Epicenter At The Epicondyle: The Essence Of The Tennis Elbow Injury

Getting to the heart of the matter: The nature of the injury to the tendons. (I call it the ‘Epicenter’ because it’s the center of the Tennis Elbow Or Golfer’s Elbow injury and pain, and the area with the worst damage – Much like an earthquake.)

Please Subscribe For Free Access To ALL The Tennis Elbow 101 Videos

If you haven’t subscribed to this video series on Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow, (maybe you stumbled onto this page or someone sent you a link) here’s where you can learn more about the series and subscribe: Tennis Elbow 101 – Learn more and subscribe!

And here’s the downloadable version of this podcast, so you can download and listen to in on the go if you prefer (this episode is not as visually-oriented as the assessment and self-diagnosis videos, so you can listen without watching if you need to!)

Just click the “download” link under the player below – And to listen to other podcast episodes, please subscribe on your favorite platform HERE

And here’s the link to the inflammation myth article I mention in the video: Tossing The Tendonitis Myth – Why Tennis Elbow Is NOT Inflammatory

Outline Of The Major Video Sections

You can skip to any section of the video in this outline list below – Just hover over the timeline / progress bar on the bottom of the video with your cursor (if you’re on a computer) find the time you want and then click on that spot. You will jump to that time in the video.

• Recap 30 Second Summary From Previous Video – ( :40 min. in video)
• What Goes Wrong: (Actually, What ISN’T The Problem With The Tendon(s) – (1:22 min. in video)
• Inflammation: NOT The Problem – (2:00 min. in video)
• The REAL Problem: What Really Goes Wrong In The Tendons – (6:44 min. in video)
• Changing Perspective About The Injury – (8:00 min. in video)
• Big Problems With How Tennis Elbow Is Viewed – (10:05 min. in video)

Learn To Treat And Heal Your Own Tennis Elbow Or Golfer’s Elbow Right Here:

You’ll get instant access to a complete VIDEO program designed by a professional therapist to help you take charge and break your vicious cycle of elbow injury, pain and frustration!…

I’ll be your personal tutor guiding you through easy-to-follow lessons, where you’ll get the therapy techniques, key stretches and essential exercises you need to treat and recover from your injury at home.

Just watch the videos, follow along and start putting an end to your elbow pain today.

Tennis Elbow sufferers, learn more and join here: Tennis Elbow Classroom

Golfer’s Elbow sufferers, learn more and join here: Golfer’s Elbow Classroom

Transcript Of The Video

It’s time to get to the heart of the matter: The nature of the injury to the tendons…

I call it the ‘Epicenter’ because it’s the center of the injury and pain – and the area with the worst damage – Just like an earthquake.

This area is at the Epicondyle – The bony knob where the tendons attach.

It’s right at or just below your Lateral Epicondyle if you have Tennis Elbow.

And it’s right at or just below your Medial Epicondyle if you have Golfer’s Elbow.

Now, first, let’s very quickly recap what we covered in the previous video.

Recap / Summary From Previous Video

The muscle is where the problem starts

From my perspective, the muscle is where the problem starts…

Muscles, especially when overloaded, have this tendency to form stuck areas called ‘Adhesions’

It’s a slow process of fibers gradually sticking or adhering to other fibers…

And as the muscle gradually gets more and more restricted – losing it’s flexibility and strength….

This eventually starts to damage the tendon, causing pain.

And I see reversing this insidious process as a big part of the “missing link” to breaking the vicious cycle of Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow

What Goes Wrong In The Tendon(s)

So, what is it that goes wrong in the tendon or tendons? – What’s the nature of the damage?

Well, we really need to talk about what the injury ISN’T first, since it’s still so often misidentified.

And this error – Getting this wrong, which most people do, is a really big problem – A major obstacle to recovery!

This is where Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow sufferers are often led astray by well-meaning authorities.

Or start to go wrong on their own, based on what they see on the Internet.

(And this is a large part of the reason why the conventional, “common wisdom” approach fails to help so many sufferers.)

So, as we be began to touch on in the earlier video about why Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow are so challenging to recover from…

Inflammation / “Tendonitis” Is Not The Problem

These injuries, which are technically often referred to as Medial or Lateral Epicondylitis, are still often wrongly identified as a form of Tendonitis.

In other words, injuries that are defined by or involve “excessive inflammation.”

The ITIS at the end suggesting an inflammatory condition.

But inflammation is not the issue, the problem or the nature of the injury with either Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow, in spite of what you may have heard.

Neither in the muscle nor the tendon itself

These injuries are NOT a form of Tendonitis (the vast majority of the time, anyway.)

The inflammation fallacy is a medical myth that goes back decades, to the original theory on the nature of these chronic tendon injuries, which was wrong.

And although it has long since been proven to be incorrect, it’s very, very hard to banish.

But you certainly don’t have to take my word for it.

This is an easily-verifiable medical fact – Not my opinion.

Medical researchers doing tendon injury research know this.

It’s very well documented and a lot of that research is publicly available online.

Here’s where you can learn more:

Tossing The Tendonitis Myth – Why Tennis Elbow Is NOT Inflammatory

Now, before we get to what’s really wrong with the tendons, I’m curious…

Have you been led to believe – (OR told outright) that your tendons are supposedly inflamed?…

That this is a problem somehow?

And, therefore, to “treat and reduce” this supposed inflammation have you been instructed to gobble toxic pills, ice the area like crazy – and THEN, when that doesn’t work, resort to damaging Cortisone shots?

Even if there IS inflammation present in or around your tendon, that’s not the problem – because inflammation is part of your healing process.

It’s an attempt by your body to heal the tendon, if it’s there at all.

There are three stages of healing known to medicine and biology, and the first is inflammation.

The simple fact is, there can’t BE any healing without it.

You have to go through the first step, which is an inflammatory process, in order to get to steps two and three – and to fully heal!

There is no excessive inflammation that needs to be dealt with – Quite the opposite, actually.

And the burning pain symptoms you may feel don’t tell you whether it’s inflamed, either…

That burning pain sensation you may feel at your elbow doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with inflammation.

And it’s not that Doctors don’t learn this in medical school – Of course they do!…

But they’re taught to prescribe anti-inflammatories to “reduce” inflammation and relieve symptoms.

According to the Allopathic Medical Model, health is the absence of symptoms, symptoms are bad, and drugs are the solution.

And inflammation is such a convenient and profitable enemy symptom to blame, vilify and attack.

It’s so convenient because there are obvious, immediate, easy things to do about it, like taking anti-inflammatory pills, icing, and getting Cortisone shots.

They often WORK – They often do relieve pain – In the short term!

And guess what?… They usually relieve pain whether that pain is CAUSED by inflammation or not!

The big problem, though, is that although those things may help you feel better temporarily…

They do nothing whatsoever to treat your actual injury – and may very well make it worse in the long run.

If this causes you confusion – Or even irritation and annoyance, don’t feel bad…

You’re not the first Tennis Elbow sufferer to be misled about this subject.

Unfortunately, even though this old inflammation model, way of looking at these injuries has technically been replaced by a new model…

You can still find references everywhere to the idea that these injuries are a form of Tendonitis and that they are inflammatory in nature or that inflammation is somehow a problem.

And I do understand you may already know this is false!

And you may have already heard me say it half a dozen times or more!

But it’s still a big deal.

Inflammation is neither the cause – Nor the nature of the problem…

It’s not even PART of the problem.

The REAL Problem: What Really Goes Wrong In The Tendons

The problem we’re really facing with Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow is that tendons often fail to heal at all.

Inflammation never even happens the way it’s supposed to, and the tendon slides into a degenerative state known as Tendinosis.

The OSIS at the end suggesting a chronic, degenerative condition rather than an Acute, inflammatory one.

And, like anything, the longer it persists and worsens – the more difficult it becomes to reverse it.

That’s the challenge: Reversing the degeneration damage to the tendon.

To reverse the state of stagnation, and stimulate a healing response – because healing has basically stalled and failed.

Sometimes the damage to the tendon is referred to as “Tendon Fraying” or “Micro-Tearing” suggesting a microscopic breakdown in the tendon, and that’s a helpful way to think of it.

Eventually, if mistreated or not treated at all, the tendon can degenerate to the point where only drastic measures like surgery have a chance at repairing it – and there’s no guarantee of that.

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that because these technical names, Tendonitis and Tendinosis, sound very similar that they’re probably similar conditions and you can just go ahead and treat your injured tendons the same way.

Changing Perspective About The Injury

So, instead of thinking about the injury as if it’s a sudden event, like a tear or fracture, that’s all hot, inflamed and swollen, like you may have been led to believe..

I want to encourage you to think of it as a slow, insidious disease, like diabetes or hardening of the arteries.

Instead of your house suddenly catching on fire – Imagine a cold, seeping rot, that’s gradually eating away at the frame or foundation.

Yes, there can sometimes be a tear in the tendon, especially if it’s a severe case of Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow – OR if there was a sudden, forceful trauma involved…

But the injury process that most often LEADS to worsening degeneration (and, less often, a tear) is usually gradual – not sudden.

Significant tears are actually NOT that common, and too many people worry unnecessarily about them even when the circumstances don’t really fit.

One of the most important points here is that Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow are NOT like most other injuries.

They’re usually chronic injuries, as in gradual and persistent – NOT Acute injuries, as in sudden and forceful.

Once again, we’re talking Tendinosis NOT Tendonitis.

And this is a VERY important distinction.

Acute injuries are often sudden-trauma injuries, like cuts, bruises and broken bones.

They happen quickly, all at once – And they tend to heal at steady, predictable rates – (Cuts and broken bones usually do anyway.)

Chronic injuries happen gradually. They tend to worsen over long periods of time…

And we’re usually talking about months or even years – Not days or weeks.

And it’s a pretty big mistake to treat a Chronic Injury – Or Repetitive Strain Injury, as it’s sometimes called – as if it were an Acute Injury.

If you recall from a previous video I compared it to the difference between someone with a fever and someone with Hypothermia (dangerously low body temperature)

There’s more to it, of course, but again, it’s a huge problem that right from the start, Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow is often:

Big Problems With How Tennis Elbow Is Viewed

• Misidentified as inflammatory Tendonitis, instead of the correct condition Tendinosis…
• Mistreated by chasing and suppressing that imaginary, “out of control” inflammation…
• And underestimated, in that the injury, is all-too-often oversimplified – and its requirements for healing downplayed!

Ah, it’s just a little Tennis Elbow – No big deal!

Just take these pills, ice it, wear a brace and then come back for a bunch of Cortisone shots if that doesn’t work.

Maybe do a round of Physical Therapy…

Oh, you’re still in pain? I guess it’s time to see the surgeon – Or just learn to live with it!

I don’t want to belittle or disparage hard-working and well-meaning Doctors, here…

But there’s an almost ingrained arrogance that shows up sometimes when Doctors don’t have the immediate answer.

If they don’t have the answer – There is no answer.

And you get told ridiculous things like “you may have to learn to live with it!” as you get kicked to the curb.

Now, I understand you may need to do a little research of your own to verify what I’m saying for yourself.

But I want to encourage you to make a deliberate, conscious choice…

If you’ve already been struggling with Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow for awhile, now maybe this is a turning point for you…

You could take the path of least resistance – Of resting, hoping and waiting…

Just waiting to see what happens after a few more days, several more weeks or a couple of months…

Basically doing nothing much – hoping it will heal on its own in time.

(I seriously doubt that you’re going to do that – or continue doing that – since just that fact that you’re here watching this say’s that you’re taking a very active interest in what you can do, proactively.)

What about the “inflammation chasing” with pills, ice and shots – and immobilizing your elbow with a brace, as if it were an Acute injury?

When it’s actually another kind of injury, altogether?

OR are you starting to see the wisdom in changing how you look at your injury?

And, most importantly, in changing your treatment strategy for it…

By treating it the way a Chronic tendon injury actually needs to be treated?

Even if that goes against the conventional medical orthodoxy and the common wisdom?

Even if it’s difficult and takes hard work?

You may be wondering, what if you’re just starting to have pain and it seems like you’ve only had Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow for a few weeks – or maybe a couple of months?

How urgent is this, really?

Well, the good news is that it’s probably in the early stages and hopefully won’t be that hard to heal if you take the right actions now.

And, sure, it’s possible that if you stop or cut back on doing the things that caused it, it could subside entirely from that alone.

That won’t necessarily mean it’s healed well, though.

I don’t want to cause you unnecessary stress and worry, BUT if you don’t take the right actions (or you don’t take any action at all) your mild injury could become a lot worse.

This happens all the time.

And the sneaky, treacherous thing is that it could feel better and quiet down for quite awhile…

Especially if you’re doing things to suppress your symptoms!…

Until it suddenly takes a turn for the worse and starts hurting more than ever.

Thanks for listening and I hope this helps you avoid some of the mistakes I’ve seen so many Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow sufferers make over the 10 plus years I’ve been specializing in treating it.

And, yes, I do have online self-help video programs for Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow that I sell – If you haven’t already discovered that or joined as a member…

And I’m eventually going to tell you more about them, but not right now.

Right now, I just want you to ask you to ponder what I’ve been saying and compare it to what you’ve been told or read.

I know it probably conflicts – but does it make sense?

And in the next video we’re finally going to talk about treatment!

And I’m going to go into detail about what I believe is a much better treatment strategy for Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow.

The treatment strategy I’ve been using to very successfully help people with Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow in person in my clinic for over a decade…

And online in my Tennis Elbow Classroom self-help program for the past 4 or 5 years.

And why that strategy needs to be highly proactive! – As in no more resting, hoping and waiting!

Yes, it is possible to be very active in supporting your healing process – in treating your muscles and tendons yourself.

And whether you eventually join as a member and use my specific self-help program techniques to do that…

Or simply take the principles I outline in the next video, and apply them as best you can in your own way.

You’ll have a real, sensible strategy and a better, more healing-supportive direction to go in from here!

You can do a lot with the right strategy.

See you in the next video, where we get into that! (Again, please subscribe – if you haven’t already, to get them all: Subscribe To The Tennis Elbow 101 Video Course Here

To learn more about my self-help programs for members, see below:

Learn To Treat And Heal Your Own Tennis Elbow Or Golfer’s Elbow Right Here:

You’ll get instant access to a complete VIDEO program designed by a professional therapist to help you take charge and break your vicious cycle of elbow injury, pain and frustration!…

I’ll be your personal tutor guiding you through easy-to-follow lessons, where you’ll get the therapy techniques, key stretches and essential exercises you need to treat and recover from your injury at home.

Just watch the videos, follow along and start putting an end to your elbow pain today.

Tennis Elbow sufferers, learn more and join here: Tennis Elbow Classroom

Golfer’s Elbow sufferers, learn more and join here: Golfer’s Elbow Classroom

And here are overviews of the subjects of Tennis Elbow Treatment and Tennis Elbow Exercises