Elbow and Wrist Pain

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
I'm just curious if anyone on here ever experiences elbow and/or wrist pain. I'm a pretty skinny guy and I feel like now that I've worked my way up to a lot higher weight from where I started I can't do anything without pain in my wrists, elbows, or both. Now I'm not asking for a doctor's evaluation here, I'm just wondering if anyone's experienced something similar and had any advice.
 

KapG

Registered User
Dec 2, 2008
10,608
1,745
Toronto
I was having serious issues with my elbows several months ago. Couldn't do any sort of extensions without pain but the weirdest part was that it felt like my elbows had bone bruises if I was resting them on anything (never at the dinner table of course!! Lol)

I took a week off or so and stopped doing skull crushers for a while and everything seemed to be ok.

What I currently have issues with is shooting pains in my forearms. Happens if I'm doing curls on an Ez curl bar or even with DB depending on how I hold the weight. Once I release my grip i get serious pain running along my entire forearm. It's annoying

I think your best bet is to take some time off, like a week or so and see if that helps. You can still go to the gym, but maybe do leg day twice and have some stretching days to give your elbows and wrists a break
 

FLYLine27*

BUCH
Nov 9, 2004
42,410
14
NY
I was having serious issues with my elbows several months ago. Couldn't do any sort of extensions without pain but the weirdest part was that it felt like my elbows had bone bruises if I was resting them on anything (never at the dinner table of course!! Lol)

I took a week off or so and stopped doing skull crushers for a while and everything seemed to be ok.

What I currently have issues with is shooting pains in my forearms. Happens if I'm doing curls on an Ez curl bar or even with DB depending on how I hold the weight. Once I release my grip i get serious pain running along my entire forearm. It's annoying

I think your best bet is to take some time off, like a week or so and see if that helps. You can still go to the gym, but maybe do leg day twice and have some stretching days to give your elbows and wrists a break

I have that now. If i rest it on a table a certain way it stings like hell. Also have problems doing certain exercises like skull crushers and weighted dips.

No idea what it is.
 

KapG

Registered User
Dec 2, 2008
10,608
1,745
Toronto
I have that now. If i rest it on a table a certain way it stings like hell. Also have problems doing certain exercises like skull crushers and weighted dips.

No idea what it is.

The only thing that helped get rid of this for me was taking a week off from ANY lifting, I just went to the gym and stretched for 7 days or so.

When I got back into it I ignored any sort of movements like skull crushers and dips for another good 2-3 weeks.

As for what it is? gotta think some sort of elbow tendinitis
 

Marotte Marauder

Registered User
Aug 10, 2008
8,587
2,442
I have had that elbow contact pain on and off for years. Sometimes even just a shirt brushing it is murder. (Right elbow only)

I found this online as a description and I think it's accurate.

It is an irritation of a small branch of skin (cutaneous) nerve. There is no name of this nerve, it is not the ulnar nerve at the "funny bone" location. It just sits there under the skin and you can actually feel it by rolling the finger gently over the tender spot.
Even a light pressure of a jacket over the nerve can trigger intense searing sensation that is immediately relieved once the pressure is off. However, it is very painful.
 

jorbjorb

hello.
Dec 28, 2010
1,056
191
My elbows tend to crack a lot. not hurt. Fish oil cleared that up.

the elbows hurt a lot when i work on triceps. best to do a good warm up before you do those excercises.

Did you try physio?
 

darko

Registered User
Feb 16, 2009
70,265
7,786
I was having serious issues with my elbows several months ago. Couldn't do any sort of extensions without pain but the weirdest part was that it felt like my elbows had bone bruises if I was resting them on anything (never at the dinner table of course!! Lol)

I took a week off or so and stopped doing skull crushers for a while and everything seemed to be ok.

What I currently have issues with is shooting pains in my forearms. Happens if I'm doing curls on an Ez curl bar or even with DB depending on how I hold the weight. Once I release my grip i get serious pain running along my entire forearm. It's annoying

I think your best bet is to take some time off, like a week or so and see if that helps. You can still go to the gym, but maybe do leg day twice and have some stretching days to give your elbows and wrists a break


I've had that for months. Probably going on a year. Can't do standing barbell curls. It has to be either seated or standing with dumbells.
 

Marotte Marauder

Registered User
Aug 10, 2008
8,587
2,442
I've had that for months. Probably going on a year. Can't do standing barbell curls. It has to be either seated or standing with dumbells.


The issue is tendonitis and by using DBs you follow a different, less painful exercise path.

For those who dismiss or downplay of anabolics, injury recovery or actually avoidance is a huge component of their impact.

The monsters don't get hurt training and can keep training.
 

KapG

Registered User
Dec 2, 2008
10,608
1,745
Toronto
I've had that for months. Probably going on a year. Can't do standing barbell curls. It has to be either seated or standing with dumbells.

Yah man I'm coming up on a year now as well. It's quite frustrating, as you know...
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
Mine isn't really a sharp pain most of the time, like a dull annoying pain I feel when I do curls in general for my wrists and on my elbows for skullcrushers. It feels more like a bone pain than a nerve pain. I really don't want to take a week off because working out is basically the only thing I look forward to in life right now lol.

It's definitely a tolerable pain and doesn't bother me that much, I'm just worried this isn't a pain I should be having as a healthy 21 year old.
 
Last edited:

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
I was having serious issues with my elbows several months ago. Couldn't do any sort of extensions without pain but the weirdest part was that it felt like my elbows had bone bruises if I was resting them on anything (never at the dinner table of course!! Lol)

I took a week off or so and stopped doing skull crushers for a while and everything seemed to be ok.

What I currently have issues with is shooting pains in my forearms. Happens if I'm doing curls on an Ez curl bar or even with DB depending on how I hold the weight. Once I release my grip i get serious pain running along my entire forearm. It's annoying

I think your best bet is to take some time off, like a week or so and see if that helps. You can still go to the gym, but maybe do leg day twice and have some stretching days to give your elbows and wrists a break

I get this too actually. Same exercise but mine is more of a wrist pain since I think I slightly use my wrists to help at the end of those curls. I think I just have really small bones in general though for what I'm lifting. I've never had a problem with bones though, always been a milk drinker, never broken anything, etc.
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
My elbows tend to crack a lot. not hurt. Fish oil cleared that up.

the elbows hurt a lot when i work on triceps. best to do a good warm up before you do those excercises.

Did you try physio?

Does fish oil help joints in general? Or did it help you with pain at all?
 

KapG

Registered User
Dec 2, 2008
10,608
1,745
Toronto
Mine isn't really a sharp pain most of the time, like a dull annoying pain I feel when I do curls in general for my wrists and on my elbows for skullcrushers. It feels more like a bone pain than a nerve pain. I really don't want to take a week off because working out is basically the only thing I look forward to in life right now lol.

It's definitely a tolerable pain and doesn't bother me that much, I'm just worried this isn't a pain I should be having as a healthy 21 year old.

I had that bone pain in my elbows. Felt like I had bone bruises that would hurt like a bitxh if I rested the elbows on anything and it would also hurt lots during skull crushers and other various movements.

The ONLY thing that helped was taking a week off lifting. Don't worry though, you won't lose all your gains :)

You can still go, just lay off any movements that can stress your elbows. Recommend a couple leg days, some core and then Lots of stretching
 
Last edited:

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
Update:

I've been taking fish oil twice a day and that seems to be helping. I didn't stop working out because I really didn't want to lol, even kept doing skullcrushers which was probably a mistake but they've felt nearly 100% pain free the last few days. Wrists are doing better as well. Hopefully this trend continues.
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
I had that bone pain in my elbows. Felt like I had bone bruises that would hurt like a bitxh if I rested the elbows on anything and it would also hurt lots during skull crushers and other various movements.

The ONLY thing that helped was taking a week off lifting. Don't worry though, you won't lose all your gains :)

You can still go, just lay off any movements that can stress your elbows. Recommend a couple leg days, some core and then Lots of stretching

Mine didn't really hurt from physical contact, just from movement, but not a sharp pain.
 

shoeshine boy

Registered User
Aug 14, 2008
756
123
talk to your doctor about dry needling. it might not be right for your situation but it couldn't hurt to have a conversation about it.
a few years ago I had bad tendonitis in my elbow and had been in PT for about 2 months. I was making progress but still in pain. one day I show up for PT and my regular therapist isn't there but the fill-in was certified in dry needling. 30 minutes later I walked out pain-free and have been pain-free since.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_needling
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
talk to your doctor about dry needling. it might not be right for your situation but it couldn't hurt to have a conversation about it.
a few years ago I had bad tendonitis in my elbow and had been in PT for about 2 months. I was making progress but still in pain. one day I show up for PT and my regular therapist isn't there but the fill-in was certified in dry needling. 30 minutes later I walked out pain-free and have been pain-free since.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_needling

Thanks for the suggestion/advice. I've only been experiencing the pain for like 3/4 weeks so I'm not going to take it to a doctor yet though.

Doing skullcrushers yesterday hurt on the first set or two but was fine after that. Strange.
 

KapG

Registered User
Dec 2, 2008
10,608
1,745
Toronto
Mine didn't really hurt from physical contact, just from movement, but not a sharp pain.

Mine was getting to the point where it hurt from contact and movement. Deep bone bruise feeling and it was terrible.


The shooting pains I get are in my forearms (usually top side) and happen any time I use straight bars/Ez-curl bars

How are they feeling now? Any improvement?
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
Mine was getting to the point where it hurt from contact and movement. Deep bone bruise feeling and it was terrible.


The shooting pains I get are in my forearms (usually top side) and happen any time I use straight bars/Ez-curl bars

How are they feeling now? Any improvement?

Lots of improvement. They only hurt on the exercises that requires them to be very locked like skullcrushers. But they're not hurting as much now. I'm avoiding planks right now because they tend to hurt after those as well. Wrist pain 100% gone though.
 

KapG

Registered User
Dec 2, 2008
10,608
1,745
Toronto
Lots of improvement. They only hurt on the exercises that requires them to be very locked like skullcrushers. But they're not hurting as much now. I'm avoiding planks right now because they tend to hurt after those as well. Wrist pain 100% gone though.

This is good to hear!!! Happy for yah...

What did you do to try and help them recover?
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
This is good to hear!!! Happy for yah...

What did you do to try and help them recover?

Pretty much ignored the advice given here about taking time off :laugh:. I did however start taking fish oil and I think that is helping quite a bit. I'm avoiding planks for now but everything else I just continue doing. Like I said earlier, it's not an intolerable pain by any means, it just feels like a strange annoying pain that had me concerned could lead to something greater if I kept it up.
 

Ensane

EL GUAPO
Mar 2, 2002
15,746
69
If certain exercises hurt, it could be the result of anything from: loading too much weight; poor form; or simply biomechanics that aren't suited for certain movements. Consider yourself lucky to have isolated the problem exercises at least. For wrist/elbow pain, it's also common to see muscle imbalances that lead to issues down the chain. For instance, if your wrists aren't strong enough to do X lbs on skullcrushers even though your triceps and chest are, additional stress will be loaded on the elbows. Improving grip strength might help offset this, if that's indeed the true issue.

At the end of the day, you have to listen to your body. That doesn't necessarily mean avoiding the gym entirely--especially if the pain isn't long-lasting, but instead of searching for a supplement or other magic bullets (which as a 21 year old, you probably shouldn't need in the first place), switch out certain exercises or lower the weight and see if that helps. e.g., instead of skullcrushers try rope pull-downs; switch up your planks to other variations; etc.
 

LarKing

Registered User
Sep 2, 2012
11,739
4,558
Michigan
If certain exercises hurt, it could be the result of anything from: loading too much weight; poor form; or simply biomechanics that aren't suited for certain movements. Consider yourself lucky to have isolated the problem exercises at least. For wrist/elbow pain, it's also common to see muscle imbalances that lead to issues down the chain. For instance, if your wrists aren't strong enough to do X lbs on skullcrushers even though your triceps and chest are, additional stress will be loaded on the elbows. Improving grip strength might help offset this, if that's indeed the true issue.

At the end of the day, you have to listen to your body. That doesn't necessarily mean avoiding the gym entirely--especially if the pain isn't long-lasting, but instead of searching for a supplement or other magic bullets (which as a 21 year old, you probably shouldn't need in the first place), switch out certain exercises or lower the weight and see if that helps. e.g., instead of skullcrushers try rope pull-downs; switch up your planks to other variations; etc.

Pretty sure it's the bolded. My wrists and elbows are pretty tiny but I've worked my way up to a lot higher weight recently. Good idea on switching up exercises, I'll have to look into that, thanks.
 

Mrb1p

PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Dec 10, 2011
87,764
53,495
Citizen of the world
My wrist hurt like hell whenever I do some pronated work, except curls and my grip is strong enough to hold 490+ for reps on a deadlift.

Whatever, I wanna target my ****** biceps as much as I can
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->