Tendonitis flare-up

Anyone there?? 😲

So, about three months ago, I started feeling this nagging pain in my elbow whenever I moved a certain way—and man, it just kept getting worse. I finally went down to the ER at Mayo Clinic to get some imaging done, and they told me it’s basically just tendonitis, you know, that whole "tennis elbow" thing. They put me through ten sessions of ultrasound and electrical stimulation therapy, but honestly? 🤷 Absolutely nothing. Zilch. Zero. Then, this super well-known sports doctor I know tells me to just stick to icing the spot a few times a day—basically telling me to stay far away from all that electrical stuff because apparently, heat just flares up the inflammation even more... but even the ice isn't doing squat 🤷
Does anyone actually have a fix for this? Because I am seriously losing my mind here 😠
I can't train, I can't work, I can't do anything with my arm—and I've been an athlete since I was a little kid, so this is brutal

thanks

Most of what’s been said above is just plain wrong—honestly, quite a stretch.
If you’re looking for actual facts rather than guesswork, there are plenty of semi-professional forums out there that will give you the real answers you're after.

I’ve been dealing with persistent leg pain for about six months now. It all started roughly three months after I began a regular gym routine. At first, the discomfort was centered in my groin area; just sitting down for fifteen minutes would trigger it. After lifting weights, there were moments where I couldn't even move my leg initially—it took a few steps before it felt like it finally "woke up."

My primary care physician originally advised me to rest and referred me to a physiatrist, though it took two months of waiting just to get an appointment. In the meantime, the nature of the pain shifted. It spread to both legs along their entire length and moved into my knees; for a while, I actually struggled just to walk up a flight of stairs. The specialist prescribed physical therapy involving ultrasound, magnetic therapy, suspension exercises, and some lower back work. The diagnosis at the time was tendonitis.

When I went back for a follow-up, I was still hurting, but this time it was localized to my left leg (where everything originally started), and it only happened at night. It was this sharp, tearing sensation—I honestly don't even know how to describe it. At that point, he just gave me some lower back therapy and told me to keep resting.

I had another check-up yesterday and explained that the pain is still there at night, but I noticed a pattern: it only flares up if I've been active, like going for a walk. If I stay home and don't do much all day, it doesn't bother me.

Now, even he seems unsure about the initial diagnosis, so he's sent me for an EMG of my lower extremities and a referral to a rheumatologist.

I'm a bit confused—why a rheumatologist?

Has anyone else dealt with something similar? And typically, how long does it take for something like this to actually resolve?

To be honest, the pain is starting to wear me down mentally because it's ruining my sleep, and I feel like I have nothing to help manage it. I tried taking Advil as my GP suggested, and even used Deep Relief, but neither made a dent.

I don’t care what anyone says, this isn't just some tendonitis issue. If the pain is radiating through my entire leg like this, which tendon could possibly be responsible?

Maybe you're just hitting one of those exercises with some funky form.

I went to see a physiatrist to ask if there was any chance I was doing my scoliosis exercises incorrectly by default, but he told me no. Back when I was hitting the gym, I stuck strictly to cardio—treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike—so I figured there wasn't much room for error... hopefully.

As for the tendon issues, I can't quite recall exactly what he said. I think he mentioned something regarding the groin area, specifically some muscle starting with an "i," but I'm not entirely sure.

He referred me for an MRI, explaining that the scan would pinpoint exactly what's going on, but the wait times are brutal. Who knows when we'll actually get a definitive diagnosis? In the meantime, I'm just trying to find ways to help myself. Six months feels like an eternity to be in this kind of pain, especially since I'm not even 30 yet... I honestly don't understand why he's sending me to a rheumatologist either.

George Bailey2 said:I don’t care what anyone says, this isn't just some tendonitis issue. If the pain is radiating through my entire leg like this, which tendon could possibly be responsible?

What makes you think it isn't tendonitis?

Alright, let me lay out this whole mess for you guys. I’m hoping some kind soul out there might be able to shed some light on what's going on and maybe walk me through it...

So, here’s the deal. It all started a few days back—maybe three or four? I spent what felt like forever, like three or four hours straight, just grinding away at writing this long text (using a ballpoint pen on paper, if 🤷 matters). After that, my hand started aching. I didn't think much of it at the time, figured the pain would just chill out on its own since it's happened before after long writing sessions.
But then, over the weekend, I just couldn't leave it alone. I kept pushing it, putting way too much strain on the arm (nothing crazy, really, just moving an IKEA kitchen table and stuff... 😬). The pain just kept ramping up until it hit a breaking point yesterday afternoon. I was trying to trim the nails on my other hand using the bad one, and honestly, I probably made things ten times worse by doing that.
..so, yeah, we're talking about my right hand here. It feels like it's practically "wasted" at this point; I can't even make a fist, let alone eat, and trying to turn my palm up sends a jolt of pain through me..
The pain is centered (if you ask my amateur guess, though a doctor gave their take too) right in that carpal tunnel area. The absolute epicenter of the agony is when I press the middle part of my palm, specifically where the forearm meets the hand (the underside, basically). I'm not feeling any tingling—well, at least I wasn't until they slapped this splint on me—but every time I try to move my fingers (maybe not even the thumb as much), it's just brutal. Plus, my circulation seems off; the hand feels noticeably colder than my left one.
To top it off, I popped some Advil (200mg tablets, which didn't do squat for the pain), and then I went out and bought that Advil topical cream you see in commercials. Again, didn't help much, but hey, it was just one application.
Then came yesterday (Sunday), and since I have to work tomorrow and I desperately need my right hand to actually function 🙂, I ended up heading to the ER. The doctor there couldn't quite pin down exactly what was happening, so they sent me over to the Holy Spirit surgical department to get some imaging done. After the usual endless waiting until around 11 PM, the specialists there listened to my explanation—pretty much what I told you guys—and gave me the diagnosis mentioned in the title. They didn't actually run any scans (which, honestly, I don't think was necessary since I didn't have some massive trauma or hit to the arm anyway), but they did put me in this splint, prescribed Andy for the pain, and told me to keep the arm elevated and rested. I've got a follow-up in two days.

Anyway, sorry if I rambled or bored you all to death before you reached the end of this. I'd love to hear what you think about the diagnosis, or if I even should have bothered with the ER in the first place. Should I have just stayed home, rested the arm, and stuck with the Advil cream? Also, does anyone have a clue how long this might drag on or when I might actually be able to function normally again? 🤷

P.S. Today, after a night where the pain was almost unbearable, it's eased up a little while I'm keeping it still. But the second I try to move my fingers (as much as I can), the pain comes back, or it just feels stiff. Honestly, I feel like if I weren't wearing this splint, I'd be right back where I was yesterday morning—completely unable to write or eat with that hand.