elbow pain-> arthritis??

i'm only 39, isn't that young for arthritis?? i've noticed pain in my elbow when i climb, and also it seems i can't extend my elbow as well as i could- i'm shy maybe 5-10 degrees. i definitely experience pain as i try to "close" the joint, bringing my arm into my body. the pain is on the underside of the elbow. the interwebs tell me these are arthritis symptoms, not tendonitis, the classic climber's injury. any thoughts?

I didn't get a good picture of just how "external" to the joint the pain is...
Look up Bursitis and see if that might resemble what you are feeling.

I don't know about arthritis, but the pain you describe, pain on underside of the elbow (inner or outer part or both?) sounds similar to a pain I had playing baseball back in high school (I was a pitcher and the pain I had was tendonitis, from throwing too hard without warming up/stretching out properly first) the pain would last for a few weeks at a time (usually the for the first few weeks of practices). I would try taking ibuprofen about half an hour or an hour before you climb and stretching well right before you climb, drinking a cup of coffee with the ibuprofen might help too, because caffeine works as a pain relieving aid.

It sounds like a typical case of tendonitis i.e. tennis elbow. Have you increased the amount of climbing you've been doing in the past few weeks? Have you taken to doing more powerful movement, lifting weights, campusing, bouldering, etc...? How long have you been climbing in relation to the injury? Have you experienced it before?

Most tendonitis occurs when someone increases the intensity of using their forearms, it may most sharply occur with power exercises and it can restrict movement. Mine got so bad it started pinching a nerve in my elbow and I would experience numbness in my forearm (extreme condition).

That said the guy that runs the Doctor columns for Rock and Ice has his own website that might help you diagnose your injury. drjuliansaunders.com/

Be well.

thanks for the input. the location of the pain is middle/inside. i climbed yesterday with ibuprofen and kinda took it easy and it doesn't feel any worse at least. maybe i do just have the classic case of tendonitis. i had been doing more campus board workout recently, that could have set it off. (really-after 20 years of this stuff, v6 and .13a my body can't handle campusing???) any more input would be appreciated. specifically:
1) does tendonitis cause loss of range of motion?
2) is stopping climbing altogether a bad idea, feeding into problem #1?

thanks again for the help

carter jensen wrote:specifically: 1) does tendonitis cause loss of range of motion?

Yes it can.

carter jensen wrote: 2) is stopping climbing altogether a bad idea, feeding into problem #1?

Are you saying that you think you will lose more range of motion if you stop climbing?

Do you have pain at rest, or just pain during certain motions (like flexion, as you indicated)? Does the pain get worse with activity, or better?

You are somewhat young for arthritis, but no, not too young. Did you ever have an elbow injury in the past? Arthritis results from damage to the cartilage usually; ligament damage can also cause it if the mechanics of the joint become altered.

Another possibility is a cyst in the elbow. My brother had one of these and it caused pain while climbing. It could also interrupt full range of motion in a joint, depending on its location.

If you have insurance, I think it would be a really good idea to see a sports med doc. Tendonitis and arthritis aren't things that usually just "go away" if you ignore it long enough.

carter jensen wrote:1) does tendonitis cause loss of range of motion?

Absolutely, as can bursitis. I've had several bouts of tendinitis and due to the excessive swelling, lost a good percentage of range for closing my arms (meaning bent elbows with hands touching my shoulders), rotating my forearms (both inward and outward), etc etc. The best help I found for this was daily PT exercises focusing exactly on getting that range back.

carter jensen wrote:2) is stopping climbing altogether a bad idea, feeding into problem #1?

Rest is honestly the best medicine ever for tendinitis and/or bursitis. You've got to let yourself heal, and yes it takes a helluva long time. I had to take off a year and a half and I'm still not fully recovered. (However, I have other joint injuries compounding the problem - usually I've known people to just take off 6-8 months and be immensely better.)