Thread: Elbow Hurts from Stropping

Actually I'd take a more natural approach than those suggested. Rather than drugs I'd just get it removed and be done with it. Oh, and yes. You're very tense. The other night at dinner you didn't seem to be relaxed at ALL. That poor waiter! You sent your dinner back three times and even complained about the noise from the fish tank! I was SOOOOOO embarrassed.

Generally, pretty much none of the aspects of shaving should hurt the shaver. Or anyone else for that matter. In my experience. YMMV.

I hope you get it checked out and fixed; I know how little niggling injuries like that that stops you from enjoying what you want to do can really be annoying!!

Carl

Originally Posted by Swan

I am noticing that I am starting to get pain in my elbow (razor hand) while stropping.

Any ideas as to why? Am I just too "tense". I am not bearing down on the blade when I strop.

Thank you

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I can't understand how a few strokes on the old strop would cause such a serious ailment, however, it would be very believeable if you told us it was caused by "FACERBATING".

Also, if the problem would be facerbating, that would be a tribute to your honing ability. Keep us posted.....

Jerry
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Carl you are a nut! But I love ya brother!

Originally Posted by Swan

I am noticing that I am starting to get pain in my elbow (razor hand) while stropping.

Any ideas as to why? Am I just too "tense". I am not bearing down on the blade when I strop.

Thank you

Ok I had to admit when I first saw the thread, my first thought was WAAaaaaaaaa !!!!

But honestly, just relax a bit, stropping and even honing should be come almost Zen like, a nice smooth rhythm, part of the issue is that we stress holding a strop tight, in all actuality the word best used is "Taut" if yer cranking back on it trying to pull the hook outta the wall it tenses your whole body.

I wear an elbow brace and a wrist brace when stropping as well as using a thumb cot. This is only because I am honing and stropping so many razors a day and for so long. Sounds like you may be tense as you are noticing or you may be using some pressure and stropping at an angle on the strop that is not a natural back and forth motion.

You really just want very light pressure and try to develop a natural rhythm as previously mentioned and the rolling on the spine to change directions should just fit into that rhythm. Too light a pressure or being tentative will also throw off your stroke and feel uncomfortable as well as probably tear up your strop.

Have fun.

You may well be the first documented case of the dreaded "stropping elbow" mentioned in the old barber's manuals. They mention first year barber apprentices seemed to develop it, but subsequently concluded that, given most first year apprentices back then were 16, the cause was most likely attributed to other, non-barbering, 16 year old activities. They also noted that stropping elbow seemed to be accompanied by bowel issues, as those apprentices that suffered it most acutely seemed to also spend more time in the bathroom than others.

Anyway, it is not uncommon, as others have said, to develop some tendon inflammation when either using for the first time, or overusing, certain movements. If indeed that is what it is, you could try icing the area and resting the arm. That kind of thing can be tricky and can linger - it took me 6 months to get rid of a tendon issue in my forearm once - my physio even tried hippy-dippy acupuncture on it. Eventually it went.

James.

strop elbow i like it better than tenis elbow,

Originally Posted by Swan

I am noticing that I am starting to get pain in my elbow (razor hand) while stropping.

Any ideas as to why? Am I just too "tense". I am not bearing down on the blade when I strop.

Thank you

You're in good company. I don't think it is tension. It is utilizing muscles and joints in ways they weren't used before. I went through the same thing. When you learn to flip the blade it gets easier.

The draw (friction) against the strop is greater on strops like latigo than on, say horsehide, putting more strain on your joints.

I can tell you without exaggeration that stropping was harder for me to learn than shaving and honing.

The problem I had was being part right-handed and part left-handed. I write with my left hand (which is the natural hand I'd use to flip the blade) and throw a ball with my right hand (which is the natural hand I'd use to move the razor on the strop back and forth). So in effect, I had to learn how to flip right handed because I couldn't learn how to hold the razor with my left hand.

What I also did to finally get it down was stand to the side of the strop toward the back instead of directly behind the strop.

If I can learn to strop, I think anyone can. I destroyed two nice pieces of leather learning how.

My shaving experiences with multiblade and electric razors were so bad for so many years that I never lacked the motivation to master something better. It was well worth the effort!

I just had a recent epiphany (in another thread). After all the reading about how you dont want sag in the strop, I think I took it to the extreme. I found that I was really pulling HARD on the strop. This had the effect of tightening all my muscles and in fact even made the hand holding the blade quite tense! I was even pressing down on the blade because of this.

After discovering this, I really made an effort to relax more and focus more on the light blade than the tight strop. EVERYTHING relaxed. So maybe there is something to your technique which would help with the elbow.

Good luck!

Simple problem: you are gripping to tightly. Human beings are obligate grippers. Seriously, can anyone here think of any human activity that requires opening the hand? The muscles that open the hand/fingers (extensor digit) are tiny compared to the vastly more powerful brachio-radialis muscles. In the tug-of-war between those muscle groups the lateral epicondylar tendon saws back and forth, hence the name lateralizing epicondylitis or tendonitis = equals "tennis elbow, wrench turner's disease, screw driver's disease, shooter's diseases, archer's disease, carpenter's elbow, blacksmiths elbow" or the like. This pain is on the outside aspect of the elbow. If it was on the inside it would be golfer's elbow.

Mostly it's because it's natural to grip more tightly to control the object being held. Just think through what others have said about relaxing during the work. That also speaks about the control over the job at hand and having learned to relax into the work and their confidence so they don't have to fear losing control over the tool.

A shot of cortisone is 90% successful, but who wants an injection. You shot glass lot already have your form of cure.

Forearm bands work by not allowing the big muscle of the forearm to contract completely, reducing stress on the smaller posterior muscles and things get better. The anti inflammatories can help, but the side effect potential is always there.

But the real cure is as follows. I learned this trick from an old blacksmith. Blacksmiths can get this in both elbows at once because they are working a hammer with one hand and trying to grip tongs in the other.

Get a Sunday Newspaper size rubber band. The thick ones. Or two to three little skinny rubber bands. Insert your fingers inside the rubber bands so they lie around the outside of the fingers at about where the first knuckle is near the fingernail including the thumb. Then expand your fingers against this resistance. You will immediately feel discomfort in the inflamed muscles that were losing the battle against the large grippers in the forearm. But then you know which muscle needs strengthening, eh? Wear the rubber bands around your wrist, they are always handy and when you have a free moment or want to disturb folks put them on and begin exercising. A great time is during the commercial interruptions on the tellie. Three minutes then rest for fifteen. Every time I've had this begin from hammering, it works.

If this isn't enough I'll have to publish a video.