Left elbow pain - what to do about it.

[Caps]

I have been having pain in my left elbow (inside edge) and it is very painful. The therapist thought it was golf elbow and suggested I stop playing for a month or so or just lock the bellows (FR4X) and play cautiously. I saw a doctor and she thought it might be a peripheral neuropathy possibly related to the arthritis that I already have a bit of in my hands although the arthritis hasn't kept me from playing. Her solution was to give up the accordion! Not gonna happen. Playing with the bellows locked isn't very satisfying but I've been doing it until the elbow starts to hurt and then I stop. Unfortunately this takes only about 20-25 minutes. I am curious if anyone has had this issue and what they have done about it. Thanks.

 

[Ventura]

hey cappy

if you want to just play along to Trax for awhile and let the left hand rest
on the top of the bass section just enough to articulate the bellows a bit
(sensitivity set to max so the least amount of movement gives some results)

can send you a bunch of stuff or if you happen to come up this way bring a
portable hard drive

i play like that sometimes and it leaves the left arm in a different position
and is comfortable

can you get them to do an MRi ? maybe a bone spur that could be operable

 

[Dingo40]

Caps,
In my case, it's usually the left shoulder that's the problem .
My treatment is to eliminate as much strain on it as possible through the way I hold the accordion, even if the resulting posture isn't kosher.
So far, I've been able to keep playing , both hands, no medication, indefinitely.

 

[Zevy]

I have been having pain in my left elbow (inside edge) and it is very painful. The therapist thought it was golf elbow and suggested I stop playing for a month or so or just lock the bellows (FR4X) and play cautiously. I saw a doctor and she thought it might be a peripheral neuropathy possibly related to the arthritis that I already have a bit of in my hands although the arthritis hasn't kept me from playing. Her solution was to give up the accordion! Not gonna happen. Playing with the bellows locked isn't very satisfying but I've been doing it until the elbow starts to hurt and then I stop. Unfortunately this takes only about 20-25 minutes. I am curious if anyone has had this issue and what they have done about it. Thanks.

First, I hope that you feel better soon.
Secondly, you must seek help from a COMPETENT physician. There are some out there!
Third, I am not a physician and I definitely cannot diagnose, but most of the time laying off the accordion for a while will do wonders.
Good luck

 

[KiwiSqueezer]

Caps, miserable thing to happen. Golfers' elbow seems a reasonable guess. What your Dr said doesn't really make sense: neuropathy and arthritis are very different things. Perhaps there's some misunderstanding. There's plenty about golfers' elbow on the 'net. As in most things musculo-skeletsl, rest is the best: allow nature to heal the body. Take it seriously! Sadly, it takes longer, the older we get - months, possibly. And we're more fragile! Beware taking anti-inflammatory medication, because of the stomach irritant effect, and the risk of bleeding. Locally-applied diclofenac ('Voltaren', Voltarol' etc., depending where you are) gel works for me - on numerous other sites. It possibly exerts a powerful placebo effect...

 

[hais1273]

Voltarol and regular treatment with an ice pack of some sort have helped my elbow/knee problems in the past.

If you can find a good physiotherapist, they may be able help with strengthening and stretching techniques and/or exercises.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I have been having pain in my left elbow (inside edge) and it is very painful. The therapist thought it was golf elbow and suggested I stop playing for a month or so or just lock the bellows (FR4X) and play cautiously. I saw a doctor and she thought it might be a peripheral neuropathy possibly related to the arthritis that I already have a bit of in my hands although the arthritis hasn't kept me from playing. Her solution was to give up the accordion! Not gonna happen. Playing with the bellows locked isn't very satisfying but I've been doing it until the elbow starts to hurt and then I stop. Unfortunately this takes only about 20-25 minutes. I am curious if anyone has had this issue and what they have done about it. Thanks.

Ask your doctor if Voltarin might help. This is one brand name for a topical NSAID gel.

 

[Briegley]

I have been having pain in my left elbow (inside edge) and it is very painful. The therapist thought it was golf elbow and suggested I stop playing for a month or so or just lock the bellows (FR4X) and play cautiously. I saw a doctor and she thought it might be a peripheral neuropathy possibly related to the arthritis that I already have a bit of in my hands although the arthritis hasn't kept me from playing. Her solution was to give up the accordion! Not gonna happen. Playing with the bellows locked isn't very satisfying but I've been doing it until the elbow starts to hurt and then I stop. Unfortunately this takes only about 20-25 minutes. I am curious if anyone has had this issue and what they have done about it. Thanks.

Cap I'm sorry to hear you're having pain, I've had some troubles with that since I was young and get regular physiotherapy, registered massage therapy, and do daily stretches to keep my muscles and tendons in good shape.

If you can get to a physio or a rmt I definitely recommend it, they know a lot about the workings of the musculoskeletal system, and providing practical advice and stretches you can do at home!

These are the best ones would go to for alleviating elbows - attached some pictures:
seated neck stretch
wall shoulder stretch
Two types of seated wrist stretch (that end up stretching elbows and shoulder as well)

Couldn't find a picture of this one, while seated, you put both hands straight out in front of you and then do this with your hands until you feel a light pulling across your wrist and elbow:

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Hope you can find some solutions and relief!

 

[Caps]

hey cappy

if you want to just play along to Trax for awhile and let the left hand rest
on the top of the bass section just enough to articulate the bellows a bit
(sensitivity set to max so the least amount of movement gives some results)

can send you a bunch of stuff or if you happen to come up this way bring a
portable hard drive

i play like that sometimes and it leaves the left arm in a different position
and is comfortable

can you get them to do an MRi ? maybe a bone spur that could be operable

Not a bad idea. I'll ask about the MRI. They did an x-ray of my hand and elbow. Nothing showed up on the elbow but she said I had moderate arthritis in the hand, most notably in the thumb. Probably won't be up there until sometime in late November. I could send a thumb drive if that would be big enough. I think I have a couple empty 16GB ones or I can get a bigger one, if you would like to do that.

 

[Caps]

Cap I'm sorry to hear you're having pain, I've had some troubles with that since I was young and get regular physiotherapy, registered massage therapy, and do daily stretches to keep my muscles and tendons in good shape.

If you can get to a physio or a rmt I definitely recommend it, they know a lot about the workings of the musculoskeletal system, and providing practical advice and stretches you can do at home!

These are the best ones would go to for alleviating elbows - attached some pictures:
seated neck stretch
wall shoulder stretch
Two types of seated wrist stretch (that end up stretching elbows and shoulder as well)

Couldn't find a picture of this one, while seated, you put both hands straight out in front of you and then do this with your hands until you feel a light pulling across your wrist and elbow:

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Hope you can find some solutions and relief!

Thanks for the info. My sister is a retired occupational therapist. I did a zoom call today with her and she suggested some of the same type exercises. Also suggested an MRI.

 

[Caps]

Ask your doctor if Voltarin might help. This is one brand name for a topical NSAID gel.

Actually the doctor prescribed that for my hands, hadn't thought to try it on my elbow.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Actually the doctor prescribed that for my hands, hadn't thought to try it on my elbow.

I had golf elbow a few years ago. My doctor had ro write a prescription for it — it was not yet available over the counter. Today, it is available not only under the trade name, but under various pharmacy house cbrand names. It cannot hurt to combine it with the usual PT and OT treatments.

 

[Scuromondo]

I have had tendinitis in multiple areas, and the initial treatment recommendation is always the same: to rest the area by refraining from the activity that caused the tendinitis—in this case, playing the accordion—for at least 4 weeks. In my experience, you might be able to slightly reduce that time by also getting physical therapy, icing, and taking anti-inflammatory drugs. But without the main therapy— resting the area—that 4 week estimate will only increase.