Tendinitis help?

[marka 526]

Howdy,

So after playing hockey basically 4 or 5 times a week for 3 years starting at age 46, about 2 or 3 months ago I tweaked my right (top hand) wrist.  I noticed it when I was reaching out to put a stick on a puck to deflect a shot, but I'm not convinced that it wasn't building before that, that just hurt enough for me to pay attention to it.

I tried playing through it, but after a couple games I gave up on that, and took a week off.  That helped a little, but the same pain was right back when I started playing again.  Took a little longer break, maybe 2 weeks, then tried again, this time in playoffs.  By the end of the 4 games of playoffs, the pain was back full strength.  Its enough that I think about the pain, vs. playing and am somewhat wincing as I'm reaching out to do anything with my stick on a puck.

Had an xray done during the 2nd break btw.  No fracture, diagnosis of tendinitis.  Dr. Lady says that I need to not play, could be a month or 6 months.  Obviously that's not really ok, but after the 2nd attempt I give that a go, plus see a hockey buddy who's a physical therapist.

Did the PT thing for about 4 weeks.  Pain gone, able to do exercises, etc.  Started shooting pucks in the garage last week and that went ok.  Able to take 50 or so wrist shots without any serious pain, but could certainly feel the wrist working.

Tonight, played a laid back game on a team my wife and I are on.  The pain is back by the 3rd period, similar to the same way it was after the 2nd break.  Not "this is clearly broken" or like a 10 level or anything, but certainly at the "that hurts a bit now, is getting worse, and if I keep going its going to be back to as bad as it was".

So, with that long introduction... WTF am I supposed to do with this?  Anyone worked through wrist tendinitis and have success?  I'm reading about voodoo bands, recommended by a guy at the rink, but I have no idea if that's something that would actually help.  As far as I can tell, the PT stuff hasn't actually helped beyond just giving the wrist a rest for a month.

This sucks.

edit:  I've tried taping with KT tape.  Maybe helps a tiny bit but ??  I've also tried wearing a compression strap, but that hasn't help much either.

Mark

Edited June 30, 2019 by marka

[stick9 890]

I've worked through various bouts of tendonitis. Remember, tendonitis is caused by overuse, so rest is about the only thing you can do.

Laid back or not, there is something about hockey that aggrivates your wrist. I'd restart the rest thing and look into a soft wrist brace when you return. The KT tape is nice but doesn't offer the type of support you need during recovery. I bought some cheapo brace from CVS when my wrist bothered me. I used KT after ditching the brace.

 

 

[BenBreeg 493]

Mark, Wondered where you have been!  I have had tendinitis and tendinosis in various places throughout my life.  Running, hockey, bass playing, computer work, etc.  it can be frustrating as hell.  You go to PT, do all the work, rest, etc. and it feels good.  Then you restart the activity and instantly you are back to square one.  

The jury is still out on a lot of the bands and KT tape but when dealing with frustrating injuries, some things that are low risk are worth trying.

I have the most success with ART, which is a type of soft tissue therapy.  Lots of chiros are certified.

good luck! 

Edited June 30, 2019 by BenBreeg

[Stewie 721]

ive been dealing with this too. It was affecting both my wrists, but now seems to just be my top hand wrist. Currently i am in a three week hockey break, so hoping that will help relieve it some as it seems to be helping, but yeah, it is quite annoying.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

34 minutes ago, stick9 said:

I've worked through various bouts of tendonitis. Remember, tendonitis is caused by overuse, so rest is about the only thing you can do.

Laid back or not, there is something about hockey that aggrivates your wrist. I'd restart the rest thing and look into a soft wrist brace when you return. The KT tape is nice but doesn't offer the type of support you need during recovery. I bought some cheapo brace from CVS when my wrist bothered me. I used KT after ditching the brace.

 

 

One thing I wonder is if the PT stuff (stretching, then fairly mild wrist exercises) hurts or at best is neutral.  If the whole idea for healing is that you don't use your wrist, then I wonder if that activity works against that?

I'm pretty done with KT tape.  For me, its main benefit is that I look like a cool beach volleyball athlete, not that it seems to actually do anything particularly useful.

I have two wrist braces... One with a metal support thing, one with a thumb hole to anchor the strap then you wrap the strap around your wrist.  I've tried both a bit during this process and it didn't seem to do much, but maybe its worth trying it again.  I think next week, as long as the stiffness I have right now goes away, I'll try the thumb hole wrap with athletic tape over the top to give a bit more support.

Maybe I can try switching hands to righty.  REALLY not excited about doing that its the last thing I need as a shitty hockey player.

At least this whole process has been good for my wallet, as I've been reffing a lot so that I can keep skating some.  Woo.

Mark

[stick9 890]

2 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

One thing I wonder is if the PT stuff (stretching, then fairly mild wrist exercises) hurts or at best is neutral.  If the whole idea for healing is that you don't use your wrist, then I wonder if that activity works against that?

I'm pretty done with KT tape.  For me, its main benefit is that I look like a cool beach volleyball athlete, not that it seems to actually do anything particularly useful.

I have two wrist braces... One with a metal support thing, one with a thumb hole to anchor the strap then you wrap the strap around your wrist.  I've tried both a bit during this process and it didn't seem to do much, but maybe its worth trying it again.  I think next week, as long as the stiffness I have right now goes away, I'll try the thumb hole wrap with athletic tape over the top to give a bit more support.

Maybe I can try switching hands to righty.  REALLY not excited about doing that its the last thing I need as a shitty hockey player.

At least this whole process has been good for my wallet, as I've been reffing a lot so that I can keep skating some.  Woo.

Mark

I've done litterly tons of PT (hip, knee x2, ankle, hand and elbow/bicep) and it definitely helps. Seems silly because what they have you do is so simple. 

I'd give the thumbhole brace a go without tape. You might find your wrist is working against the tape making things worse. 

The other thing I tried was that stretchy tape you see guys use on the top hand of their sticks. It adds a decent level of support. It can be a bit costly to use consistently which is why I went for the soft brace.

[Larry54 243]

Here's a bit of shot in the dark, but ask a coach or more experienced player to check your stick handling technique.

Or maybe you could try something like this:

 

[puckpilot 312]

I've had bouts with tendinitis in my top hand over the years. It first started with too much mouse usage from gaming and work. And later it would show up after long shooting sessions. One time it was bugging me for around six months, where I could barely grip my hockey stick. For me, I got under control by doing some simple stretching and strengthening exercises for my wrist. 

I'm not a doctor, but when my forearm muscles get tight from prolonged usage, I'm guessing it pulls the wrist tendon taught and they begin rubbing against something like the wrist bones when I move. That irritates the tendons and makes them inflamed. If I don't loosen the muscles, the tendons keep rubbing. By stretching, it loosens the muscles up and stops the the rubbing. No rubbing, the inflammation goes away.

Since I started doing the stretches and exercises, I haven't had a bout of tendinitis, and I haven't changed any of my mouse and/or shooting habits. There were times were I could feel it coming on, like after a couple hours of shooting, but like I said, some stretching and exercise and I was good. 

I'm about the same vintage as you, and over the years, as I've gotten older, I've learned that I need to be stretching and doing maintenance work all the time, on my shoulder, on my hips, and my wrists. Etc. It's not the case where I do stretches, the tendinitis goes away, and never have to worry about it again. I have to keep doing the stretches and exercises on a regular basis, usually after exercise, to stop it from coming back. Maybe that's something for you to consider.

 

Here's a video of some of the wrist stretches and exercises i do. Hope it helps.

 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

So, lots of those exercises and stretches are things I was doing in PT and at home over the past three weeks.  They didn't seem to help all that much.  I mean, I'm planning to keep doing them, but it makes me wonder if something else is going on or whatever.

Has anyone played with different knobs as it relates to this type of thing?  I've been using a Pro / Kane tacki-mac grip on my sticks, which basically has no knob at all.  I'm kinda wondering if I should try a bigger diameter knob, which maybe gives me a little more leverage on the stick in terms of turning it one way or another?  I'm not sure about the angled knob... Right now I put the very top of my stick into my palm, like I think is common.  It seems like that would make the angle mostly irrelevant?

Mark

[puckpilot 312]

5 hours ago, marka said:

I'm kinda wondering if I should try a bigger diameter knob, which maybe gives me a little more leverage on the stick in terms of turning it one way or another? 

It sucks that you're not seeing much results with the stretching. For me, I could feel things getting better fairly quickly. 

Personally, I use a rather large step knob made from tape. When I look at it from the top, the long side measures 1.75 inches. I make the knob by wrapping 1.5 inch wide tape around the butt end ten times. Then I wrap 1 inch wide tape around the butt around 20 times, and finally, I split the 1 inch wide tape in half and go around the butt approx 30 times until the knob is 1.75 inches wide.

It looks like a step pyramid. I grip the stick with my my first three fingers and my pinky hanging over the top. I find the knob gives my tiny hands more leverage when I shoot, so I can give a harder tug on the stick with my top hand. 

[caveman27 208]

One person already said it, rest is the best for inflammation-based pain.

I had tennis elbow, and tried "working" through it with a tennis elbow brace. I just ended up stopping all upper-body related exercises (at the gym) for over a month and just did lower-body exercises and cardio. I think it took two months. Anyway, I was able to get back into working out without the tennis elbow brace anymore. It just took rest. 

I guess you could play ice hockey with a stick of the opposite hand. This way, you won't aggravate the wrist since your other hand is holding the top end of the stick. You'll suck probably, but you won't lose ice time. 

[caveman27 208]

On 6/30/2019 at 2:24 PM, Larry54 said:

Here's a bit of shot in the dark, but ask a coach or more experienced player to check your stick handling technique.

Or maybe you could try something like this:

 

This product is kind of a joke because it is altering the angle that the stick is held, which wouldn't be a problem if your had the correct lie. The last bullet point tells me that, because if the lie is correct, then your blade will be flat on the ice.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

So a couple weeks later and I actually got in to see my buddy the orthopedist.  I play hockey with him occasionally, so its nice to not have to explain why that's important to a 50 year old even though the wrist doesn't hurt for day to day stuff.  Plus I can trust him to just tell me if I'm fucked or whatever.  🙂

Anyway, we're going to do an MRI, but his best guess at this point is a TFCC Tear.  I guess the MRI should be definitive though and once we know more about what's actually wrong we can discuss best ways to fix it.

On the plus side, he told me that basically I wasn't going to make anything way worse if I play, it'll just likely hurt.  So I'm going to tape it up (with regular athletic tape, not KT stuff) and give it a go this weekend on that low level team with my wife again.  Looking forward to it, to say it mildly!  🙂 

Mark

[marka 526]

Howdy,

I did have a question though... I'm considering using a decently shorter stick, just to see if that helps.  I figured it might change the angle my wrist is at when I'm playing, plus would give the stick a little less leverage to put through my hand.  Anyone ever done that type of thing?

I'm assuming I have a stick laying around with a more vertical lie that I don't mind cutting 6" off.  I know there will be an adjustment period to the length change, but I figure it'll be a lot easier than a full hand swap.

Mark

[stick9 890]

Grips, different length sticks, switching hands...  Dude, you are way overthinking this.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

17 minutes ago, stick9 said:

Grips, different length sticks, switching hands...  Dude, you are way overthinking this.

Actually, don’t think he is. I know I had bad tendinitis with stiffer sticks. And a shorter stick may put his wrists at a different angle. 

KT tape is garbage.  RockTape is better. 

And @BenBreeg’s reco for an ART-certified chiro is spot-on. Ericca runs a clinic which specializes in it. 

[BenBreeg 493]

1 hour ago, stick9 said:

Grips, different length sticks, switching hands...  Dude, you are way overthinking this.

I don’t think so either.  The slightest change in movement pattern can have an effect on how the tendon is moving and the forces being applied to it.

[Stewie 721]

2 hours ago, JR Boucicaut said:

Actually, don’t think he is. I know I had bad tendinitis with stiffer sticks. And a shorter stick may put his wrists at a different angle. 

KT tape is garbage.  RockTape is better. 

And @BenBreeg’s reco for an ART-certified chiro is spot-on. Ericca runs a clinic which specializes in it. 

maybe i should give this a try. I stopped playing for 3 weeks during the rink shutdown at Taylor for NARCH, and my wrist was feeling great, but getting back to it Sunday and immediately the pain returns, worse yet i put it through back to backs.

[stick9 890]

I’ve rehabbed everything from bumps & bruises, to broken bones, to torn ligaments…including multiple injuries to my hands and wrists. Each time I successfully returned to the ice without issue. The key is putting in the work to strengthen the affected areas. My guess, you weren’t really ready to come back and you re-aggravated it by doing so. That most likely put you right back to square 1.

Me, I usually test things out in a low risk setting like stick time or public skating. I start off light, pushing harder each time. If something doesn’t feel right, I am done. Remember, feeling good and ready to play hockey are two completely different things.

I'd say, work on not just getting your strength back, but get stronger and don't come back until you are ready. If you continue to have issues, then it's time to dissect your kit.

 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Tried the knob that @puckpilot described on a stick that was about 3" or 4" shorter than what I'd been using tonight.  First time I'd played in a month.

I think the knob definitely helps.  I switched back for like half a shift to my regular length stick with a tacki-mac kane / pro grip and just stick handling back and forth hurt a little more.  Less sure about the length and even less about the curve (I did this to a P28 / TC4 that I had laying around, since I didn't really care much about that stick.  I'd been using a P30).  But the knob seemed to let me hold the top of the stick with my hand less "closed" and perhaps also reduced the twisting torque it was applying to my hand?  Stuff still hurt, but it wasn't as bad.  And after two lower level games, my wrist doesn't feel as bad as I remember it feeling the last time I played a single game (which was what prompted the OP).  Its clearly still not 'right' though.

I've got an MRI scheduled for Tuesday.  At this point I think I'm hoping they identify a tear they can repair arthroscopicly, so that this can actually be fixed.  But either way, I think that knob is here to stay for a while.  Thanks!

Mark 

Edited July 21, 2019 by marka

[marka 526]

Howdy,

 

So, officially a TFCC tear, not tendinitis.  In a hard cast for a month to see if it'll heal while its really immobile before surgery is considered.

Mark

[BenBreeg 493]

Sorry to hear that, at least you got a positive diagnosis though.

[caveman27 208]

On 7/25/2019 at 5:31 PM, marka said:

Howdy,

So, officially a TFCC tear, not tendinitis.  In a hard cast for a month to see if it'll heal while its really immobile before surgery is considered.
Mark

At least you got the right diagnosis.

I always thought I had bursitis in my shoulder for years. Turned out to be a torn labrum when it finally became a complete tear.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

So, the hard cast has come and gone.  I can't say I'd recommend that... My wrist felt WAY worse coming out of the cast than it had going in.  Holding my old joint in one position apparently let everything atrophy and degrade... Any sort of movement of the joint hurt.  The only positive was that it hurt in different areas.

Followed that up with a soft brace for 3 weeks or so.  Some of the pain went away with time.  For the last week of the soft brace I also started doing wrist exercises from the PT I'd done prior to the hard cast.  Still hurt, still in places in/on my wrist that were different from before.

Saw the doc again last Wednesday and we agreed that I should just start playing and see what it felt like.  My hope was that the pain now is due to being in the cast but the pain from the tear would be healed up with all the rest.  So played Friday and... No pain!  Played the whole game without any twinges or anything else.  🙂  Followed that up with a game last night and the same thing.  

🙂

I'm playing with a shorter stick, that large knob, and a shock doctor 824 3 strap wrist support.  The wrist support isn't super bulky, but I like pretty tight gloves (14" QRL / QRL Pro), so I ended up buying a single right hand 15" Bauer glove on ebay and removing the back hand padding to get that to fit.

So in terms of where I'm at today, its sorta the opposite of how this started out... My wrist (and now hand... Maybe from the big knob?) now ache some when I'm not playing hockey, but when I'm playing they feel fine.  So... Progress!

Mark

[caveman27 208]

On 9/16/2019 at 8:50 AM, marka said:

Howdy,

So, the hard cast has come and gone.  I can't say I'd recommend that... My wrist felt WAY worse coming out of the cast than it had going in.  Holding my old joint in one position apparently let everything atrophy and degrade... Any sort of movement of the joint hurt.  The only positive was that it hurt in different areas.

Followed that up with a soft brace for 3 weeks or so.  Some of the pain went away with time.  For the last week of the soft brace I also started doing wrist exercises from the PT I'd done prior to the hard cast.  Still hurt, still in places in/on my wrist that were different from before.

Saw the doc again last Wednesday and we agreed that I should just start playing and see what it felt like.  My hope was that the pain now is due to being in the cast but the pain from the tear would be healed up with all the rest.  So played Friday and... No pain!  Played the whole game without any twinges or anything else.  🙂  Followed that up with a game last night and the same thing.  

🙂

I'm playing with a shorter stick, that large knob, and a shock doctor 824 3 strap wrist support.  The wrist support isn't super bulky, but I like pretty tight gloves (14" QRL / QRL Pro), so I ended up buying a single right hand 15" Bauer glove on ebay and removing the back hand padding to get that to fit.

So in terms of where I'm at today, its sorta the opposite of how this started out... My wrist (and now hand... Maybe from the big knob?) now ache some when I'm not playing hockey, but when I'm playing they feel fine.  So... Progress!

Mark

How's playing with a shorter stick? Are you bent over more to pass, shoot and stick-handle?