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Tennis elbow from reloading!

I reload about 10 rifle calibers. Decap everything which I need to stop as it’s not always needed and it adds to the bending of my arm. I’ve started to use my other hand to operate the press which helps.

Just wondering have any of you older guys experienced the same pain on the inner part of your arm right where the arm bends?
Sometimes takes a month or two for the pain to go away.

Any remedies or ideas would help!
Thanks
 
Maybe it's not from pulling the press handle? About 15 years ago I was doing a lot of highway driving & using mostly my right hand/arm at about 1 o'clock on the steering wheel doing minor corrections with thumb or ring/pinky finger. I had the exact thing you describe happen. It took a few months but after all the driving was over the pain went away. The following year it happened again, so I'm fairly sure it was caused, or at last aggravated, by my driving habits.

Maybe re-evaluate other things you're doing besides reloading?
 
It's called tendonitis and can get debilitating if you let it go too far. I had it in my right elbow, but not from reloading.

I had it both the medial and lateral elbow tendons. Mine got so bad I couldn't bend my elbow without severe pain.

I had four cortizone injections over a period of two years. Also had physical therapy. Mine finally healed but I still get some discomfort so I have to be careful not to over use the elbow.

Three things can help immensely. First and most importantly, rest the elbow until completely healed. Second, avoid repetitive motions for sustained periods of time, and thirdly, perform tendon stretches a couple times of day*. For severe cases, a specialist intervention may be needed.

*With arm straight, lightly push the fingers up and back and hold for a count of 20 seconds - this stretches the medial elbow tendon. The reverse, i.e. pushing the hand down stretches the lateral elbow tendon. This is a preventative measure once the healing is achieved.
 
I reload about 10 rifle calibers. Decap everything which I need to stop as it’s not always needed and it adds to the bending of my arm. I’ve started to use my other hand to operate the press which helps.

Just wondering have any of you older guys experienced the same pain on the inner part of your arm right where the arm bends?
Sometimes takes a month or two for the pain to go away.

Any remedies or ideas would help!
Thanks

My son, being a former professional baseball player and now a Sports Scientist with expertise in Biomechanics, and I sometimes have conversations about such issues as related to sports (often too technical for me :eek: ). When pain occurs in a joint from repeated movements, the solution in some cases is simply to change the movement, sometime a significant change. In your case, you might try changing the height of your press so that you're not bending your elbow in the same way (like at a different angle) and reducing the amount of effort it takes to operate the press.

. . . just my idea of a remedy. :rolleyes:
 
Agree with K22, you must rest this and stop well before you get to the point of aggravating it again.

I was blessed with a great crew at work and learned very early on that some jobs could cause injury by repeating tasks you didn't think were that bad, but clearly were causing issues for folks. Hands, wrists, elbows, necks, and backs, were all very unforgiving.

You wouldn't think that just tightening screws could be dangerous, but some of the assembly techs were getting carpal tunnel damage from loading tasks or tightening screws. I spent a lot of time to make sure we all got educated on the medical and ergonomic issues, and I also spent time getting the tools or automation to eliminate or greatly reduce those motions.

I got lots of negative comments and criticism from some of the Ops Managers. I was part of R&D and beyond their reach and they viewed my habits as unnecessary. In their opinions I was coddling my crew and spending too much on automation. After 35 plus years, the facts were that my crews suffered a fraction of the injuries while out performing the others, not to mention the turnover rate was also very low in my labs.

Simple things like the right glasses, good lighting, adjustable microscopes, adjustable chairs and tables, powered drivers, etc. put your posture in the right place to protect your eyes, limbs, neck and spine. Get educated on the basics of what causes damage to your body and go from there.

Here is a book that my best man gave me later in life. I used to ignore it when it was in the airport book stores. He noticed I was still hurting after a being rear ended while skiing and the stuff in this book seemed basic or obvious, but it still helped.
I handed them out by the box-load to younger folks in the hope it would prevent the delusion that they were bulletproof.
https://www.amazon.com/Steps-Pain-F...ocphy=9031026&hvtargid=pla-437004663358&psc=1

In terms of reloading, at home I use as much automation as I can. Aside from some match shooting, I am prone to load very large batches for PD trips where it would be easy to get hurt. You would find several Dillon machines set up just for case prep steps like decapping, and I try and run the powdered trim/turn instead of the Wilson or Forester to avoid using my fingers. If you sit, make sure you are at the right height, get the right chair. Companies like InLine Fab make risers that can put the machines on the table anywhere from flush to elevated.

Yes these extra steps and things don't come free, they all cost money. But you will have to ask yourself what it costs you if you have to stop or if you hurt yourself. Get some rest and I hope you have a speedy recovery. (I hear Scotch works.... )
 
My son, being a former professional baseball player and now a Sports Scientist with expertise in Biomechanics, and I sometimes have conversations about such issues as related to sports (often too technical for me :eek: ). When pain occurs in a joint from repeated movements, the solution in some cases is simply to change the movement, sometime a significant change. In your case, you might try changing the height of your press so that you're not bending your elbow in the same way (like at a different angle) and reducing the amount of effort it takes to operate the press.

. . . just my idea of a remedy. :rolleyes:
That is a great idea. I’ll try using a slightly higher stool instead of my chair.
Thanks for your response.
 
Agree with K22, you must rest this and stop well before you get to the point of aggravating it again.

I was blessed with a great crew at work and learned very early on that some jobs could cause injury by repeating tasks you didn't think were that bad, but clearly were causing issues for folks. Hands, wrists, elbows, necks, and backs, were all very unforgiving.

You wouldn't think that just tightening screws could be dangerous, but some of the assembly techs were getting carpal tunnel damage from loading tasks or tightening screws. I spent a lot of time to make sure we all got educated on the medical and ergonomic issues, and I also spent time getting the tools or automation to eliminate or greatly reduce those motions.

I got lots of negative comments and criticism from some of the Ops Managers. I was part of R&D and beyond their reach and they viewed my habits as unnecessary. In their opinions I was coddling my crew and spending too much on automation. After 35 plus years, the facts were that my crews suffered a fraction of the injuries while out performing the others, not to mention the turnover rate was also very low in my labs.

Simple things like the right glasses, good lighting, adjustable microscopes, adjustable chairs and tables, powered drivers, etc. put your posture in the right place to protect your eyes, limbs, neck and spine. Get educated on the basics of what causes damage to your body and go from there.

Here is a book that my best man gave me later in life. I used to ignore it when it was in the airport book stores. He noticed I was still hurting after a being rear ended while skiing and the stuff in this book seemed basic or obvious, but it still helped.
I handed them out by the box-load to younger folks in the hope it would prevent the delusion that they were bulletproof.
https://www.amazon.com/Steps-Pain-F...ocphy=9031026&hvtargid=pla-437004663358&psc=1

In terms of reloading, at home I use as much automation as I can. Aside from some match shooting, I am prone to load very large batches for PD trips where it would be easy to get hurt. You would find several Dillon machines set up just for case prep steps like decapping, and I try and run the powdered trim/turn instead of the Wilson or Forester to avoid using my fingers. If you sit, make sure you are at the right height, get the right chair. Companies like InLine Fab make risers that can put the machines on the table anywhere from flush to elevated.

Yes these extra steps and things don't come free, they all cost money. But you will have to ask yourself what it costs you if you have to stop or if you hurt yourself. Get some rest and I hope you have a speedy recovery. (I hear Scotch works.... )
Very nice reply.
My case trimmer is the manual Redding type. I believe you can attach a cordless screw driver which I will do.

Thanks.
 
I have tendinitis in my right elbow and some days I can't pick up a half gallon of milk at arms reach it hurts so bad. A band-aid fix for when I'm doing repetitive tasks like loading or sanding a stock and also at work I wear a brace on my forearm. Make sure you get one with the pressure pad. It helps alleviate the pain during and I find i don't hurt as much or sometimes at all after.
 
I reload about 10 rifle calibers. Decap everything which I need to stop as it’s not always needed and it adds to the bending of my arm. I’ve started to use my other hand to operate the press which helps.

Just wondering have any of you older guys experienced the same pain on the inner part of your arm right where the arm bends?
Sometimes takes a month or two for the pain to go away.

Any remedies or ideas would help!
Thanks
There are several great posts already. I'll share because I feel your pain literally!
I have a few things I do to mitigate the pain.

1st, I'm getting better at being ambidextrous and sharing the work load. I try to use both arms whenever using a press alternating with my left & right arm.

2nd, I have multiple presses and move the work around as necessary. I found that having a press on the left and on the right helps.

3rd, the elevation of the press is a factor as well. The lower the press is, the less work you have to do lifting your arm. I'm not able to stand for long periods of time like I used to, so I sit. Good for my knees but more work for my arms. My coax is on a stand on my right which gives me more leverage but at the cost of lifting my arm more. I'm using a RCBS Summit on the left and it's great for many tasks as well as sitting flat on the bench. I have both the long and short arms threaded in so I can even use it two handed if it helps. I use the Hornady LnL bushings for that press to simplify die changes.

4th, I have separated depriming from resizing. I deprime separately so I don't have to worry about pin alignment when I'm exerting force sizing the case. Might not seem like much but it helps. I might even get a hand depriming tool if the repetition starts to cause trouble.

Finally the last thing is batching. I break things up so I'm not spending long periods of time with repetition. I mix reloading steps like trimming, annealing, even gun cleaning in with press work so I'm getting a bit of a break now and then.

Good luck working this out. Consider physical therapy or at least research what's a safe. Left untreated you might end up with a sling for a while.
 
I reload about 10 rifle calibers. Decap everything which I need to stop as it’s not always needed and it adds to the bending of my arm. I’ve started to use my other hand to operate the press which helps.

Just wondering have any of you older guys experienced the same pain on the inner part of your arm right where the arm bends?
Sometimes takes a month or two for the pain to go away.

Any remedies or ideas would help!
Thanks
Sounds like rhumatoid arthritus I have it in both knees and my elbow. So far it's not a problem. See your doctor about relief. Take a couple tylenol 1/2 hr before reloading.
 
I would recommend seeing a doctor that specializes in elbow injuries and tendonitis. I had debridement surgery for elbow. With the crap that I have/had go on I'm beginning feel like the bionic man.
 
Being able to operate my reloading press with my other hand helps.
I‘ll look into that brace.
Thanks
Yea, I forgot to mention the brace which was also prescribed by the specialist for me. Basically these work by taking the stress off the tendon where it connects to the bone. The brace is centered over the flexor muscles in the affected forearm. The pad is oriented depending on whether the medial or lateral tendon is affected.

They sale them at most drug stores but the really effective ones are sold at medical supply stores. The brace won't cure the problem however, only help prevent it from getting worse or reoccurring so don't use it for a substitute to rest the injury and let it heal.
 
If your pain is active right now you need to stop reloading until you are completely over this. Besides the stretching and the braces and tennis elbow bands there other things that can be done. See a hand therapist for some treatment. In the future when you are over this do your warm up stretches and put on your tennis elbow band BEFORE you even start to load. I am such a therapist so I am confident you can manage your situation if you work with a medical professional as soon as possible.
 
I'd recommend an ultra mount or other height change that lets you work standing; altering your height while loading, as well as switching arms will keep you going longer; but if you load that much, it's time to review the number of operations you're performing.

Decapping: easy fix, get a lee hand-press and universal decapper (ok, and shell-holder set of you don't have one). I recently upgraded to a Hornady LnL AP. I'm very happy with the performance, just need to relearn how to set-up your loading.

-Mac
 
I reload about 10 rifle calibers. Decap everything which I need to stop as it’s not always needed and it adds to the bending of my arm. I’ve started to use my other hand to operate the press which helps.

Just wondering have any of you older guys experienced the same pain on the inner part of your arm right where the arm bends?
Sometimes takes a month or two for the pain to go away.

Any remedies or ideas would help!
Thanks
I’ve been down this road, too. I used to prime (rifle and pistol) using a hand (squeeze type) primer seater, but that ended up giving me both carpal tunnel and tennis elbow. I switched to an RCBS bench mounted priming tool (love it!) and that, plus cortisone shots and a year of healing, fixed my problems. Getting old sucks! You may have to think about doing things in different ways. Good luck!
 
Yea, I forgot to mention the brace which was also prescribed by the specialist for me. Basically these work by taking the stress off the tendon where it connects to the bone. The brace is centered over the flexor muscles in the affected forearm. The pad is oriented depending on whether the medial or lateral tendon is affected.

They sale them at most drug stores but the really effective ones are sold at medical supply stores. The brace won't cure the problem however, only help prevent it from getting worse or reoccurring so don't use it for a substitute to rest the injury and let it heal.

The brace is what I have used in the past and it works great.
 
went through the same thing here. fishing/reloading elbow.
i got one cortizone injection and it went away after several months.
i did get an inlinefabrication ERGO style roller lever for my press. i feel like it has helped.

 
My son, being a former professional baseball player and now a Sports Scientist with expertise in Biomechanics, and I sometimes have conversations about such issues as related to sports (often too technical for me :eek: ). When pain occurs in a joint from repeated movements, the solution in some cases is simply to change the movement, sometime a significant change. In your case, you might try changing the height of your press so that you're not bending your elbow in the same way (like at a different angle) and reducing the amount of effort it takes to operate the press.

. . . just my idea of a remedy. :rolleyes:
+1 to the varying of motion. Having had many repetitive injuries, this is the best advice doctors gave me. Also do this in conjunction with avoiding that motion which causes you pain.

To help alleviate the pain, you might try DMSO (farm stores) and/or Blue Emu Oil (OTC at most pharmacies).

I have RA, as was mentioned above. One of the telltale signs for it is that the affected joint will be hot to the touch (i.e. feel like the joint has a fever....). It's a simple blood test to see whether that is something to consider.
 

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