Watch: GODSMACK's SULLY ERNA Receives Treatment For 'Tennis Elbow'

January 6, 2024

GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna has shared a video of him receiving treatment for tennis elbow, a condition that arises from overuse, resulting in the tearing of a tendon that moves the wrist near the outer aspect of the elbow. Tennis elbow is also known as lateral elbow pain or lateral epicondylitis.

In the video, which is available below, the 55-year-old guitarist/vocalist can be seen getting an injection to numb his pain from Brian P. McKeon, MD, who is the chief medical officer and head team physician for the Boston Celtics. McKeon's primary clinical interests lie in sports medicine and the treatment of sports-related injuries, with an emphasis on performing minimally invasive surgery on shoulders, knees, and elbows.

Sully captioned the video "Torture Time!" and stated in part: "Today is self-repair day. After 30 years of touring, I have an issue with my elbow. They call it tennis elbow. It's really fucking with me. Can't seem to get it to heal… So I came to the best orthopedic guy in the goddamn country, Mr. Brian McKeon."

Musicians are frequent sufferers of lateral epicondylitis, which reportedly occurs in approximately 1 to 3 percent of the population.

Guitarists are said to be particularly prone to tennis elbow because of the extreme wrist angles while handling their instrument.

For guitarists, tennis elbow is developed more frequently in the fretting hands than in the strumming hands and elbows. However, it also very common for guitar players to develop tennis elbow on their strumming-hand side.

In mild cases of tennis elbow, rest, ice, and over-the-counter pain relievers may be enough to relieve the pain and allow the elbow to heal. In more severe cases, however, it may be necessary to see a doctor.

"I Stand Alone: The Sully Erna Story", a film based on Sully's life story, was made available in November via Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video. Based on Erna's memoir, "The Paths We Choose", which came out in 2007, the 98-minute documentary was written and produced by Sully, with additional writing, production and editing by Noah Berlow and writing, production and directing by Troy Smith.

Next month, GODSMACK will embark on the "Vibez Tour". The trek will see Erna and his bandmates deliver a series of intimate evenings featuring acoustic/electric performances and untold stories in theatres across North America. The first leg is scheduled to begin on February 15 in Catoosa, Oklahoma, while the second leg will kick off April 9 in Valley Center, California.

Find more on Godsmack
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).