flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
So, I've had this issue with my elbow for about 3 weeks or so.
I actually first noticed it while I was flying - Every time I'd reach up to change something on the panel, there'd be a light "pop" in my elbow. Soon, it turned into a constant dull ache, with motion making it worse and the pops becoming more painful. I also couldn't completely straighten my arm, and if I tried it was a guaranteed "pop" on the next bend. Even lifting up a beverage was somewhat painful. So I went to the doctor, who said (paraphrasing) "It's tendinitis, the popping is a swollen tendon catching on bone. Take 800mg of Ibuprofen 3x/day, it should be gone by the end of the week."
Well, it wasn't gone. I kept taking the IB for nearly 2 weeks before I eventually tapered off and now have quit entirely. It's not as bad, but I still have the occasional "pop". Some people have said that it never goes away. Is this true? Will I ever be able to lift heavy items without pain again, short of some sort of surgical repair?
I hesitate to go to the doc again for fear it'll cost me $300 to have her just say "Well, it's better, just take the ibuprofen for a couple more weeks..."
Any orthopedic types here? Is this really something simple, and will it go away, or do I need to do more? FWIW, I've now had some occasional pain in the opposite elbow, maybe due to using that arm more to compensate for the one that has the worse problem. And it could be completely unrelated, but I've had some pretty bad pain in my tailbone when sitting on anything that isn't highly padded lately as well.
Ideas? Any help is greatly appreciated!
I actually first noticed it while I was flying - Every time I'd reach up to change something on the panel, there'd be a light "pop" in my elbow. Soon, it turned into a constant dull ache, with motion making it worse and the pops becoming more painful. I also couldn't completely straighten my arm, and if I tried it was a guaranteed "pop" on the next bend. Even lifting up a beverage was somewhat painful. So I went to the doctor, who said (paraphrasing) "It's tendinitis, the popping is a swollen tendon catching on bone. Take 800mg of Ibuprofen 3x/day, it should be gone by the end of the week."
Well, it wasn't gone. I kept taking the IB for nearly 2 weeks before I eventually tapered off and now have quit entirely. It's not as bad, but I still have the occasional "pop". Some people have said that it never goes away. Is this true? Will I ever be able to lift heavy items without pain again, short of some sort of surgical repair?
I hesitate to go to the doc again for fear it'll cost me $300 to have her just say "Well, it's better, just take the ibuprofen for a couple more weeks..."
Any orthopedic types here? Is this really something simple, and will it go away, or do I need to do more? FWIW, I've now had some occasional pain in the opposite elbow, maybe due to using that arm more to compensate for the one that has the worse problem. And it could be completely unrelated, but I've had some pretty bad pain in my tailbone when sitting on anything that isn't highly padded lately as well.
Ideas? Any help is greatly appreciated!