(Topic ID: 20352)

Ever get 'Pinball' Elbow?

By Eskaybee

11 years ago


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  • 57 posts
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  • Latest reply 10 years ago by Buffpac5
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    There are 57 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 11 years ago

    ...AKA Tennis Elbow
    A couple months back i started getting a very tight pain in my left elbow, near my funny bone. Im not sure if it was caused from work or pinball; im pretty sure it was pinball though lol. Anyway, started getting treatment for it a few weeks back, but was curious if anyone else has ever gotten pinball/tennis elbow and how long it took before it was fixed/cured.

    #2 11 years ago

    I have had tendinitis that seems to have come from hard left and right nudges. And people have said pinball players aren't athletes! Sheesh

    Mine has healed because my games have been out of service for over a month. Summer schedule has prevented much repair time being available.

    #3 11 years ago

    I thought I was in peak condition for pinball... having so many years of sitting in front of a computer under my belt! But after spending hours every day in my home arcade playing pinball with my kids, my wrists and forearms get really tight.

    No pain no gain right?? Just have to work through it and let your body build up those muscles the way nature intended them to be.. pinball!

    #4 11 years ago

    I get sore if i play bsd for more than an hour.

    #5 11 years ago

    Prob tendinitis I have it too. Don't know if I got it from pinball but it does act up while I'm playing. Years ago I had it bad enough that the doc gave me a cortisone shot. That fixed that one. Now it is back but in a different spot. At some point we all have to man up to the fact that this getting older crap is not for whimps.

    #6 11 years ago

    I have definitely. When I started playing semi-seriously I'd get it from slapping the machine. I don't seem to any more though.

    #7 11 years ago

    I lean on the machine too much and the heels of my hands will ache after a while. Especially at shows or tourneys.

    #8 11 years ago
    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    ...AKA Tennis Elbow
    A couple months back i started getting a very tight pain in my left elbow, near my funny bone. Im not sure if it was caused from work or pinball; im pretty sure it was pinball though lol. Anyway, started getting treatment for it a few weeks back, but was curious if anyone else has ever gotten pinball/tennis elbow and how long it took before it was fixed/cured.

    I haven't had pain i the elbow but on occasion my wrists will hurt.

    #9 11 years ago
    Quoted from practicalsteve:

    I lean on the machine too much and the heels of my hands will ache after a while. Especially at shows or tourneys.

    I get this too, also being 6'6" I find that pins aren't designed for that tall of people so I usually play sitting on a stool at home.

    #10 11 years ago
    Quoted from Doot77:

    I get this too, also being 6'6" I find that pins aren't designed for that tall of people so I usually play sitting on a stool at home.

    I am tall also and raise the back legs all the way up and set the pitch with the front.
    For the leaning on your palms you have to stop locking your knees and the problem goes away.
    Your shots also improve because you have more range of motion with your hands.
    I had to train myself to stop doing this or stop playing it was taking it's toll on my wrists, I did carpentry for too many years and they are already pretty toasted.

    #11 11 years ago

    My wrists hurt if I play a lot because im getting old and ive never been easy on my body. Oh well, it wont stop me.

    #12 11 years ago

    I've played tennis since the 80's and got my first case of tennis elbow about 6 weeks after I purchased my first pin in 2011. My tennis elbow lasted more than a year.

    #13 11 years ago

    Eskaybee, Deja Vu!!

    I was just thinking this 2 days ago and was gonna post. I was playing Pins for quite a while and , yes, my elbow was becoming sore.
    If I had a TZ, I'd be playing it now.....

    -1
    #14 11 years ago

    Left shoulder

    #15 11 years ago

    Haven't noticed problems with elbows, but my wrists can definitely get sore.

    #16 11 years ago

    Between my elbows and wrists I get pain. I started having this type of pain from weight lifting 20 years ago and the pain comes back sometimes when I work the particular muscles/tendons involved.
    Fortunately it is not too bad and is more of an annoyance that a stopper.

    #17 11 years ago

    Finally getting back to this thread, it's been a busy day. I read all the posts, some really good feedback and good reads. Glad to see I'm not the only one getting ...old, ahem, I mean pinball pains heh.

    #18 11 years ago

    I used to get real bad wrist pains, but don't seem to anymore. I DO still get some elbow pain.

    #19 11 years ago
    Quoted from DCFAN:

    I started having this type of pain from weight lifting 20 years ago and the pain comes back sometimes when I work the particular muscles/tendons involved

    Ditto, Lifting weights , Arm in cast for 8 months from car crash. Playing pinball. Mountain biking. Both my elbows ache. Hope we all don't need a Tommy-John procedure .

    #20 11 years ago

    My elbow is wrecked from fighting arm locks and arm bars. I also had a fat indian kid slide down a long bounce house slide right into my elbow as a posted my hand down to stand up. That little chubby twerp hyper extended my arm backwards until I yelped "FUCK", stared at him, and then awkwardly limped away in silence.

    As for fixing it.. this video helps me out, a lot.

    Good luck.

    #21 11 years ago

    This is what you do guys. Get two 10 gallon buckets. Fill one with cold water and LOTS of ice. The other fill with very hot water. Make sure that the hot water isn't going to burn you, but you want it was hot as possible. Stick arms in ice water first for 30 seconds, then put hands in hot water for 3 mins, then back to the cold water for 30 seconds. Do this for 15mins. ALWAYS start and end with the ice water.

    #22 11 years ago

    I don't know AbacusMan.

    I am no physical therapist so you may know more than I do. But generally speaking, from what I have read, there is a difference between tendon damage and soft tissue damage. If it was indeed muscle or tissue damage I would whole heartily agree with your advice. Stimulating the muscle tissue is key to the healing process.

    Tendons however, they are connective tissues designed to hold and stabilize muscles to joints. They do not expand and contract the way muscle fibers do and are actually relatively rigid compared to muscle tissue. In fact, applying heat to a tendon injury will expand the surrounding muscle tissue, creating pressure and pain against the adjacent tendons. For tendons.. it's ice ice ice.. direct pressure therapy.. and more ice. For muscles, it's heat, ice, heat, ice, deep tissue masage, heat, ice, etc.

    Speaking of which, the OP should probably go to a sports doctor or physical therapist to determine the actual nature of the injury. I'm used to my arm so i can feel the difference, but a sports oriented doctor would be best (your primary care physician will tell you to just stop playing pinball, fuck that guy).

    #23 11 years ago

    The only pain I get from pinball machines is in my wallet.

    #24 11 years ago

    I often bust a blood vessel in my left thumb from beating the sh*t out of a dirty-ass-pos TSPP that is on route near me.

    #25 11 years ago

    ok ok, how about wearing wrist gaurds?

    #26 11 years ago

    Start mass producing ergonomic pinball gear.

    And get us in the Olympics.

    #27 11 years ago

    I get pain on the inside of my wrists, which I'm sure is associated to nudging. Sounds bad, I'm not rough, but I find for subtle nudging, it's more wrists than anything, and when actually moving or sliding a machine even a foot for whatever reason, it's more shoulders.

    I'm made of glass though in every sport I've ever played, and I’ll be damned if I ever admit this to any of my friends, I would never hear the end of it...

    #28 11 years ago
    Quoted from AbacusMan:

    ok ok, how about wearing wrist gaurds?

    I was having some wrist pain when playing and I switched fingers I use on the buttons. I went from using my index fingers which caused the pain to using my middle fingers to hit the flipper buttons. No more pain so it helped me out!

    #29 11 years ago

    Not elbow but I do get carpal tunnel feeling in my hand and my wrists hurt.

    #30 11 years ago
    Quoted from SealClubber:

    Not elbow but I do get carpal tunnel feeling in my hand and my wrists hurt.

    Are you going blind too?

    #31 11 years ago
    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    ...AKA Tennis Elbow
    A couple months back i started getting a very tight pain in my left elbow, near my funny bone. Im not sure if it was caused from work or pinball; im pretty sure it was pinball though lol. Anyway, started getting treatment for it a few weeks back, but was curious if anyone else has ever gotten pinball/tennis elbow and how long it took before it was fixed/cured.

    Funny you should ask this now. I JUST started having this same exact thing last night. It was so painful that I spent the rest of the evening on the couch with an ice pack.

    #32 11 years ago

    I am sure that is a contributing factor, Rob.

    #33 11 years ago

    One suggestion is to be VERY conscious of how you're handling the machine. Best approach seems to be having a VERY light touch on the lockdown bar, and using index or middle finger to tap the flipper buttons. Most world-class players I watch have this "light touch" when they play. Keep your feet in a solid stance so that you have a base for nudging the game with one or both hands as needed. If you're leaning on your hands or wrists, you are losing a lot of quick/accurate control (of buttons and nudging), as well as creating stress in your arms.

    Another tip if you'll be playing long sessions is to wear a pair of weightlifting gloves. These fingerless gloves will soften impacts on the palms of your hands when nudging. I tried a pair with a gel palm and they were too padded--I prefer the feel of just a leather palm.Mesh backing helps keep the hands cool and comfortable too....

    #34 11 years ago

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RICE_(medicine)

    Besides that, change your habits to remove the offending technique.

    #35 11 years ago

    I definitely rest my weight on my hands. I know that is the problem but long sessions hurt the back. Its a vicious cycle.

    #36 11 years ago

    I get bangback wrist and palm if I ever play on location after a few drinks thats for sure. LOL

    #37 11 years ago
    Quoted from SealClubber:

    I definitely rest my weight on my hands. I know that is the problem but long sessions hurt the back. Its a vicious cycle.

    I have the same back problem.
    Try changing your stance, one foot in front and the other about 2' back and alternate.
    This lowers your center of gravity so when you nudge you are bumping the game forward instead of forward and down.
    You don't have to nudge as hard and it is easier for me anyway to keep myself from leaning on the game.

    #38 11 years ago
    Quoted from tracelifter:

    I have the same back problem.
    Try changing your stance, one foot in front and the other about 2' back and alternate.
    This lowers your center of gravity so when you nudge you are bumping the game forward instead of forward and down.
    You don't have to nudge as hard and it is easier for me anyway to keep myself from leaning on the game.

    Yup, this is a good suggestion! It also brings your vision line closer to the pf, which can help line up shots. Top players tend to do this. I've been trying this myself (changing to a lower position for better view of the pf, less of an 'overhead' view) but it's hard to get used to!

    #39 11 years ago

    In a strange related situation, in a previous job I broke my right wrist. I didn't have insurance at the time, so I just wrapped it up, sucked it up and carried on. Since then I can pop my wrist oddly, and it hurts before it's time to pop.

    Sometimes during very intense games, I'll feel a sharp pain jolt down that wrist when I hit the flipper. I don't do anything differently than normal flipping, but it'll just be terrible. At that point I try to cradle the ball and somehow get it right again, or just work thru the pain. The pain dies down quickly enough most times that it doesn't make me lose the ball. Nearly every time I can just pop that wrist after the ball is lost and everything is ok again.

    Medically, this is probably not the best thing to do, but it works in a pinch and is inexpensive for me. I can't recommend breaking your limbs to help with your pinball elbow issues though.

    #40 11 years ago

    i injured my left arm nudging (real hard) stern's iron man.
    a few weeks passed and i was getting worse, since i play almost everyday.
    then one day i said i had enough and i started taking some muscular crap pills. i got well after a few weeks.

    i play pins for years now and this never happened to me. maybe i am getting old

    1 year later
    #41 10 years ago

    *Bump from the grave*

    The Oregonian linked to this post!

    http://www.oregonlive.com/the-spin-of-the-ball/index.ssf/2013/11/the_unbearable_lightness_of_ev.html

    Post edited by K3V : To justify bumping up this year-old thread.

    #42 10 years ago

    Its why I drink so much beer, dull the pain so I can continue playing pinball till my arms fall off.

    #43 10 years ago

    I definitely get some form of "tendinitis" from pushing the flipper buttons so hard. Can't help it. I know that pushing them hard will not make any difference on the shot but when I'm trying to get that ball up a steep ramp I push the damn button harder! makes my forearms real sore....sometimes for a couple/few days if I'm on a marathon session like at Dayhuff's party. It was bad enough at the expo that I switched to using my middle fingers.....then they got sore...lol.

    #44 10 years ago

    I was diagnosed with tennis elbow last year and I'm pretty sure pinball was one of the culprits. Ice packs after playing are definitely recommended (reduces the ligament swelling and pain). I heard there are also exercises/physical therapy you can do to strengthen the arm (if it gets really bad). If you can take some time off playing, rest is another option that promotes healing.

    #45 10 years ago

    heh; i remember this thread

    Well, here's my report (1 year later). Since selling TFLE, my pinball elbow pain has dramatically reduced. The game is awesome, but is also a workout! I will still periodically get a slight pain in the same elbow location if i go on an endless rampage pinball binge(usually 6 hours straight). Ibuprofen, taking time off from playing, and taking breaks in between games once back in action helped a lot.

    #46 10 years ago

    Okay, so about 2 weeks ago or so I started getting pain in my left elbow. Really really sore when I move certain directions, not others. Am I to believe, since I didn't hit it or fall on it, that pinball is actually to blame!?! What the heck? First my wallet, now my elbow!

    #47 10 years ago

    No, but I get a sharp pain in my left hand. I have changed my stance so I don't rest on the machine as much but I still get it during long playing sessions.

    #48 10 years ago

    I have a big petrified like bump on my right elbow (back right side), that almost looks like it could be a bone semi protruding. I went to the doctor and they seem to think the tendinitis got so inflamed it went through the nerve canal eventually numbing the pain. I kept pushing my self through pain and the bump basically kept growing, it is now hard and feels like permanent discomfort.

    This was a combination of pinball and throwing a football. Man it sucks the big one getting old.

    #49 10 years ago

    I'm just glad I don't wear high heeled shoes. I can deal with a bit of annoyance from having my arms in a non-ergonomic position that I can walk away from anytime.

    #50 10 years ago

    You guys are talking about soreness from lifting widebody pins aren't you? Otherwise no.

    There are 57 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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