Extra farm chores in the cold weather lead to tennis elbow
The recent cold snap on the East Coast has been hard to navigate
There are times when life with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome feels like a revolving door of minor injuries and sprains. Of course, I have my chronic issues that cause problems, such as my right shoulder, right ankle, and right ring finger (apparently the right side of my body is cursed!), but then other small things will pop up. I’ll calm down one issue just in time for another to arise.
This time, it’s tennis elbow in my left — yes, left — arm. (I guess my right side is taking a short break from its usual shenanigans.) I noticed discomfort in my outer elbow near the bone, and because I’ve experienced tennis elbow in my right arm, I immediately knew what it was, and that I’d have to do a combination of exercise and bodywork to manage it.
I know the issue is likely a result of the extra farm chores I’ve been doing lately. I live on a small horse farm, and we rarely get more than a few consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures, so I’m not set up for extended cold snaps. As anyone on the East Coast knows, it’s been much colder here than usual recently! That means my chores have multiplied.
It’s rare for farmers in this area to need water trough heaters or other cold-weather farm gear, so none of our farms are set up that way. We just do things by hand for the few days each year that it’s needed. But recently, I’ve been breaking up ice in the troughs with a hammer several times a day for a few weeks and hauling water to insulated buckets that take longer to freeze. These repetitive movements likely caused the mild inflammation of the tendons in my elbow.
All of this puts more stress on my body, on top of the effects of cold weather, which tends to cause muscle tightness if I’m not proactive about staying warm. I don’t actually mind cold weather, but I do get weary of the extra work it entails.
With that in mind, I purchased two coolers to use as water troughs during this cold snap. While they still freeze, the ice isn’t as thick, allowing the horses to push through to reach the water underneath. This has reduced the amount of time I spend hauling and breaking water troughs, so it was an expense I was happy to pay!
It doesn’t look like the cold weather is going to break for long, but it appears that a short respite might be in the forecast soon. Hopefully that’ll give me a chance to rest my arm for a few days. Cold as it is, I’ll just keep marching on and looking forward to a reprieve from the cold!
Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.
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