Working F1 with Tennis Elbow

So I'm two months into F1 and H1 and absolutely love it.  Over the last couple of weeks I discovered a mild pain/soreness on the outside of my elbow that is pronounced when gripping things.  A little google search shows that this sounds like a case of tennis elbow.  However, since I don't feel any pain when doing F1/H1 exercises and it was a gradual onset, I'm not real sure what caused it or may be keeping it inflamed.  At this point it is a minor annoyance only, but it is still an annoyance that wasn't there before.

Anybody know which F1/H1 exercises are the most likely culprits? (My novice guess is pseudo-planche pushups)  Since it is only a minor annoyance and I don't notice any pain when training, should I press on, take a break from certain exercises only, or take a break from everything altogether?

Just wondering what others' experience with tennis elbow was and how problematic it is/can be. 

For the record, I've just completed the following in F1/H1:

FL - PE1 (week 7)

sPL - PE2 (week 11)

HBP - PE3 (week 7)

RC - PE3 (week 11)

MN - PE1 (week 7)

SL - PE1 (week 7)

SLS - PE1 (week 7)

HS - PE2 (week 7)

You should see a physical therapist for the issue. The following are my opinions on training matters related to tennis elbow, and are not recommendations or prescriptions:

Just in general, you need to be doing SMR for your wrist and forearm extensors. This is usually enough to clear up and prevent the condition on its own.

Some of the easier wrist pushup variations might also help you, but if none of that works there is always rice bucket work and reverse curls with dumbbells or bands to try. In my experience the reverse curls are a valuable prehab tool.

Again, you should see a physical therapist for specific recommendations for your personal condition.

Definetely do stretches of the forearm extensors. Don't assume that the pain will go away by itself. Had a pretty bad case of golfer's elbow once, because I was stupid enough to work through the pain, which was initially mild, but eventually stinged like having a screwdriver stabbed into the elbow. That cost me about six months of zero pulling work. Better to take one or two weeks of and ease back into F1, rather than being forced to take a long break.

Good luck with it!

Thanks guys.  Forearm extensor work, huh?  I'll definitely look into it.  A good friend of mine is a PT, so I'll chat with him about it too.

One last question on the issue itself:  can I actually relieve it on my own or is seeing a PT or doctor actually required to get meds or something to make it go away?  Wasn't sure if this was more of a "typical ache and pain" kind of thing or more of an onset condition that requires additional attention other than rest and precaution.

Again, this is not medical advice, but how I deal with the issue myself when I start to feel some tenderness in that area.

1) Some foam rolling (SMR) with a hard ball, usually on my desk when I take a tea break. Pin the ball to the desk under my forearm, add pressure and guide with free hand, work up and down the muscles looking for tender spots (not the tendon itself, actual muscles) and spend a few minutes there working the adhesions.

2) Stretch the forearm extensors which I find works best if I hold my working hand into a fist with my free hand. Otherwise I hit the limit of my wrist flexion (just past 90) before I get a decent stretch. I will also lock my elbow straight and rotate arm inwards and outwards (with wrist static) which usually finds some more tightness.

NB: Your extensors originate from a common tendon attached to a bony prominence (lateral epicondyle) on the outside of your elbow where you feel the pain with Tennis Elbow. Conversely the flexors attach in a similar manner to the inside of the elbow (medial epicondyle) which is referred to as Golfers Elbow when inflamed.

If I catch it early, and stay on top of it for a while once pain stops, it tends to go away for me. I have had it quite badly in the past, and that required quite a bit of rest. Often it is aggravated by gripping and pulling, especially with overhand grip, like pull-ups. For me a lot of time on a mouse during the design phase of a project can cause some issues as I spend a few days solid holding my wrist (and first two fingers) in active extension.

Whether you go the professional- or self-treatment route is ultimately down to you though.

Everyone is different, but my experience with lateral epicondylitis was that it was aggravated with the use of a computer finger pad (holding the fingers in suspension over the pad for long periods kept pissing off the extensors); swapping to using a traditional mouse where the hand can rest helped.

Identifying sources of stress on the forearms and eliminating them to the best of your ability might help to speed up recovery

FredInChina said:

Everyone is different, but my experience with lateral epicondylitis was that it was aggravated with the use of a computer finger pad (holding the fingers in suspension over the pad for long periods kept pissing off the extensors); swapping to using a traditional mouse where the hand can rest helped.

Identifying sources of stress on the forearms and eliminating them to the best of your ability might help to speed up recovery

That's a good point - I also have to watch how I hold the steering wheel on long drives (like to and from the office three times a week for an hour [at best] each way). Holding it one-handed near the top is a no-no for my elbow.

Yeah, I've heard of the computer/mouse thing causing issues, and I am at a PC for most of my day.  But for me I'm right-handed and the problem is in my left elbow which isn't on the mouse.  That's why I assumed it was something I was doing wrong in my workouts - but at this point who knows?

If extensors and wrists and such are related to this condition, could it be possible that I did something wrong in my H1 wrist/hand work that may have caused this?  Just didn't know if this was prevalent enough in the GST community for someone to say "yeah, we see that all the time and it's usually caused by this..."