Why does your elbow hurt after working out?
Does it seem like you can’t get through a workout without having pain in your elbow?
Is it normal for the elbows to hurt from working out? What can you do about it? Continue reading to fix your elbow pain without taking months away from your workout routine.
The elbow and the muscles around it take the most force when you use your arm. As a matter of fact, many upper body exercises involve your elbows. Due to this, elbow pain can have a huge impact on your workouts and could even stop you from being active.
The elbow’s job is to allow the forearm to flex, extend, and rotate your forearm so that you can use your hands better. Any activity that causes shooting, stabbing pain in your arm or elbow is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Ignoring the pain and working through it can cause even more pain. What began as mild discomfort in the elbow can turn into a miserable chronic pain experience.
Why you shouldn’t ignore elbow pain
As an Occupational Therapist and Miami Certified Hand Therapist, I can tell you that ignoring elbow pain can mean weeks or even months of missed workouts.
The elbow will not heal if you don’t stop the thing that’s exacerbating your pain. It’s possible to address the problem before it gets worse.
Elbow pain could be caused by adding too much weight, too many reps, or too many sets too quickly; the momentum that stretches the tendon at the end of the rep. Overuse, repetitive stress on the tendons, neglecting to train certain key muscles can lead to the consequence of a muscle imbalance and an increase on the strain of the elbow.
If you have severe elbow pain, it is a good idea to avoid heavy lifting and gripping until you seek professional help. Anything that is causing your elbow pain is most likely making your condition worse and should be avoided.
If you continue to do what caused the pain in the first place, it won’t heal, and the inflammation will eventually cause more problems down the line.
When it comes to the tendons of the elbow, they are often the parts that suffer the most from repetitive use. Repetitive strain injuries are caused by the wear and tear from repeated movement and overuse. It tends to start small and get progressively worse over time, eventually reaching a critical point where the body alerts you that any more agitation on the affected area will suffer severe consequences.
Elbow pain can come from the inner or outer part of your elbow, and if not treated in time, the pain can branch down your arm.
How to get rid of elbow pain?
If you are seriously about getting rid of elbow pain, then it’s time to get to the root cause of why you have it in the first place. Let’s identify and address your pain before the condition worsens.
Are your elbow pains starting from your wrists?
Flexing or extending your wrists throws stress onto your elbow joints. Are you doing forearm dumbbell curls or barbell extensions that are not in the best positions? These moves can cause added stress to your elbow and forearm, potentially worsening your elbow pain.
Are your elbow pains due to shoulder problems?
Even if you don’t have pain in your shoulder! Push ups or bench presses can irritate your elbow even if you don’t feel the pain right away.
If you want to work around the elbow problem, you’re going to have to modify and cutdown your workouts so you can keep being active while letting your elbow heal. You can try that first, but sometimes that’s just not enough.
Here’s some advice to work around the elbow pain:
- Always maintain proper form and control
- Avoid using excessive weight
- Don’t repeat the same arm-stressing routines at every workout.
- Try and keep your wrists straight (there’s a natural extension to them when you are gripping) during all pulling and pushing exercises.
- Always warm up before workouts and stretch after you’re done working out.
If the pain continues, natural treatment is possible. No matter how long you have tried on your own or how long you waited, you can get rid of elbow pain without taking pills or getting injections.
Elbow pain is one of the most common problems our Miami occupational therapists and certified hand therapists treats. Request to speak with one of our occupational therapists in our free discovery visit to get clear on what’s wrong and the necessary information to make the best decision to get rid of elbow pain fast.
Written by Hoang Tran
About the author – Hoang Tran
Hoang Tran is the owner of Hands-on Therapy Services and author of the book “The Hands-On Approach”. She loves helping people with hand, neck and shoulder problems, because she knows how bad and debilitating they can get if not addressed and treated properly (once and for all!).
The aim of her occupational therapy practice in the Miami area is to bring patients back to full functionality, without pills, injections or surgery.
If you’re somebody who’s been suffering from elbow pain, it’s possible to get rid of elbow pain for good, and feel empowered to know what you can do on your own. There’s no reason why the pain has to linger, slow you down from doing the little things or waking up without feeling that soreness.
Let us help you get to what’s wrong, get you on the right path, and ensure lasting results.
If you would like more information about the services give us a call at 786-615-9879 or visit handsots.com.
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
