Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMinor PainHome ManagementHealing TimeModerate-to-Severe Pain
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Minor Pain
Home Management
Healing Time
Moderate-to-Severe Pain
Elbow pain from lifting is a common symptom among people who lift weights, but it can also occur with other kinds of lifting—whether they’re picking up babies or small children or carrying grocery bags. Most of the time, conservative treatments can relieve elbow pain. However, elbow pain after lifting can also be a sign of a serious injury, such as a tendon rupture (tear).
Elbow Pain From Lifting: What’s Considered Minor?
Lifting puts a lot of pressure on the tendons that connect your wrist and upper arm to the bones in your elbow joint. Minor elbow pain can occur from temporary inflammation in any of these structures after you lift.
For example,tendonitisoccurs when a tendon (connecting muscle to bone) becomes inflamed—often from overuse or lifting an object that is too heavy. Tendonitis ranges from mild to severe. Mild tendonitis typically causes pain while you’re performing the activity (such as lifting) and improves with rest.
Common forms of tendonitis aretennis elbow—tendonitis on the outside of your elbow—andgolfer’s elbow—tendonitis on the inside of the elbow. You can also have biceps tendonitis at the front of your elbow.
Arm Muscle Anatomy
Home to Manage Elbow Pain at Home After Lifting
Home remedies can help reduceelbow painafter lifting. These include:
Gently stretching your wrist flexors and extensors (which are connected to your elbow) can help reduce elbow pain after lifting. Perform these stretches several times daily, even after your symptoms have resolved.
Over-the-counternonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)are also helpful for managing elbow pain from lifting. Examples include:
Tylenol (acetaminophen) can also help reduce elbow pain.
Reduce Your Risk of Elbow Pain From LiftingUse proper form when you exercise to help reduce your risk of elbow pain from lifting. Choose weights that you can lift with proper posture. For example, if you’re performing an arm curl (bicep curl), you should be able to lift the weight without leaning backward for momentum. For further guidance, consult apersonal trainer.
Reduce Your Risk of Elbow Pain From Lifting
Use proper form when you exercise to help reduce your risk of elbow pain from lifting. Choose weights that you can lift with proper posture. For example, if you’re performing an arm curl (bicep curl), you should be able to lift the weight without leaning backward for momentum. For further guidance, consult apersonal trainer.
Forearm Pain: Treatments and Causes
How Long Does Elbow Pain Take to Heal?
Mild cases can improve after a few days of home remedies, whereas more significant elbow pain can take several weeks, months, or even a year.If home remedies don’t work, you might need physical therapy. Aphysical therapist (PT)can apply a variety ofmodalities and treatmentsto help reduce pain and inflammation from elbow injuries.
The therapist can also give you specific exercises to help strengthen any weak muscles and stretch tight muscles that might contribute to your condition. In addition, your therapist can help you modify your lifting technique (if necessary) to help prevent further injury.
When to Resume Activities After HealingIf your elbow pain has resolved with home remedies, you can gradually resume lifting activities. When performing strength training exercises after an elbow injury, decrease the number of repetitions or amount of weight when you start back up, and gradually increase these as long as you remain pain-free.
When to Resume Activities After Healing
If your elbow pain has resolved with home remedies, you can gradually resume lifting activities. When performing strength training exercises after an elbow injury, decrease the number of repetitions or amount of weight when you start back up, and gradually increase these as long as you remain pain-free.
Moderate to Severe Elbow Pain From Lifting
Symptoms and Signs
In addition to sharp, severe pain, serious elbow injuries from lifting have distinct symptoms, including:
A biceps tendon rupture is a rare but serious elbow injury that usually occurs from lifting. In addition to other visible signs of injury, you’ll likely see a “bulge” at the top of your upper arm when this injury occurs—this is because the muscle bunches up because it is no longer attached at the elbow.
If you tear an elbow ligament or tendon while lifting, you might hear an audible “popping” sound.
Causes of Elbow Pain From LiftingThough tendon and ligament issues are the most common causes of elbow pain from lifting, you could have an underlying medical condition, such as arthritis or a pinched nerve. If you aren’t sure what’s causing your pain, make an appointment with a healthcare provider.
Causes of Elbow Pain From Lifting
Though tendon and ligament issues are the most common causes of elbow pain from lifting, you could have an underlying medical condition, such as arthritis or a pinched nerve. If you aren’t sure what’s causing your pain, make an appointment with a healthcare provider.
Treatment at a Glance
Treatment for conditions that cause severe elbow pain requires the expertise of anorthopedic surgeon. These physicians specialize in diagnosing and treating injuries that affect themusculoskeletal system.
Imaging techniques such asX-rays,magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), orcomputed tomography (CT) scansare often used to determine the extent of elbow damage.
People with tendon or ligament tears in the elbow may need surgery, particularly if they want to regain full range of motion and strength in their arm. After surgery, physical therapy will help you regain your function.
Summary
Elbow pain from lifting can occur from weight training or repetitive daily tasks or job duties such as lifting small children or heavy objects. Pain can occur at the sides or the front of the elbow. Healing times vary widely depending on the underlying cause of your pain. You can treat minor injuries at home with ice, rest, and medications.
More severe causes of elbow pain from lifting might require physical therapy or even surgery. See a healthcare provider if your elbow pain doesn’t improve with home remedies. If it occurred after a traumatic incident—such as a fall—seek immediate medical attention to rule out a more severe injury, such as a broken bone.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.Kheiran A, Pandey A, Pandey R.Common tendinopathies around the elbow; what does current evidence say?J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021 May 21;19:216-223. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.05.021American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Therapeutic exercise program for epicondylitis (tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow).American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.What are NSAIDs?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Biceps tendon tear at the elbow.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ulnar collateral ligament.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.Kheiran A, Pandey A, Pandey R.Common tendinopathies around the elbow; what does current evidence say?J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021 May 21;19:216-223. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.05.021American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Therapeutic exercise program for epicondylitis (tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow).American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.What are NSAIDs?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Biceps tendon tear at the elbow.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ulnar collateral ligament.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.Kheiran A, Pandey A, Pandey R.Common tendinopathies around the elbow; what does current evidence say?J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021 May 21;19:216-223. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.05.021American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Therapeutic exercise program for epicondylitis (tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow).American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.What are NSAIDs?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Biceps tendon tear at the elbow.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ulnar collateral ligament.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.
Kheiran A, Pandey A, Pandey R.Common tendinopathies around the elbow; what does current evidence say?J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021 May 21;19:216-223. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.05.021
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Therapeutic exercise program for epicondylitis (tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow).
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.What are NSAIDs?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Biceps tendon tear at the elbow.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ulnar collateral ligament.
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