Elbow Pain when CURLING

[RonPaul2012]

wtf is this shi*t

This is on my other elbow, not the repaired one. I can poke where the pain comes from, its also a little tender. Curling with db causes the pain sometimes and FRONT DELT RAISES with DB also cause some pain -__-

Should I fight through it, and itll go away? I obviously not going back to the orthopedic, I dropped the front delt raise exercise already but not curling since I think its because I did too much weight and I think hammer curls caused it

I just overcame depression and a year of going through shi*t with my other elbow...

edit:
I took a good while off from lifting and im getting back in to it now and I was wondering if there is anything I can do?

[RonPaul2012]

Pain also lasts a few days after

[geoffstgermaine]

Clearly a diagnosis can't be made on a forum, but it sounds like a repetitive stress injury. A few people I've known from the gym have had symptoms that sound similar to yours (myself included) and it turned out to be tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis). Of course, you'll have to get it checked out by someone (Doc, PT, etc) to be sure. I always found the pain most noticeable on exercises with palms facing down, such as lateral raises and reverse curls.

[LoneWolf2006]

I can attempt to help with this topic unfortunately.

I've had the exact same situation, pain with DB/BB/EZ/Cable curls, hammer position was not quite as bad as regular curls. Reverse curls were excruciating even with a 20lb BB. Front delt raises and lateral delt raises were brutal as well. Pain ranged from elbow to bicep to forearm and even started getting sore by the front delt.

I started using straps for ALL my back work just so I could work my back without arm pain. Bicep isolation was DONE for me. It started back in January, I took 3 weeks off from lifting in March (wedding/honeymoon) and the pain did not go away.

I finally went to a doctor last week and diagnosed me with lateral epicondylitis and distal bicep tendinitis. X-Ray showed no bone chips or arthritis. An MRI was not needed in my case because I still had a fair amount of strength in my arm.

I had been taking Ibuprofen but he prescribed Meloxicam which is an anti-inflammatory but not a pain medicine. Within days the pain has started subsiding. He also prescribed 4 weeks of physical therapy. They gave me some stretches to do and performed ASTYM treatment (Google it). My arm feels WAY better although I still have to baby it during my workouts.

This has been my specific experience and yours may be different. I have a pretty good idea of what you're going through and as someone who LOVES weight training, it sucks. Sucks bad. Best of luck to you.

[RonPaul2012]

I also got cortisone shots for both tennis elbows back in April. Worked since forearms aren't tender anymore...my friend also had the same pain and it was after coming back to the gym after taking time off.

Should I lower the weight? My left elbow that got operated on is fine. Took me a few months to regain strength of my left.

My right still kinda hurts and is a little stiff from curling the other day. Next time ill be more careful on my form and weight

[YoBigFatMomma]

It does sound like elbow tendonitis. I would start really light with the curls, and add 2.5 pounds a week.

Actually, this is probably tendonisis. Tendonisis is a degenerative condition that does not go away with rest. You'll have to actively rehab the injury. I don't recommend another cortisone shot, because cortisone is a catabolic substance that doesn't just eat away the inflammation but also the actual tendon. Your more prone to tendon ruptures over the long term the more cortisone shots you get. Plus, cortisone doesn't actually treat the underlying issue that caused the injury in the first place, its just a band-aid and if you don't rehab probably it will come back.

[RonPaul2012]

bump

[XADO]

Pain also lasts a few days after

It happens to me too....I do BB curls for starts...and probably my wrist is not so warmed for the biceps exercises.

And the pain is not so hard....but then DOMS kick in for left wrist for some days (2-3 or so). And it happens even sometimes at 50% of my 1RM.

Had a look at the doctors and they said that it's nothing too bad...it's just wear and tear during the years + reumatism....

And that i should strengthen wrist and forearm more....then i should have no problems with those types of movements....

And only at BB curls for biceps i get that pain and only in my left wrist.

Don't know if it helped...but that's what they told me.

[Byrdman75]

i had this same problem, yet ive only been lifting for 6 months or so, went to the doc, he said my forearms were inflammed which was putting pressure on my tendons, so i did real low wieght for about 2 weeks on any type of curl exercise. hope fully that could provide some insight, as in im not a doc lol

[jbrown2111]

Good replies here, if the pain stays try lowering weight for a few workouts to see if it subsides. I hate going to the doc so personally that is always my last option.

[RonPaul2012]

I think its my actual elbow since the one that was repaired is fine :/ Thats the most confusing part. Or did I just jump back too fast? It wasnt like I was still working out my right arm when I got my left elbow operated. I stopped working out totally.

Should I work through the pain, eventually itll go away?

[GeneralSerpant]

are you keeping your elbows fixed?

[RonPaul2012]

are you keeping your elbows fixed?

????????????

[GeneralSerpant]

????????????

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

edit: When you curl, do you keep your elbows stationary?

[RonPaul2012]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

edit: When you curl, do you keep your elbows stationary?

lol my bad.

yes I do. Elbows glued to my side

[RonPaul2012]

elbow still sore from wednesday...Im going to the gym to workout tomorrow, good idea? Do I fight through it?

[RonPaul2012]

should I workout or let it heal till I feel NOTHING at all?

[SimonThePieman]

I get this. I simply donn't curl.

Biceps certainly aren't lagging. Close grip, palm in chins, weighted. Finish with some static holds.

I'm not a compound move Nazi either. Iso's hit my triceps better than coumpound presses

[zman427]

I dealt with this frustrating pain for 20 years before recently eliminating it. Resting did nothing for me...it was still there. I would still have pain while just brushing my teeth or picking up my baby daughter, etc.. You didn't specify where your pain is, but mine was mostly in my brachioradialis and brachialis. I discovered 2 form problems while curling, one was not keeping upper arms stationary and perpendicular to the floor while doing standing curls (something that it sounds like you're already doing) and the other is really leaning over and keeping the crotch of my arm on top of the preacher bench pad to isolate the biceps. I was putting way too much strain on the forearms and staining tendons in the process using incorrect technique. I have been pain free for months and made great bicep gains as well. Along with cross friction massage on the aching forearms and forearm stretches the pain was gone in a matter of weeks. If this is your problem you should see results almost immediately...hope it helps.

[RonPaul2012]

my pain is coming form right on the elbow. I can touch it. Make a 90degree angle with elbow, palm facing floor, and touch right where elbow is (top part of elbow facing the ceiling). That is where my pain is coming from, and its also tender.

[JourneymanDave]

my pain is coming form right on the elbow. I can touch it. Make a 90degree angle with elbow, palm facing floor, and touch right where elbow is (top part of elbow facing the ceiling). That is where my pain is coming from, and its also tender.

If I picture your description correctly, it sounds like a symptom I had about 1.5yrs ago that was seriously impacting my workouts and even ability to lift stuff around the house. It was tendonitis of my distal biceps tendon. As described above by another poster, hammer curls were possible, but regular supinated grip was a no-go.

I ended up backing off the weight a bit, but still working it, and most importantly (I believe) started using an elbow sleeve similar to this one:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sck/elbow.html

I'm not sure whether it was the mechanical support of the joint/tendon, or just the fact that the neoprene kept my arm warm continuously, but the difference was immediate and very noticeable. It enabled me to continue working the issue out over about 4-5 months, until I no longer needed to wear the sleeve, and it's been 100% since then. The sleeve is pretty stinky from many hours of sweaty workouts, but I've kept it in my gym bag just in case I need it again.

[RonPaul2012]

Distal bicep tendon. Thank you. So I can work through this? Or is it something I wait out?

[JourneymanDave]

Distal bicep tendon. Thank you. So I can work through this? Or is it something I wait out?

It'll depend on your level of soreness, but if you find a way to get at least enough relief to continue lifting I'd try it. Tendonitis can be pretty cranky though, and it may be kind of day-to-day for a bit. So don't hesitate to take a break one workout if you're feeling the need for some extra recovery.

My experience was that as long as I nursed it along patiently it was steady progress. Once I threw the sleeve on my arm and backed off the weight a little bit I was able to lift right away with minimal irritation. It took months for it to slowly go away completely though, and most gym enthusiasts aren't famous for patience, so your mileage may vary

Wish you luck with it.

[zman427]

my pain is coming form right on the elbow. I can touch it. Make a 90degree angle with elbow, palm facing floor, and touch right where elbow is (top part of elbow facing the ceiling). That is where my pain is coming from, and its also tender.

That's where mine was. Try what I mentioned, you'll know if it will help almost immediately. I tried almost everything, from steeves and braces to straps to many different docs and PT's over the years with no perminent solutions. When performing standing curls keep back straight an flare lats in as well.

[Josh7000]

That's where mine was. Try what I mentioned, you'll know if it will help almost immediately. I tried almost everything, from steeves and braces to straps to many different docs and PT's over the years with no perminent solutions. When performing standing curls keep back straight an flare lats in as well.

I get this in the back of my elbow, and pulling motions or curling motions seems to be what hurts it, it's on and off for 2 years but seems to randomly flare up with a vengeance then if can dissapear and calm down. But whatever it is it clearly isn't fully going away and I have no clue how to treat it. I have a feeling it'll be something to do with my forearms and I'll need to strengthen a part of my forearm just not sure which part as I don't want to make the problem worse by increasing an imbalance

[RonPaul2012]

I get this in the back of my elbow, and pulling motions or curling motions seems to be what hurts it, it's on and off for 2 years but seems to randomly flare up with a vengeance then if can dissapear and calm down. But whatever it is it clearly isn't fully going away and I have no clue how to treat it. I have a feeling it'll be something to do with my forearms and I'll need to strengthen a part of my forearm just not sure which part as I don't want to make the problem worse by increasing an imbalance

strong bump from 2011

its now 2015 and since then I've had elbow surgery after going through a few docs...ended up getting referred to SHANDS (University of Florida) and got the procedure done there (anthroscopic surgery for the bone spur). This was around 2012...bunch of rehab before and after surgery...prob took a year off the gym in total.

If you feel pain...stop it, lighten the weight, do a different exercise for a while...(skull crushers are the worst). If you don't fix it ASAP you will end up having to take weeks if not months off. Imbalance of muscles like you pointed out is KEY. In physical therapy I learned alot. Grip strength and forearm muscles are a big deal when it comes to elbow problems.


if you or whoever else reading this wants to PM me go ahead.
I've been through a lot and typing my whole story here would be too much

[Thor211]

Old thread, but just wanted to say the info was helpful.

Whenever I do biceps I have to pay attention to that elbow on the way down. Someone told me it's like tennis elbow so I put a sleeve on and focus on form, lower weight, and it gets better.

Still can't do many biceps in a week.