Elbow Pain From Working Out
Pain is your body’s first warning sign that something is wrong and you should always address the problem before it gets worse. Even if you are able to train around joint pains, it still doesn’t mean you can ignore them. One such joint pain is elbow pain.

Why Does My Elbow Hurt When I’m Working Out?
The most common condition affecting the elbow is lateral epicondylitis. It is more commonly known as tennis elbow. This degeneration of the tissue is a result of repetitive stress on the tendons. The new collagen becomes irregularly formed. This results in a reduction of muscle strength. This simply leads to constant injury and eventually tearing. Scar tissues form in the tendon every time the collagen is torn. This further weakens the tendons.
Elbow pain is usually a result of overuse, repetitive motions or tendon sprains. When you lift excessively heavy weights, perform the same routine in the gym and neglect to train every muscle group, you are eventually creating muscular imbalances and increasing the strain on your joints.
How Do I Prevent This Condition?
The key is to limit arm isolation exercises and opt for full body exercises. Ditch single joint workouts like bicep curls, tricep kickbacks and shoulder flies. Instead, work on your push-ups, pull-ups and bodyweight rows once your elbows are feeling slightly better.
How Can I Train Around It?
The first thing to avoid would be exercises that cause pain and extreme elbow extension when locking. reduce the weight you’re lifting and perform slower “negative” reps.
For pain relief, make use of a massage ball to roll over the forearm and surrounding tissues. It also aids in releasing tension in the triceps tendon which connects to the elbow.
Elbow pain doesn’t necessarily mean weak elbows, your best bet is to identify the underlying cause and practice several of these strategies to keep you training longer and harder. If your elbow pain is severe or worsening, it is always worth to consult a physical therapist first.
Experiencing elbow or wrist pain? Click here to find out more about physiotherapy for elbow or wrist pain relief and how Core Concepts can help
Related and Popular Articles
- Snapping Ankle - Physiotherapy
- Labour Epidural Cause Chronic Backache?
- The Best Exercises for Trochanteric Bursitis
- Posterior Pelvic Pain (Sacroiliac Joint Pain) in Pregnant Women
- How do I know if I have scoliosis?
- Diastasis Recti Abdominis - Conditions
- Cobb Angle and Scoliosis
- Maybe it isn't Plantar Fasciitis but Heel Fat Pad Syndrome
- What to do when your back hurts so much that you can't get out of bed?
- Multifidus - Smallest Yet Most Powerful Muscle
- Nerve Stretches
- Shoulder Pain - Frequently Asked Questions
- 'Clunking' Shoulders - Part I
- Waking up with neck pain? Find the right pillow.
- Not All Pain In the Back Is Back Pain - It Could Be Rib Pain
- MCL strain not getting better? Because it is Pes Ancerinus Tendinitis.
- Slipped Disc in Singapore - What to Do and Avoid
- Better to break a bone than to tear a ligament or tendon
- Knee Joint & Ankle Pain - Specialist Treatment in Singapore
- Acromion Clavicle Joint - Another source of shoulder pain
- Sway Back No More
- Knock Knees - Can I reverse it? (Part 1)
- Sway back posture: A leading poor posture type causing back pain
- Posterior Capsule stretches