How to manage elbow pain from weightlifting
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If you are having elbow pain, it means you are doing something wrong. This is a warning sign and you should take proper notice of that. If you are having elbow pain after a session of weightlifting, you can do the following to manage your elbow pain.
Stretch your elbows
It is very important to stretch your elbows to get relief from elbow pain. If you have tight elbows, wrists or shoulders, you are likely to damage your soft tissue around the joints. Foam rolling and such other exercises, it is important for you to stretch these areas because stretching will improve the quality of the tissue. Elbow and wrist flexors scratch is very important and beneficial for you. It is very easy to perform and you don’t need any equipment, so you can do it at any time.
Get a massage
The elbow pain you are having may be a result of muscle imbalance or it may be due to soft tissue restrictions somewhere else in the body. If you have done something wrong while lifting, pushing or pulling weight, as a result of that you will have the elbow pain. You need to get a good massage from an expert professional. A whole body massages will help you to get immediate relief. During the massage, your upper back, biceps, pecs, lats should be covered. Specially, your upper body should get more attention because it will help your elbows better.
Get more omega-3
You will need more omega-3 fatty acids if you want to heal your elbows and get rid of the elbow pain. Omega-3s are good for you because they help in reducing inflammation. You can take omega-3 or fish oil supplements. It will not only reduce the swelling but it will also help in formation of scar tissues in the elbows. Eating more fish will help you to get more omega-3 in your body. You can also include walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds because they will also provide you with the necessary omega-3. It is very simple to add such items to your existing diet. It can sprinkle chia or flax seeds on your breakfast or salads and eat them. In this way, you don’t have to spend more time trying to get them inside your body.
Reduce arm isolation exercises
You can get rid of the single joint exercises from your workout such exercises include bicep curls, shoulder flies and tricep kickbacks. Indeed exercises you are working on the elbow joint in isolation and that can bring back the elbow pain. It is always better to go for full body workouts and exercises. Such full body exercises include push-ups, bodyweight rows and pullups. When you do that, more muscles will stabilize your elbows and it will not only depend on the biceps and triceps.
Take up the dumbbells
If you have elbow pain and you are using the barbell for your workout, it is the time to swap the barbell for dumbbells. It is a very useful in case of people suffering from chronic elbow pain due to weightlifting. Our bodies are not always asymmetric and while lifting weights, we may have some imbalances and as a result of the dominant hand, you may suffer from elbow pain. On the other hand when you are using dumbbells, you can reduce such problems to a greater extent. You can use dumbbells for bench press, overhead presses and rows, and with that you can protect your elbows. If you are already suffering from elbow pain, this little exchange may help you to a great extent by reducing your pain.
References
1. Fixing Elbow Pain System
2. Elbow pain
3. Tennis elbow