Elbow/Arm Pain from Deadlifting a Barbell

[Ian777]

Hi All,

First of all let me say thanks for offering your expertise on here for free I really appreciate it and look forward to your input.

Okay, I’ve listed some specifics about my injury and other things may be useful to know then I’ll give you the story :-D

ME:
30yrs old, physically active male, regular in the gym.

DIET
Balanced diet, plenty of water. Supplements: Whey protein, Cissus and sometimes creatine (not for about 16 months).

CAUSED BY:
Performing a deadlift (I think) and worsened by trying to train through it for a week or so.

TIMELINE:
Happened about 3-4 months ago.

PROBLEM:
Painful arm/elbow.
Pain in elbow, forearm flexor (top one – similar symptoms to tennis elbow)
General dull pain/ache in elbow joint
Ache in bottom of tricep where it attatches into elbow at back of arm.

SYMPTOMS:
Stiffness when bending my arm.
Slight pain in lower bicep when I extend it
Slight pain in elbow flexor when I extend it
Aches in bottom of tricep

TREATMENT SO FAR:
About 12/13 30 mins physio sessions – massage, TENS and Ultrasound given. Not helped much
Iced at home
Iced at home then massaged, then heat applied about 30 mins after massage – helped a bit.

I think I hurt my arm while performing deadlifts in the gym. I had decided to stop using straps to strengthen my forearms and was right on my limit when I think I hurt it. There wasn’t a snap or pop or bruising, just soreness the next day and a lot of stiffness – the arm that I hurt was the one using a revers grip on the bar (palm facing away from me). I tried to train again a few times afterwards and it made the problem worse – more pain and a great deal more stiffness, it felt like my arm needed oiled. It would extend and bend but very slowly and with a little pain in my lower bicep/elbow and mainly my forearm flexor muscle across the top of my forearm (about an inch down from my elbow approximately).

They physio keeps performing the same things over and over but none of them seem to help much. I’ve been using ibuprofen as it helps with the stiffness and pain and resting the arm as much as possible.

Any ideas what I could do to help this? It doesn’t seem to be getting much better – it did once and then I had to do some DIY and it flared up again the day after I swept the garden patio.

I have read the other posts regarding Tennis Elbow (LE) but I am now thinking that perhaps that isn’t the problem or only problem.

THANKS!!

Ian

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[Canuck Physio]

Hi All,

First of all let me say thanks for offering your expertise on here for free I really appreciate it and look forward to your input.
Thanks for the appreciation, we are also hoping to enhance the recognition of this under promoted and respected profession!
Okay, I’ve listed some specifics about my injury and other things may be useful to know then I’ll give you the story :-D

ME:
30yrs old, physically active male, regular in the gym.

DIET
Balanced diet, plenty of water. Supplements: Whey protein, Cissus and sometimes creatine (not for about 16 months).
Hmm, I am sure very few here would be aware of those, but luckily I know almost 90% of the relevant research in relation to those, so you are lucky
CAUSED BY:
Performing a deadlift (I think) and worsened by trying to train through it for a week or so.
Hmm.. 'worsened' big point there
TIMELINE:
Happened about 3-4 months ago.
Hmmm.... '3-4months' long time to go without physio! In the future, remember this " An ounce of prevention is equal to a lb of cure"
PROBLEM:
Painful arm/elbow.
Pain in elbow, forearm flexor (top one – similar symptoms to tennis elbow)
This does not make sense, do you mean the muscles that bring your PALM towards your wrist, or the ones that take it away from the wrist? Tebbis elbow occurs in the extensors, (epicondylitis)
General dull pain/ache in elbow joint
Ache in bottom of tricep where it attatches into elbow at back of arm.
Is this a consistent dull ache? Tendonitis type of pain?"
SYMPTOMS:
Stiffness when bending my arm.
Slight pain in lower bicep when I extend it
Slight pain in elbow flexor when I extend it ? elbow flexor = bicep, which would Flex, ple3ase clarify as this statement is same as above
Aches in bottom of tricep

TREATMENT SO FAR:
About 12/13 30 mins physio sessions – massage, TENS and Ultrasound given. Not helped much
Iced at home
Iced at home then massaged, then heat applied about 30 mins after massage – helped a bit.

I think I hurt my arm while performing deadlifts in the gym. I had decided to stop using straps to strengthen my forearms and was right on my limit when I think I hurt it. There wasn’t a snap or pop or bruising, just soreness the next day and a lot of stiffness – the arm that I hurt was the one using a revers grip on the bar (palm facing away from me). I tried to train again a few times afterwards and it made the problem worse – more pain and a great deal more stiffness, it felt like my arm needed oiled. It would extend and bend but very slowly and with a little pain in my lower bicep/elbow and mainly my forearm flexor muscle across the top of my forearm (about an inch down from my elbow approximately).

They physio keeps performing the same things over and over but none of them seem to help much. I’ve been using ibuprofen as it helps with the stiffness and pain and resting the arm as much as possible.

Any ideas what I could do to help this? It doesn’t seem to be getting much better – it did once and then I had to do some DIY and it flared up again the day after I swept the garden patio.

I have read the other posts regarding Tennis Elbow (LE) but I am now thinking that perhaps that isn’t the problem or only problem.

THANKS!!

Ian

Sorry about the lack of progression in your treatment. I think the primary problem is re-flaring and subsquently the reintroduction of pain which leads them to want to control the pain before progressing treatment. I don't think this particular therapist realises what has happend. Did they have a feel and move of that arm? I think I have a vague Idea of what has happened as I happen to train deadlift and know what muscles and joint stresses occur in that movement. To me it appears that you have a joint strain with muscle strain, likely due to partial elbow joint hyperextension or subluxation (can't say for sure with the details missing). This means that during the deadlift your stabilizers weren't firing hard enough and while your shoulder was trying to pull your arm up, the weight was trying to pull your forearm down, and walla, sheer at the joint. (DID you get pain straight away?)

A little clarification fromt he above would be very useful. Specifically all the details about where and when about Pain. And which movements are Now limited. And what exercises has physio given, if any

[Ian777]

Hi Canuck Physio,

Thanks for your reply! I’ll answer your questions first:

Pardon me, when I said pain in me elbow flexor I got the muscle wrong, just looked it up and the pain I am referring to is in my forearm flexor… I think!  I’ve drawn a little diagram and attached it that shows where the pains are.

It’s the forearm flexor that brings the palm away from my wrist, the one that would lift my hand if it was resting on a desk palm down and I brought it up towards me while my forearm stayed put.

The pain in my lower tricep comes and goes but when I notice it it’s not a stabbing pain it’s more of a dull ache – not agony but sore enough to notice something’s not right.

The pain didn’t appear straight away, maybe the next day or so I noticed it but it was nowhere near as bad then as it got after I tried to work through it – I’m an idiot, I’ve been injured before (sports hernia) and I should have known better.

As for the diagram, when I straighten my arm I feel pain in my lower bicep ( Arrow B) and also in my forearm, Arrow C) During the day or night I sometimes notice my arm hurting at the back (Arrow A)

It’s very annoying that it won’t heal. At night after work I ice it and then massage my forearm with baby oil, I start of with circles over Arrow C area then up and down the muscles in my forearm including the wrist area. After my arm warms up I put a heat pad on. This seems to help the most but is there anything else I could/should do?

Thanks for your help!

Ian