Who's elbows have lasted the longest?

[gjnl]

I never had a problem with my elbow until either or both of the two following factors: 1) I got a power chair and my arm was confined to a fixed position on the armrest resulting in chronic compression (a Roho arm/T foam/sheepskin all to no avail) and 2) I had shoulder surgery in which they resected part of my clavicle, one of the heads of the bicep and cleaned out the area in general. Not only was the shoulder surgery a failure, but in retrospect I probably should've not have had. Within 2 to 3 months of the shoulder surgery I started having extremely bad elbow pain. I thought for sure it was your classic pictures elbow, as I cannot do that motion without extreme pain. Most distressingly, I like to lay prone on a table to give my butt a rest and in that position the inside portion of my elbow is in extreme pain.

Have you tried different joysticks. Body Point makes quite a few to address different problems. There are other companies who make other types of joysticks. A physical therapist or an orthotist my be able to fashion a custom joystick to help.

[crags]

I use the body point dome as I was having trouble with the conventional joystick which rested in between the thumb and index finger. That was putting too much pressure on the proximal thumb joint, the one up from the wrist. The dome, because of its greatly increased diameter, requires less movement to activate it.

[graybeard]

59 and in the chair 14 years. My right elbow developed very strong pain for about 2 years. I kept using heat, ice, compression sleeve, and Salonpas (a cover up - I know). For the past 6 months it has felt good. But honestly don't know why it started to hurt, nor why it got better.

[crags]

Inside elbow pain is possibly what is known as cubital tunnel syndrome, where the all our nerve runs to a confined space and can suffer compression. It is very common and can be treated through what is an ambulatory procedure called transposition/relocation, with a move it slightly out of the way.

Diagnosing, which is done through nerve conduction study, is very difficult if you are a quad due to the denervation of the peripheral nerves. I do think there are other compression syndromes on the lateral aspect as well.

[Tetracyclone]

Inside elbow pain is possibly what is known as cubital tunnel syndrome, where the all our nerve runs to a confined space and can suffer compression. It is very common and can be treated through what is an ambulatory procedure called transposition/relocation, with a move it slightly out of the way.

Diagnosing, which is done through nerve conduction study, is very difficult if you are a quad due to the denervation of the peripheral nerves. I do think there are other compression syndromes on the lateral aspect as well.

I required that procedure because, though I complained of pain when rolling up on my elbow in rehab, the PTs just insisted I "try with all my might." A year later i could no longer use a cane and hd the cubital tunnel release. I think a small bit of bone had broken off to obstruct the cubital tunnel in the elbow. Procedure and recovery went well, but I was months without serious use of the right arm and have never been able to climb stairs since then. It is not the only injury for which PTs were responsible.

[pete4sake]

I tried the comparable prescription strength sodium diclofenac which did not provide any relief, and after two weeks resulted in severe skin reaction and had to be terminated

Crags what type of skin reaction did you have as i was using diclofenac for wrist and hand pain and also had a reaction but was trying a few things so wasn't sure what caused reaction...

[Tetracyclone]

Products I am current testing for effectiveness with knee and should pain:

2 Bottle Special, 99.995% Non Diluted, Low Odor Pharma Grade DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) 3oz Roll on BPA FREE
available on Amazon. This product is valued by people for their horses, and if you pay $250,000 for your racehorse you are very careful to get a pure product without compromising additives. It cannot be marketed for human use but is frequently used by humans- especially those who see the results in their horses. I cannot find the version that includes 30% aloe available in the US, so I just rub some aloe on along with the DMOS.

Another great product from veterinary vendors is "Sore No More" which is Arnica and witch hazel. Jetters is a great vendor.Arnica has a long history of success with lower grade arthritis and various pains. Sometimes partial relief makes us happy.

[Patrick Madsen]

I was sending Rick Hansen DMSO back in the '80's when he was wheeling around the World. We got word that it will eventually weaken, rip etc. the tendon and muscles if used to frequently. In fact it was more than stressed to not use at all. So he stopped using it.

Much like Cortisone, you don't know you've used it too much til the damage has already been done. Using it for horses is one thing. Have you made the change for dosage from the 1500 pound horse to whatever you weigh?

[SCIfor55+yrs]

Other than a couple of short-lived episodes of bursitis over the years, my elbows are fine. However, my rotator cuffs have been replaced with scar tissue and on the other end, my carpal tunnels have collapsed. In sum, after 64 years post, most of my body is a mess.

[SCI-Nurse]

Posted previously in previous discussions, this document has invaluable information about preserving function of your upper extremity joints over time (and is evidence-based):

https://pva-cdnendpoint.azureedge.ne...upper_limb.pdf

(KLD)