of the ankles increased and the knee pain disappeared.

 

The first step in your case would be to ensure good hand health. Grip strength is notoriously difficult to train, but overall hand health is quite simple.

 

I've been rehabbing a partially paralysed right hand for almost a year (nerve damage) and making slow but consistent progress. Nerve damage is very slow to heal and the muscles involved are paralysed until the nerve regenerates, at which point they're very weak due to a long period of complete inactivity.

 

For me this means a permeant hand of benediction, for the time being, as the most distal muscles controlled by the damaged nerve remain paralysed. They should be reconnected to the nervous system at some point in the next 3-6 months and will slowly regain strength and dexterity.

 

 

For restoring strength to the intrinsic muscles of the hand, I've been having success with therapy putty, digiflex exercisers, hand therapy eggs and elastic bands.

 

Regular stretching and mobility has retained full ROM and for coordination and dexterity I've been juggling (I'm up to 6 balls as of today). A number of muscles in the right hand are still paralysed, and there's a lot I still can't do, but progress is good.

 

I'd recommend you do the same.

 

As you don't have nerve damage your progress will be much faster, and hopefully you'll find that your hands are in great shape already.

 

After the hands are cleared, focus on the wrist, then move on to the elbow. Low volume and plenty of rest.

 

For the wrist and elbow, loadable dumbbells allow for micro loading (for very gradual progressive overload) in a way not possible with resistance bands. If you use Olympic style dumbbells they can double as leverage bars if you load only one side.

 

Rotating handles are best for curls, especially when dealing with tendonitis. I like Eleiko loadable dumbbells, Rogue and Gungnir are popular too.

 

You'd want to start very light and work up very gradually.

 

Once you've rehabbed your arms and your tendinitis is addressed, get started on an age appropriate full-body barbell strength training program.