A Lesson In Tennis Elbow

Tennis Elbow sucks. I am not a fan. I never had this particular injury until recently, when I got all "We can do it!" and decided to use the crappy little jack that came with my car's spare tire to change a flat, all by myself.

_{Image from Adobe Stock}

Six weeks have passed, but since nearly every normal movement seems to aggravate the problem, it has only gotten worse, not better. Extending at the elbow hurts. Extending at the wrist hurts. Supination hurts. Too much flexion at the elbow hurts, too. Grasping anything, if I have to also stabilize my arm, hurts.

Based on how my arm feels now, it might have been a mistake to take black belt class today. But it was a really good class. I got some fantastic pointers on rokkyo, a technique I've always struggled with. We also did various responses to a tanto.

My elbow is currently screaming. There is a useful lesson here for me, besides ice, rest, and anti-inflammatories: each time my elbow complained during class, it was showing me a place where I am using poor body mechanics. Is my elbow out of center? Is my wrist cocked? Am I reaching for the control point, instead of moving my body into position? Well: yes, yes, and yes. Ouch, ouch, and ouch.

Gee, thanks, tendonitis. Where were you when I got the bright idea to change my own tire? I know, I know. You were waiting to be born. Thanks for the lesson. Move along, now.

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