In part one, we talked about the causes and symptoms of elbow pain. But how can we fix it?
There are multiple ways to help reduce your pain, but remember to listen to your body. If it doesn’t feel like its getting better, it’s highly recommended you see a Doctor or Physical Therapist for their professional opinion.
- Rest
Our first recommendation is not one we necessarily want to hear. Rest. But sometimes rest is exactly what you need. Your elbow is aggravated, and continuing to use it will continue to irritate it. But when we think of resting, we think we need to stop going to the gym completely. This is not the case! Our coaches are experts in scaling, and they will help you to find exercises you can do that don’t involve your arm.
- Stretch
Another way to fix your elbow pain is to stretch. Stretching can be very beneficial for helping prevent injuries or injured body parts. When performing stretching, it needs to be gentle; a slight pull or stretch in the forearm musculature should be felt with no pain in the elbow.
To help stretch your wrist flexors (the muscles on the palm side of the arm), extend your arm in front of you with your palm facing up. With your other arm, grab on to your hand and gently bend your wrist so your fingers are now pointing towards the floor. This stretch shoulder be held for 15-30 seconds 2-4 times.
To stretch your wrist extensors (muscles on the backside of your hand), start in the same position with your arm out straight in front of you, but this time your palm is facing down. Take your other hand and apply gentle pressure to the back of the hand so the fingers are pointing towards the floor.
- Build Strength
Building static and dynamic strength is the next step in getting your elbow better. Static strength means strength when you are not moving the body part. By building your static strength, it helps your tendons catch up to your muscles. Examples of static strength exercises include farmer carries, waiter carries, pull-up bar holds, etc. Start easy and increase weight, duration, or distance as it becomes easier. Once you are comfortable with your static exercises, you can move to building your dynamic strength. Dynamic strength means strength when you are moving the body part. Examples of dynamic strength exercises include strict pull-ups/ ring dips, and push-ups. When practicing these exercises, changing your grip from a supinated (palms facing you) or pronated (palms facing away) can work your tendons differently. Stay away from kipping movement for 3-5 weeks; kipping places a lot of stress on your tendons, and you want to make sure you are 100% before incorporating kipping movements back into your workouts.
- Massage
Lastly, getting a professional massage or performing self massages can help calm down the muscles surrounding your elbow. When an area is injured, scar tissue forms as a part of the healing process; massage can help break up that scar tissue and promote better blood flow for healing.
Rushing through the healing process will eventually get you back to where you started: experiencing elbow pain and feeling frustrated. Take your time. When you think you’re ready, take 1 more week to make sure you are. Talk with a coach about how to do the exercises correctly or schedule a 1-on-1 appointment to determine if there is a strength imbalance, movement restriction, or poor movement quality that are contributing to your elbow pain. If you start with these exercises and don’t notice any progress, seeing a healthcare provider is highly recommended.