sore elbow

[richandmare]

Does anyone get sore elbows when you carve?If so what do you do to remedy this?Because I sure as heck never want to stop carving.

[cowtown]

I get tendonitis in the elbow when doing heavy rough out work with of a knife. I find that using a larger diameter handle places less stress on the tendons.Most of the handles I have made myself. There are also a number of stretching exercises that may help. Stretching breaks during carving will rest the muscles instead of constantly gripping. the tool. Anti inflammitories such as Ibuproohen may help.
Steve

[richandmare]

Thanks for the input.I'll give it a try.

[tinknal]

I carve sticks, so I use my wrist more than my elbow. I do change grips, directions and tools often and I think that helps. I would try changing things up a bit, maybe find a new way to grip or a different direction to carve.

[SlowMover]

This is a condition commonly known as golfer's elbow. The pain is on the inside of the elbow, and is caused (usually)from gripping items with the wrist bent towards the little finger while the hand is closed in a fist. That is the natural position to assume when holding a carving in the left hand and the knife in the right hand. This condition gets worse the more you stress the tendons affected, ie it gets worse the longer you carve. It really can hurt, I know cause I get it when I am not careful.

The best exercise for this condition is as follows: Hand and arm extended straight out with the palm facing the ceiling (best done along the arm of a recliner or couch while you are sitting, or on a table )....then bend the wrist so you are pointing the fingertips down as much as possible(keep the arm straight, you will want to roll it inward as you extend the fingers)...then GENTLY..repeat..GENTLY..put your fingertips on the arm of the furniture or on the table (especially the last three fingers..middle to little,,must be on the furniture, the index finger not so important for this condition....and now you achieve the stretch of the fingers (thus stretching the other end of the tendons at the inside of the elbow) by gently moving your arm forward while keeping your fingertips stationary on the furniture arm. You can feel the stretch in the elbow when you do this, stretch GENTLY for a short time (10 seconds is good to start), then rest an equal amount of time. Repeat the stretching several times as tolerated and the pain will lessen. Of course, it will return after a while of carving, so take frequent breaks and do the stretches often.

Do the stretches occasionally throughout the day, even when not carving or not hurting (so much) to prevent this from becoming a chronic and extremely painful condition, as it will if you just try to "carve on" in spite of the pain and let it build up to epic proportions.

Antiinflamatory meds help, weigh the disadvantages of the GI side effects against the pain before you take them regularly, but the exercise cannot harm if done with moderate force in the stretching, and definatly improves the pain.

Enclosed is a picture of me doing the exercise, it's as easy as that and makes a tremendous difference.

Of course, the real solution is to not hold things in your hand tightly with your wrist cocked...but that means a change in carving, such as a holder for the piece, or (not acceptable to me) not carving for a while. It helps to hold the piece loosly (you really don't need a death-grip on that wood do you?) and trying not to cock the wrist to the side while holding the block for carving.

I worked in surgery for 25 years as a PA, this is a common problem for assistants from holding retractors during surgery, so I have been fighting this for ever..trust me, the exercise helps.

Hope you get some relief.

[Dull Knife]

Originally Posted by cowtown

I get tendonitis in the elbow when doing heavy rough out work with of a knife. I find that using a larger diameter handle places less stress on the tendons.Most of the handles I have made myself. There are also a number of stretching exercises that may help. Stretching breaks during carving will rest the muscles instead of constantly gripping. the tool. Anti inflammitories such as Ibuproohen may help.
Steve

Ahhh, tennis elbow. Mine was one of those 'come and go' type problems until I got a cortizone shot from my doc and a prescription for Celebrix. Problem solved.

[mobjack68]

you guys need a mallet!!!!

[johncarves]

A neat trick for a knife handle that is too small is a golf club grip. Just find the right size and trim it to length. If it's tight going on, a little dish detergent helps.

[bob easton]

..........

[SlowMover]

To Bob Easton: Shoulders are very complex, with lots of tendons involved. From your statement of reaching up causing the pain, that is classic for a rotator cuff injury/inflammation. there is not ONE single exercise for the rottor cuff, as several tendons make up the unit of the shoulder. I suggest a web search for rotator cuff exercises and read a couple from reputable sources. I did a quick yahoo search, and the mayo clinic was one of the top hits, and their site had good info. You will have to work for a fairly long time to improve a rottor cuff, as they can be stubborn, but they will respond. As with any tendonitis, identifying and correcting the motion that caused the inflammation is key. Unfortunatly, some jobs, such as using a hand plane, jut don't have many alternative motions you can use and accomplich the job...in that case, moderation is often the best course. hope this infor helped, or at least pointed you in the right direction for assistance. if you can't improve after a month of regular exercise, or if your symptoms get worse, stop the exercises and see a specialist, in this case an orthopedic Dr. or a Physiatrist (physician specializing in rehab and preventative occupational medicine)