Elbow Pain from Weight Lifting

Elbow pain from weight lifting is commonly observed in amateur weight lifters as well as in people who are engaged in heavy weight lifting for a long time. Well, now there are a couple of reasons for such an elbow pain! The most important reason is lifting heavy weights. This happens more with beginners, who intend to gain muscle quickly and therefore start lifting heavy weights. This finally lands them in elbow pain. Next, it happens with experienced people, who have been performing weight lifting and over a period of time continuous heavy weight lifting starts affecting their elbow joints. Another important reason for elbow pain is, imbalance while lifting weights. Remember, whilst lifting heavy weights, you also need to maintain a proper body balance, which otherwise can result into injury to any body part, especially elbows and back muscles.

Elbow pain from weight lifting can occur in different parts of the elbows and pain in each of these parts is known by different names. Let us have a detailed discussion over it.

Elbow Pain Types

Below discussed are some common elbow pain types, that can be experienced in different parts of the elbow.

Golfer's Elbow
Golfer's elbow is a sort of elbow pain, that occurs in the ulna side of the elbow. Golfer's elbow happens on account of the rubbing of tendons in triceps and forearms against the ulna part of the elbow. This therefore results in inflammation and pain in the area. Most common weight lifting exercises, that cause golfer's elbow are triceps presses, dumbbell flyes and bicep curls, which involve frequent up and down movements of the elbows.

Tendinitis
You certainly must have heard of tennis elbow! Well, tendinitis is another name for tennis elbow. This problem is experienced mostly due to the pulling and pushing movements of elbows during certain exercises. Tendinitis or tennis elbow occurs when lateral epicondyle (a bone on the radius side of the forearm) is rubbed against the tendons of the forearms and triceps.

Pain in Front of the Elbow
People who over train or perform more workouts on biceps are more prone towards pain in the frontal part of the elbow. Exercises such as the preacher curls, bicep curls, hammer curls and incline curls, performed either with barbells or dumbbells exert a lot of strain in the front region of the elbow.

Pain due to Arthritis
Many people who have been into weight lifting since a long time, can develop arthritis in the elbow region, which could therefore act as a precipitating factor for inflammation and pain in the elbow joints. Joints in the elbows are stressed the most in exercises such as overhead triceps.

Pain above the Elbow
Pain above the elbow is actually characterized by pain in the lower area of the triceps which gets overworked or stressed out due to undue pressure on it. Most of the people who indulge in long and intense workouts of seated and standing dips can suffer from pain above the elbow region. Excessive workouts or bench press can also result into such an elbow pain.

Read some more articles on elbow pain.

    * Sharp Pain in Elbow
    * Elbow Forearm Pain.

Treatment for Elbow Pain

Elbow pain is a normal phenomenon in weight lifters, however, prompt treatment and curative measures, could prevent the problem from getting aggravated. Here are some treatments for elbow pain from weight lifting.

    * Ice Treatment: One of the most commonly followed treatment is the ice treatment. Ice relieves stress up to a large extent and therefore applying ice after a 20-30 minutes interval would prove effective and ease the pain.
    * Proper Weights: See that you check the weight before lifting it. Do not increase the weight unless you are confident about lifting it correctly. Know your limits and increase the weights slowly, so as to avoid serious injuries to the elbows.
    * Correct Balance: Always learn to balance weights evenly, before going on for any workouts. Try with lighter weights or probably empty barbells, so that you get an idea of balancing heavier weights.
    * Rest: Rest is the most effective treatment of all! Sometimes, the elbow pain is so serious that it doesn't allow you to lift anything. In such cases, rest at home for some days. Once the pain subsides, you can hit the gymnasiums. But, remember, start with lighter weights, otherwise the injury would worsen.

Covered above were some vital points associated with elbow pain from weight lifting. Please see that you consult a weight-lifting trainer and get a proper weight lifting workout prescribed with appropriate weights and right techniques, to avoid elbow pain. The aforementioned treatments are safe and generally effective. However, if pain persists for a long time, get it administered with proper medical intervention.