Fugdale’s Funhouse

Tennis Elbow

This week Andy waxes poetic about a persistent nagging pain in the elbow called Tennis Elbow. Read more below.

How the heck did I get Tennis Elbow?

A couple weeks ago, when I was lifting my four year old daughter, Jez’bel, off her rocking horse, I felt a little twinge of pain on the outside of my elbow. I thought, “Andy, that sure hurt. I hope you don’t do that again.” But as the fates would have it, I did do it again. And again and again. Each time I picked up a tuna sandwich or picked my teeth or whatnot, I’d get that increasingly annoying twinge in my elbow. I thought I was going to die.

I described my woe to my boss, Glenda, at the Fast Mart. She removed the cigarette dangling from her mouth, blew a wad of yellow smoke in my face and said “Sounds like Tennis Elbow, Fug.”

A little tiny christmas light bulb exploded in my inner ear. Of course! I heard about that once. Tennis elbow. But I ain’t never played tennis. How could this tragic illness come upon me?

I did a little investigating.

Cause of Tennis Elbow

Tennis Elbow is caused by expanding the length of your tendons and muscles attached to the outside of your elbow while resisting force. This happens when I pick Jez’bel up and my hand bends forward.

This image lists some possible causes of Tennis Elbow. I don’t play Tennis or sport-like things much, so it must be either cutting meat or painting in my case. I cut meat at the Fast Mart (and cheese, but don’t mention that to Glenda) and I paint with my daughter.

More Information on Tennis Elbow

For those of you who also suffer or think you might suffer from tennis elbow, and who find it too difficult to type ‘Tennis Elbow’ into your Google, here are some easily found links with more information.

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
Tennis Elbow somewhere else

Also here is a nice young man explaining what Tennis Elbow really is:

From my experience, you don’t need to go see a doctor about Tennis Elbow unless it is super chronic blunt. And then once you wade through your HMO’s B.S., then you can get cortizone shots or surgery. Otherwise, just keep stretching, change the way you lift your daughter to the proper way and buy one of them elbow support bands at the Target.