Can cycling cause "tennis elbow"?



Pendejo

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Apr 8, 2006
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Over the past few months I've developed an increasingly painful tendinitis on the back of my (right) elbow. I currently play no other sports, nor do I lift weights. When riding with my hands on top of the bars, I'm leaning forward and am supporting weight. Can years and years of this possibly trigger tendinitis in the elbow? Has anyone else had a similar experience?
 
Pendejo said:
Over the past few months I've developed an increasingly painful tendinitis on the back of my (right) elbow. I currently play no other sports, nor do I lift weights. When riding with my hands on top of the bars, I'm leaning forward and am supporting weight. Can years and years of this possibly trigger tendinitis in the elbow? Has anyone else had a similar experience?

It shouldn't cause any problems. Sounds like a fit issue, maybe a trip to your LBS will help. You should not be riding with your weight on your hands. Ideally your arms are relaxed, elbows slightly bent. This takes pressure off of your wrists and hands, and also doesn't load the front wheel as much improving handling.

Aside from a good fitting, it does take some core work to get to the point where it feels comfortable to keep pressure off the bars.
 
Pendejo said:
Over the past few months I've developed an increasingly painful tendinitis on the back of my (right) elbow. I currently play no other sports, nor do I lift weights. When riding with my hands on top of the bars, I'm leaning forward and am supporting weight. Can years and years of this possibly trigger tendinitis in the elbow? Has anyone else had a similar experience?

You can get it from freeriding if you are pulling up on the bars alot, as in doing drops and jumps.
 
Pendejo said:
Over the past few months I've developed an increasingly painful tendinitis on the back of my (right) elbow. I currently play no other sports, nor do I lift weights. When riding with my hands on top of the bars, I'm leaning forward and am supporting weight. Can years and years of this possibly trigger tendinitis in the elbow? Has anyone else had a similar experience?


Maybe, but it could also be the way you sleep at night if you lay a lot on one side with a lot of load on one arm.
I would suggest checking the fit of the bike ,tilt of seat seat etc, and for threapy try doing some curls with small weights to counter the effects.
 
Pendejo said:
Over the past few months I've developed an increasingly painful tendinitis on the back of my (right) elbow. I currently play no other sports, nor do I lift weights. When riding with my hands on top of the bars, I'm leaning forward and am supporting weight. Can years and years of this possibly trigger tendinitis in the elbow? Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I had tennis ball once, and curiously I also got it from my bike! It got crushed between the saddle and my pelvis.
 
I used to get stiff elbows while riding and they feel like tennis elbow. Now I very my position on the bars and work my elbows more while riding. Problem solved.
 
I think I may have discovered the cause of my elbow discomfort. Now that I've thought back I realize that my problem seems to have started, and continued, since abandoning my electric guitar in favor of my much wider acoustic. The arm position over the guitar is quite different, and I don't think my elbow likes it much. Playing a musical instrument is almost as dangerous as riding a bike! Most any serious musician suffers injuries of one type or another. (Maybe I ought to start wearing a helmet while I play.)
 
I got golfer's elbow from riding; It's like tennis elbow, only it's on the inside of the elbow, at least that's what the Dr told me. I tried to blame it on other things but it never got any better. One day I tried moving my saddle forward, about 3 to 5 mm. Now, about 9 months later it's almost totally healed. I now realize how important it is to get the proper set up on my bike.

Ken.
 
Pendejo said:
I think I may have discovered the cause of my elbow discomfort. Now that I've thought back I realize that my problem seems to have started, and continued, since abandoning my electric guitar in favor of my much wider acoustic.
Sounds like you need to lose the dreadnought for an OM- or 000-sized guitar.