Forearm tendonitis sucks big time. It hurts, not just when you lift or exercise, but also when you do everyday tasks, even something as basic as typing or moving the mouse on your computer.
Pain, swelling, and redness of the forearm are the most commonsymptoms of the condition. If you have these, then you've come to the right place, as we are going to be looking at three easy steps to help you get rid of your forearm tendonitis, for good!
What is Forearm Tendonitis?
Tendonitis (or tendinitis) is an inflammation of a tendon, which is the part of the human body that connects muscle to bone. The main cause of forearm tendonitis is overuse. This could be overtraining from strain or repetition due to lifting too heavy weights.The worst case of forearm tendonitis occurs when the muscle is torn, which creates swelling and pressure on the tendon, leading to inflammation.
Another cause of tendonitis is age. As the human body ages, the tendons lose their elasticity and become brittle. The inflammation limits the ability of your tendons to glide smoothly in the wrist and forearm, creating pain and discomfort. If this condition does not heal properly, the scar tissue will permanently thicken and decrease your range of motion.
What Will You Need For Treatment?
Getting rid of forearm tendonitis is not easy. There are many methods that you can use for getting rid of the pain. In some cases, you can consult with a doctor for getting good treatment.
As we will give you some effective tutorial for reducing forearm tendonitis, you will need a few items. It may be a good idea to collect the items before you started. This will help you to treat your forearm tendonitis problem in a short time.
Items you will need
- An Ice Pack (click the link to go to our ice pack review if you don't already own one)
- Ice cubes
- Pain killers and/or antibiotics (consult with your doctor regarding what is best)
- A Set of Dumbbells
- A Compression Sleeve
You may not need all of the above for treating your forearm tendonitis. The expert physician can prescribe some medicines or injection to improve the condition. Sometimes surgery becomes important if the condition is too bad to bear.
Quick and Easy Tutorials
There are three ways to treat forearm tendonitis. You can try any of the ways to improve your tendonitis pain. Of course, they are different from one to another. We will discuss and give step by step process for the three treatment ways. You can follow any of the tutorials that you want!
Tutorial #1: Home Treatment For Forearm Tendonitis
You can treat forearm tendonitis at home. The steps will cure your tendonitis problem naturally. They do not have side effects but need a long time to recover.
Step-1: Give Your Forearm Regular Rests
Are you facing a tendonitis problem? Then, you need to rest the muscles to get relief. This is the most common solution for athletes or weightlifters. Rest is best as they say.
When a person tries to exert the muscle and joints suffering from tendonitis, this could lead to further damage and a prolonged injury. Moreover, the patients should be careful moving the forearms.
You can replace your typical workout with low stress activities like swimming and stretching, or other range of motion exercises. However, if the problem persists, bite the bullet and stop exercising completely to see if overtraining was in fact the problem.
Source: http://cdn.olwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/rest.jpg
Step-2: Ice The Injured Forearm
Did you hurt your arm in an overly competitive game of sport like foosball? You can use an ice pack for reducing forearm pain and muscle spasms. You need ice cubes for this process. Take an ice pack and wrap in a towel. Now you need to apply the ice over the forearm for some time.
You can also give (or ask for) an ice massage to your forearm. This is very effective but the right process is a must. Use the ice pack you bought or use a plastic foam cup full of ice, and hold the cup when applying ice to the skin.
A total of 20 minutes per day of ice massage should do the trick . You can try several times; three times a day is a good idea.
Step-3: Compress The Forearm
Are you experiencing swelling in your forearm? Then, you need to use a compression wrap for the affected area. You can also use a compressive elastic bandage for this step.
You can get the bandage in any pharmacy store. You will need a compression wrap until the tendonitis goes away.
Step-4: Elevate The Forearm
This is an effective way to treat forearm tendonitis. You can use a pillow in order to elevate the forearm level to the heart. Elevating the forearm area can reduce pain and helps to recover from injury.
Source: http://www.posey.com/sites/default/files/6311A-arm-wedge-920x920.jpg
Step-5: Take Anti-Inflammatory Medications
Taking anti-inflammatory medications can be helpful for your forearm tendonitis. Normally, you can get rid of your tendonitis problem within 5 to 7 days.However, this is also important to have good knowledge about the medications. Otherwise, you need to consult with a doctor for this medication. However, Ibuprofen, Naproxen sodium, and Acetaminophen work well for the injury.
Tutorial #2 Do Forearm Stretches
Stretching forearm can reduce the muscle pain and swell within a short time. You need to do forearm stretches in order to relief from the pain and strengthen your joints.
Step-1: Stretch The Extensor Muscles
Stretching the extensor muscles can give you relief from any pain and stress. It will help to eliminate the pain of forearm tendinitis. Basically, the stretching will extend the wrist and strength the forearm area.
You can sit in a chair or stand in a free space. Now, you need to rest the elbow on a table and then, extend the wrist. Then, you need to push the palm of your hand down to the opposite direction. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds and return to the normal position. This will strengthen the extensor muscles.
Source: http://www.stretching-exercises-guide.com/images/wrist_extensors.jpg
Step-2: Stretch The Flexor Of Forearm
Flexor stretch will help flex the wrist and strengthen the muscles. In order to do the stretch, you need to rest the elbow on a table. Then, you need to push arm out with your palm facing up. You can pull up as much as you can and wait for 15 seconds and then, return to the position.
You can do the stretch three to four times per day. But, this is important to do in a fixed time regularly.
Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R7dI2ZcbiMI/maxresdefault.jpg
Step-3: Strengthen Forearm Extensor Muscles
Strengthening forearm extensor muscles can give a good pain relief. You can do a lightweight dumbbell for exercise. You should not use more than 1lb weight dumbbells for the workout.
Take a chair for sitting down or stand in any open area. Now you can take the lightweight dumbbell for a workout. You can hold the dumbbell and push palm downward. Repeat the process for 30 to 40 times twice a day to get a good result. You can do the workout once a day if you feel pain during the workout.
Source: http://www.womenfitness.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/78461686_XS-952x500.jpg
Which Dumbbells Should You Buy?
1
PROSOURCE SET OF TWO NEOPRENE DUMBBELLS (10lb)
This is a 10lb dumbbell set for your dumbell. This will increase fitness level including cardio exercise. Also, it comes with slip resistant texture to ensure safety. The hexagonal shape design of the dumbbells prevents it from rolling. This is easy to maintain and available in various colors for any person.
2
DAY 1 FITNESS NEOPRENE DUMBBELLS
We recommend This is a comfortable dumbbell set and suitable for a regular workout. It comes with a hexagonal design for anti-rolling. Moreover, this is a great set for any type of workout. You can also use the dumbbells for your regular workout time. You will find these dumbbells from Day 1 Fitness in various colours and weights.
3
GOFIT Balanced Set of Dumbbells
CAP dumbbell is very popular set of dumbbells for any type of workout. This is a six-piece set of dumbbells with great design and shape. It provides durability and perfects for good muscle tone exercises for arms, back, and shoulders. This is a safe to use and comfortable to hold in your hands.
Step-4: Strength Forearm Flexors
You can use the same dumbbell for strengthening your forearm flexors. You should sit down or stand for starting the exercise. Hold the dumbbell in one hand and extend the palm facing up.
Then, you need to hold in the position for 2 seconds and return to the normal position. You can try this process for 30 to 40 times, two times in a day. You can reduce the reps if you feel pain or discomfort.
Source: http://img.surfing-waves.com/images/ex-elbow-strength-2.jpg
Step-5: Deviator Muscle Exercise
Doing deviator muscle exercise strengthen the wrist and relaxing the forearm muscle. Take the same dumbbell for this exercise. You need to hold the dumbbell and move up and down to do the exercise.
The motion will strengthen the wrist joint and reduce the forearm tendonitis pain. Don’t do it more than 40 times at a time because this can increase your pain too!
Source: https://secure.familyhealthtracker.com/Content/di/English/images/%7BFDC66937-72F1-4247-9830-330CCF520EB9%7D.jpg
Tutorial #3: Consult With A Doctor
Consulting with a doctor is the best way to treat forearm tendonitis. This will help you to choose medication treatment. Of course, there are several steps to follow.
Step-1: Visit Your Doctor Or Expert
You need to make an appointment with your doctor or any expert physician. You can visit and get advanced tendinitis treatment for your pain, redness or swelling.
You need to explain the type of pain, duration of the symptoms and other information to the doctor. This will help the doctor to give you the right medical care.
Source: http://cdn.babysounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/visit-your-doctor-for-a-pre-conception-checkup.jpg
Step-2: Ask your doctor about Corticosteriods
Corticosteroids are an effective injection to reduce swelling within a short time. You can inject it into the tendon area for getting rid of swelling and pain. However, you should not use the injection regularly because it will reduce the strength of the tendons too!
Source: http://overhaultraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/doctor-inserting-syringe-into-skin.jpg
Step-3: Physical Therapy
There are many programs that are combined with exercise, balanced diet and regular routine to improve your forearm tendinitis pain. This will always give you a perfect solution to reduce the pain.
Therefore, you can go to a therapist for getting physical therapy for forearm tendinitis. This may need several weeks to improve your condition.
Source: http://img.aws.livestrongcdn.com/ls-article-image-640/cme/cme_public_images/www_livestrong_com/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/217/7/478501302_XS.jpg
Step-4: Get Surgical Treatment If Needed
You may also need surgical treatment for bad tendon condition. If the injury is serious, your doctor can suggest taking a surgical treatment. The surgery will remove the tendon scar tissue to reduce the pain.
The surgery will not damage the rest of the tissues. However, surgery treatment can give you fast relief. But, this should not be the first approach for treating forearm tendinitis.
Source: http://www.eorthopod.com/images/ContentImages/elbow/ elbow_lateral_epicondylitis/elbow_latepi_surgery01.jpg
Conclusion
We have discussed the 3 effective ways to get rid of tendonitis in the forearm. So, you can try any of the ways to treat your forearm tendinitis pain. Remember that the natural treatments might take longer, but should be tried first as these are less serious and intrusive. As always, consult with your doctor first.
P.S. If you still did not find exactly what you are looking for, I recommend you take a look at our article on overtraining, which discusses the warning signs thereof, and how to avoid it.
Thanks for reading.
