Sledder's elbow?

[polemite.productions]

nah, i just don't want to recover, then re-injure myself. i figure if there's anything i can do to the sled that mitigates the risk, it's worth doing.

even if i'm wrong, and it turns out that sledding isn't causing my problem at all, i doubt i'd regret any of the mods, or a new sled. haha.

 

[volcano buster]

My arm is feeling good enough now that I think I could go ride. Problem is my RMK has an Assault front end which is wider and takes more to pull over. I think in hard spring snow it would cause issue with my arm again.

I'm probably going to fab up a removable link for my sway bar before next winter so I can release it for off trail conditions which should help from re-aggravating it.

If you can swing a newer sled, it might be a good time to do that as well. For me, too many other things coming up so I'll ride my old sled some more.

 

[KTMDigger]

Cold Laser Therapy

Sorry to be the one to tell you ... but this happens with age. Our tendons and ligaments slowly become less and less apt to stretch and flex as we grow older. This is a common problem within the (aging) group that I ride (TimberSled) with.

We have been using Cold Laser Therapy (red laser) and TENS for our elbows. You can find a provider in most cities who will set you up with regular appointments. Or you can purchase your own device. This is what we ended up doing, as the problem will only get worse as you continue to abuse your body and you continue to age. A favourite that we have settled on is the Laser Touch One ... it has a cold laser (red) and a TENS device built into one compact device (the size of a small flash light).

The advantage of a cold laser and TENS machine is that you are able to get heat stimulation directly into the tendon or ligament which will accelerate the blood flow and bring instant (but temporary) pain relieve. After several applications you can begin to feel the healing process. This also works for any and all joints. Remember tendons and ligaments do not have the luxury of blood flow that a muscle has, therefore they do not get the same healing and recover benefits and will take much longer to heal ... the cold laser / TENS speeds up the recovery.

The added benefit is the TENS device is an excellent method to heal and warm up your muscles. A simple 4 - 6 minute application and you are good to go for the day, then do another application after the ride.

Give it a try you will not be disappointed. I am not in the medical industry ... but I know from experience this works.

 

[polemite.productions]

my chiropractor recommended the laser treatment as well. i get it covered through work, so i think i'll book an appointment next time i go in there. i didn't realize you can get a home unit though. if i'm still having trouble going into next winter, i'll look into buying one.

 

[polemite.productions]

If you can swing a newer sled, it might be a good time to do that as well. For me, too many other things coming up so I'll ride my old sled some more.

i'm in the same boat... plus i don't get out to ride much any more, so it's hard to justify to be honest... i'd be money ahead if i could just rent a sled each time i went out.

 

[polemite.productions]

here's a good picture of the steering post and arm alignment. bars are right in the crotch. if you're on the brakes or absorbing an impact, you're doing a lateral flex with your arms.

 

[butthead]

for the past few years, i've had some mild elbow pain creeping up on me... i've been able to stretch it out and ignore it, up till this season.

after a particularly exhaustive, deep day, i spent about a week after where i could hardly pick up a carton of milk. after that, it subsided into a nagging ache. the next time out riding, i was right back to the sharp pain, and i've been sore for almost a month now.

so i've developed tennis elbow. not sure if i can blame sledding as the main cause, as i also turn screwdrivers and wrenches at work, but sledding definitely aggravates it. gettin old and out of shape too. been talking to a few different riders about it, and it sounds like a few of them also get mild cases of it.

i'm thinking that since this is on the throttle side, grip ergonomics, throttle effort, and steering effort are all contributing factors. i'm also thinking that the slop in the vertical/adjustable steering post of my 2012 proclimb has to be working against me as well.

i have a list of mods in mind that i i think will ease the strain, but before i go into it, i'd like to hear if anyone else has dealt with the same issue, and what you may have done to your sled to improve or eliminate the contributing factors. thanks.

try this
i had tennis elbow reallly bad
6 treatments and back to normal again
http://glenmorechiro.com/extracorporeal-shockwave-therapy/
shock wave therapy

 

[FatDogX]

here's a good picture of the steering post and arm alignment. bars are right in the crotch. if you're on the brakes or absorbing an impact, you're doing a lateral flex with your arms.

Looking at that picture, I would say that the bars are actually too high for that rider. Too high of bars will result in more having to use more muscle / arms to move the sled. Which in turn is working the arms more.

You really want to find a balance on bar height, by going lower and finding that key height that allows you to simply shift weight and lean with a slight pull on the bars is key. The idea is to use more core muscles or your body verses your arms of just your upper body. By doing this your not burning out your body.....which means a longer days ride and .....less chance of injury or re injury.

There are lots of good articles and information on bar height out there but the key is finding the lowest you can go with still being comfortable.

 

[Missy]

for the past few years, i've had some mild elbow pain creeping up on me... i've been able to stretch it out and ignore it, up till this season.

after a particularly exhaustive, deep day, i spent about a week after where i could hardly pick up a carton of milk. after that, it subsided into a nagging ache. the next time out riding, i was right back to the sharp pain, and i've been sore for almost a month now.

so i've developed tennis elbow. not sure if i can blame sledding as the main cause, as i also turn screwdrivers and wrenches at work, but sledding definitely aggravates it. gettin old and out of shape too. been talking to a few different riders about it, and it sounds like a few of them also get mild cases of it.

i'm thinking that since this is on the throttle side, grip ergonomics, throttle effort, and steering effort are all contributing factors. i'm also thinking that the slop in the vertical/adjustable steering post of my 2012 proclimb has to be working against me as well.

i have a list of mods in mind that i i think will ease the strain, but before i go into it, i'd like to hear if anyone else has dealt with the same issue, and what you may have done to your sled to improve or eliminate the contributing factors. thanks.

I have the same thing in my right elbow. It comes and goes, but mostly comes during riding season and continues if I ride in the summer a lot any of the following, dirt bike, mountain bike or quad.

 

[polemite.productions]

Too high and too far back.
For myself and my height, I find the lowest setting on the bars to be a good height. But if I'm coming down a long slope, I always plant my knees on the knee pads to hold myself back and relieve the lateral strain on my arms.
But on the doo I tried, my arms were in alignment with the bars, and i found that I never needed to use the knee pads to give my arms a break.

I think I've got my mind made up on bar position, no matter what I'm riding next year.