The pain was not chronic in the sense that I could feel it, for instance, just laying in bed, but it was approaching that point.
Weight was unnecessary; I could feel the searing in my medial condyles simply by turning or flexing my hands/forearms a certain way.
I was given cortisone shots in each elbow with follow up treatments of ultrasound & iontophoresis for several weeks combined with PT stretching and strengthening exercises.
It’s difficult to say how much of my healing was attributed to the treatment because:
#1.) The immediate, most dramatic relief only lasted for a day or so before much of the pain returned.
#2.) I backed way off of ALL training (including legs) for several weeks, and when I returned, I still avoided the movements that bothered me most for a while longer.
Overall, I greatly reduced the volume, intensity, and frequency of my training for a time.
Within several months, the pain was completely gone, and I was able to work my way back up to full, workouts!
I credit rest and smarter training as having the biggest impact on my recovery, although, I have no regrets about the shots and would still recommend them for anyone in my or your situation.
Remember that tendon inflammation - particularly epicondylitis - is often caused by overuse; not necessarily weight.
Tennis elbow is symptomatic of people who swing a tennis racket, and how much does that weigh?
It’s the repetition of that serve & swing over and over…
I’ve found a "comfy" training split that I’ve been using for about the last 3 years - high volume, good intensity, very low frequency - and I’ve made excellent progress with it.
The best part is that it’s all pain free!
And yes, I'm doing everything I did before - even the movements that bothered me/caused my problems.
With better technique and recovery, I've got no problems at all, now.
