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Climber's Elbow and Hangboarding

Original Post
Capt. Impatient · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 0

So for the past month I have been having issues with climber's elbow (golfers elbow). My question is; I have no pain (none at all) when I just walk by my hangboard and stop for a second and hang. I only get pressure and a little pain when I try to do pull-ups. So who out there might know if it is ok to just start a new hangboard training session?

Rob Gordon · · Hollywood, CA · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 115

Rest is not the end all be all answer for climber's elbow/tendonosis. You have to build your opposing muscles. That will solve or at least make your problem manageable. For me it is reverse wrist curls. Hammer twists, the weighted broomstick string thing, and other exercises are good too. Try to build as much muscle on that side of the forearm as the underside.

mustardtiger · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 20

I made the classic PVC with a weight hanging from it tool. Busted out 4 sets before going to bed every night and I didn't climb for two weeks.

That was back in July and my elbows have been golden since then.

Todd R · · Vansion, CO / WY · Joined May 2014 · Points: 40

When mine flares up, I take a couple weeks off anything pull related (climbing, hangboarding, pull ups) and do tons of push ups, wrist curl/pronator exercises, forearm stretches, forearm massages, etc, and it goes away. Works for me.
Also, my elbow generally swells to 2-3 times it's normal size but there's little pain involved during day to day elbowing...

frankstoneline · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 30
Raw Crack wrote:When mine flares up, I take a couple weeks off anything pull related (climbing, hangboarding, pull ups) and do tons of push ups, wrist curl/pronator exercises, forearm stretches, forearm massages, etc, and it goes away. Works for me. Also, my elbow generally swells to 2-3 times it's normal size but there's little pain involved during day to day elbowing...
Day to Day elbowing?

marty funkhouser · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 20
Raw Crack wrote: Also, my elbow generally swells to 2-3 times it's normal size
Sounds like bursitis and not tendinitis
mustardtiger · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 20

I don't remember mine ever getting swollen. Just super bad pain on the inside.

Capt. Impatient · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 0

I have been doing reverse wrist curls and Pronators. With the Pronators on the effected elbow I've had to choke up on the handle quite a bit but I have been gaining ground slowly.

Mike Belu · · Chicago, IL · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 135
frankstoneline wrote: Day to Day elbowing?
Fantastic!
Braden Downey · · Bishop, CA · Joined Feb 2007 · Points: 110

my elbow issues were cured by finger and wrist range of motion in 5gal bucket of rice... it targets all the little muscles in your hands, wrists, forearms that get neglected with only pulling all the time. Bonus: It's a great way to accumulate a wicked pump too - hans florine is a big proponent of the rice bucket for strength training and endurance. google it.

Aaron Hunter · · Belmont, NC · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 85

I too just suffered a tendon strain while hangboarding. I am new to hangboarding, and have identified the cause of my injury from hanging in a bent arm (about 115/degree) position on the medium 4 finger crimps. I normally hang w/ arms slightly bent and shoulders engaged and rolled back. But I was experimenting with this sort of lock-off on open hand crimps position, and it really stressed the tendons that connect my bicep to my forearm. I think this had to do with the way my entire arm was at different angles from my fingertips down to my shoulder which put an enormous load on the tendons in my anterior elbow region. Wondering if this is a familiar situation for anyone as well. I have stopped all training and have begun a rest and rehab cycle. Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Stever · · WA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 56

I have climber's shoulder - my right shoulder makes a weird popping when I dead hang fully relaxed from a pull up position. What can I do to prevent this?

Ken Noyce · · Layton, UT · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2,648
Capt. Impatient wrote:So for the past month I have been having issues with climber's elbow (golfers elbow). My question is; I have no pain (none at all) when I just walk by my hangboard and stop for a second and hang. I only get pressure and a little pain when I try to do pull-ups. So who out there might know if it is ok to just start a new hangboard training session?
I'm no doctor or anything, but hangboarding doesn't aggravate my climbers elbow at all, so it might not aggravate yours either. I'm also a big proponent of reverse wrist curls, whenever my climbers elbow flairs up I just do a couple of months of reverse wrist curls and it goes away, then I forget to do the reverse wrist curls for a while, so the climbers elbow comes back, it's a vicious cycle;)
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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