Brand new climber with elbow pain

Hey all, I just recently joined an indoor gym as an intro to climbing, about 2 weeks ago. I have only been climbing about 5 or 6 times now, for about 1.5-2.5 hours each time. During the second session I noticed that the inside of my left elbow started hurting a little bit. I figured it was just sore muscles. The past few times the pain has returned but not too bad. Tonight I climbed two routes and this time both elbows were hurting pretty bad. I climbed one more route and when I came back down the pain was really bad, so I called it a night.

The pain is in the inside of both elbows from the upper forearm to the lower bicep. I am 27 years old so I am getting a late start in all this but I do lift regularly and stay very active, and have no history of injuries of any kind. I'm hoping that this is just growing pains (sore muscles/tendons?) as opposed to grown-up pains (something that will stay with me even after I get used to climbing). It makes a lot of sense for it to just be my body not used to this kind of strain but it felt really bad tonight, to where I could barely bend my left elbow. I'm not sure if sore muscles or tendons will do that.

The pain subsides after about an hour of rest or a hot shower. Any advice or diagnosis? Thanks.

Welcome to tendonitis. It's a pretty bad sign if you are getting it already.

Do this... holding your arms straight out and trying to keep your fingers straight, bend your hands back at the wrist so the back of your hands move towards your body. Do this really slowly and imagine resistance. After about 15 reps you should really feel it in the top of your forearms. Change the angle a bit and do a few sets so you fatigue the whole top of your forearms. Do this every day and after you've warmed-up before climbing. Should help.

Since your pain is pretty high in your forearm you might also benefit from some pushups and dips and tricep extensions.

Basically you're overworking your forearms and inner arm muscles and you need to work out the opposing muscles to get them to pull back.

Also... take a week off while doing the opposing exercises to start fresh. Then train more slowly at first. Start with just climbing once or twice a week. After a hard session I often have to take 2 full days rest or I will have tendonitis.

Good luck sir.

Thanks for the reply. It makes perfect sense to me that I need to balance the workload on my arms. I do chest/tricep exercises every time I work out (4-5 times per week) but I will definitely bump up the tricep exercises and work on the tops of my forearms. I really appreciate the advice! Luckily I don't ever plan to get into high-level climbing (5.10 or higher). My goals are to be able to climb around the 5.8 range in trad, as I am much more about just being in the mountains than climbing crazy stuff. That is to say, I am climbing harder now than I ever plan to in the mountains. Looking back, I should have taken it much slower to start off, but it's hard for me to slow down when I find something I like so much.

Also add forearm pronation/supination exercises. Exercise 4 here: nismat.org/ptcor/tennis_elbow

BTW what you have may or may not be tendonitis. Could be tendonosis or just a muscle strain near your elbow. Same exercises are likely to address the problem no matter what the actual issue, though, so go to it.

Thanks! Yeah I already looked up a lot of exercises to do. I've got about 5 good exercises I will do daily to help balance the workload on my arms.

It might be golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis). I had it in both as well, got cortisone injections and am fine (however I have not been climbing hard on them at all, just bouldering once and a while). I was 29 when I got the shot, the nagging pain lasted for a year or so before I went to see an orthopedic surgeon.

I know if you take that route, they will help no doubt. Everyone is different (how your body reacts to the medicine may not be the same as how another persons does). Thats something called biochemistry (uhh...I think??). No I'm not a doctor, just trying to help a fellow climber out.

I'm anticipating a loud out-cry of anti-cortisone posters creeping up speaking of some slippery slope that you will be walking on (its only a little slippery). And probably will never get off of so I will leave it at that. Regardless of whats going on medically, hope your better soon.

I know it isn't tennis elbow since the back of my elbow doesn't hurt at all. It's just the inside of the elbow that hurts. I am going to take a week off from everything other than outer forearm exercises then try some light workouts and see if it is any better after a week of trying to balance things out.

that link above lumps together the elbows of both golfers and tennis... the 4th exercise on that page has helped me immensely in avoiding inner elbow pain. I used to get inner elbow pain regularly until I started those exercises. Now I run through a quick set of those (10-20 each way on each side) after every gym or hangboard session and it has consistently helped prevent injury.

I have dealt with similar pain for two of the four months I have been climbing. Sounds like what I have (self-diagnosed brachialis tendonitis). I backed off climbing and really worked on my technique on easier problems and now it only flares up occasionally... I really do believe it is a result of both weak tendons and poor technique, at least in my case. Is the pain on the bony process on the inside of the elbow? That would likely indicate medial epicondylitis. If not, is it superficial or deep? Superficial in that region is usually biceps tendonitis while deeper main could be brachialis tendonitis.

I don't vividly remember where the pain was now. I do know that it spread from my upper forearm to my lower bicep. I seem to remember it being more shallow in my elbow than deep.

After 7 years of climbing, i have determined that gym holds are horrible on the tendonitis. even after climbing hard all fall, that familiar burn and tightness comes back with a vengeance durning the first gym session every december. after a month of stretches, rest and skiing, i can slowly get back to a regular gym session.

I think it has something to do with the uniformity of artificial holds. while they are all different shapes, sizes and grips, the finger surfaces are still very even and artificial. I think gym holds put the same kind of stress on your tendons over and over again, causing over working of the elbow tendons. unlike real rock which varies naturally, thus changing tendon stress from hold to hold.

My suggestions......

Be patient. Rest. Ive never experienced or heard of climbers elbow completely going away in a week. I usually take at least 3 weeks off from the gym and take the time to stretch and do low stress exercises. then slowly start climbing again

the stretching exercise rob mentioned works great. Ive also found a great trick massaging the inner elbow by rolling a golf ball around with your palm. seems to loosen up the joint.

get a forearm and finger trainer. keeps your tendons loose, and will quickly build hand and forearm strength. I use thesehttp://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3667718&cp=3677347.11360118.3688347

Chris Knapp wrote: My goals are to be able to climb around the 5.8 range in trad, as I am much more about just being in the mountains than climbing crazy stuff.

Based on your description, it sounds like a bicep strain. The bicep muscle attaches at the upper forearm, and strains most often occur near this attachment. You do have to take time off to allow it to heal. Add more protein to your diet and avoid doing bicep curls for about a week. Take ibuprofen 400mg with each meal for a few days in a row, unless you have some contraindication.

Start the stretching and strengthening exercises mentioned above. When you start climbing again, really focus on hanging from straight arms because bent arms cause climbers to get pumped faster and can cause injuries like bicep strains and tendonitis. Try to mimic the footwork of more experienced climbers, too.