Painful elbow after climbing. It is prominent in climbers due to the high load through forearms necessary for climbing movements. That is why it is important to be systematic in process. Maybe you climb for hours with no pain, but then you open a car door and it hurts. What helped me was a combination of things. I’ve been making great progress as most beginners would but I’ve recently been experiencing a little pain in my elbow. Your toes have the luxury (luxury being a relative term depending on how tight your shoes are…) of being wrapped […] Aug 22, 2022 · The fleeting or seemingly random onset of symptoms can make ulnar nerve issues confusing because the pain can feel like some sort of inconsistent elbow tendinopathy. It is called the golfer's elbow (climbers’ elbow) or medial epicondylitis. Many climbers struggle with elbow pain - usually medial or lateral epicondylosis, but not only. Next you have to start Anatomy 101: The Elbow, Forearm Muscles and Fascia Successful treatment of painful elbows (especially among climbers) should involve the chest, trunk and arms instead of an exclusive focus on localized pain. Three Jul 27, 2025 · An expert guide to climbing shoulder injuries. Nov 8, 2023 · Curious what climbing elbow pain is? In this post, we’ll go over what climbing elbow pain is and how to treat it so you can rest easy and climb harder. Treating tennis elbow (outside elbow pain) in rock climbers can be tricky. This injury Jan 5, 2021 · Climbers elbow causes pain at the medial elbow and sometimes when the symptoms are bad it can be in the anterior forearm as it follows the muscles of the wrist and finger flexors…. We understand the real reasons behind those aching elbows and how to optimize the things you’ve already been doing to manage it Mar 31, 2020 · What is Lateral Epicondylalgia? (00:20) Lateral epicondylalgia is an irritation of the lateral elbow, in climbing this most often means the extensor tendons. I Jan 9, 2018 · Sports injuries can occur from many different kinds of physical activities. Did you notice the pain was worse after working a specific problem? My wrist hurt after trying this one particular move over and over so I just gave up on it and rested for a few days and it went away. Day-to-day activities aren't affected though I noticed holding a pen or pencil puts my ring finger in an uncomfortable position pushing Lattimore PT explores potential reasons your elbow hurts when you extend it out all the way and shares how they can provide you with expert pain relief. The elbow flexors (biceps) bend your arm while the elbow extensors (triceps) straighten your arm. Nov 22, 2023 · Climber with elbow pain suggests bursitis, while doctor instead considers some conbination of bone and soft tissue damage. It’s more discomfort than pain and usually only comes up while climbing or during certain lifts. I’m going to put it down to my lack of technique mostly. Jul 18, 2022 · In this article, I explain the causes of lower biceps pain and the treatment for distal biceps tendonitis. You’re noticing improvements in your climbing, but you are starting to feel a bit broken down and are developing some mild pain in the front of your elbow that worsens after a long week of training and climbing. My elbow crackles and pops when I flex it all the way. Every crimp, pinch, jam, and slap employs these muscles, so they are susceptible to overuse injuries like chronic deep muscle soreness, elbow tendonitis, and compartment syndrome. The key to quick recovery is flushing out lactic acid and metabolic waste, so you can come back the next day feeling fresh and For the past few weeks I have been experiencing pain in my left shoulder/upper arm that radiates down to my inner elbow and up to my neck and upper left back. Sometimes it'll last for a few hours after climbing. Many people pursue rock-climbing as a serious hobby. This article covers everything you need to know about the brachialis, including how to relieve pain from this arm muscle. Oct 28, 2017 · Have outside elbow pain? This five-part series will help you gain full mobility, strength and eventually pain-free climbing movement. 5 years in I upped my cadence considerably. We go 3x a week started v2s immediately and during the third visit I got elbow pain. My climbing partner informed me that climber’s elbow is a The biceps muscle flexes your elbow. Elbow pain, in the climbing scenario, usually occurs as a result of inflammation around muscle tendons caused by overuse of forearm muscles that attach at the elbow and from an imbalance of muscle stability at the Oct 25, 2021 · Why Won’t This Elbow Pain Just Go Away? Causes of climbing elbow injuries When we are climbing there are (typically) just two points of contact between the wall and yourself: your toes and your hands. I've been climbing a lot recently with my roommate and I've been getting some pretty annoying elbow pain. This is especially important when it comes to larger groups of muscles that are organized through a structure called fascia. The muscles that bend the wrist and finger (the flexor muscle tendons: ulnaris), as well as the forearm rotators (the pronator muscle which turns the palm My elbow hit the wall on the way down right on my nerve, and I experienced some of the most severe pain I've ever felt. Subacromial pain syndrome is a general term that describes pain that is localized in the space between the acromion and humeral head of the shoulder. I found I couldn’t climb three days a week and had to limit myself to 2 sessions. I used to go to the gym, and pushing myself to my last possible rep of bicep curls never left me with significant bicep pain and I could always train biceps again two days later just fine. At Rock Rehab we’re elbow pain experts. Jan 11, 2013 · Kris shares what he's learned from his experiences of training for rock climbing while dealing with some of the most common finger and elbow injuries. Aug 23, 2023 · This results in pain around the outer area of the joint and weakness in the forearm. I had a tennis elbow injury that lasted about a year. Sep 27, 2025 · This comprehensive guide explores the causes of elbow pain from rock climbing, delves into diagnosing common conditions like Climber’s Elbow (golfer’s elbow) and Tennis Elbow, and outlines effective, evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation strategies. Maybe it’s only specific arm positions that cause issues but everything else is fine. Maybe you get weird sensations in your elbow when looking Dec 4, 2024 · By: John Crawley, PT, DPT, OCS Introduction Lateral elbow pain is a common complaint among rock climbers, often impacting performance and enjoyment of the sport. Fortunately, the last hold where my right hand was was a jug, so I managed to stay on the If you stop climbing for many weeks or months, it will make the pain from golfer’s elbow disappear, but the pain will just come back when you start climbing again — even if you wait months. It stops a lot of people from climbing every season. The injury most often occurs during a fall with an outstretched arm/hand taking much of the force of the fall, sending that force through the arm to the elbow joint. I have gone through the testing protocols you outline in the two Dodgy Elbows articles, and neither of the exercises elicits much pain. Treatment of your painful elbow is influenced by appropriate diagnosis. These exercises help with elbow problems With the following exercises you address the most important areas of the elbow. All of your forearm muscles facing the front will attach to a bony bump on your elbow called your medial epicondyle. Symptoms include: Pain in the front of your shoulder Pain during overhead . Cease ice and NSAID use within a few days to a week, and begin appropriate rehab exercises to lightly load the tendons. Without In summary, with chronic wrist conditions- pain should not be your indicator of recovery! After the episode settles, it is best to get a consult for advice on further rehab you can do to better manage and prevent future flare-ups. I recently joined a bouldering gym and have been going 1-2x a week to climb and fell absolutely in love with climbing. Oct 19, 2011 · Three at-home treatment devices tested - Although climbing is a full-body exercise, nothing gets more of a workout than your forearm extensors and flexors—the muscles on the inside and outside of the forearm. Any quick google search for these conditions will bring up wrist flexion and extension strengthening and stretching; however, these exercises fail to treat possible irritation to the nerves passing through the arm on their way to our fingers. The first and most important question when it comes to tendon pain is: should I rest it or load it? Jul 27, 2025 · Bicep/Elbow Tendonitis? - SuperTopo's climbing discussion forum is the world's most popular community discussion forum for people who actively climb outdoors. As I've struggled with elbow pain myself, and I know many people who've had it too, I decided to put the Sep 15, 2020 · Chronic trigger points can be painful, and they can inhibit your climbing progress and even lead to increased strain and tension to the tendon attachment points at your elbow. I think my tendons are slowing healing and getting stronger, but it's pretty annoying not being able to climb at "full power" for such a long time. Buy a brace, use it while climbing (eventually you will stop using it, but you're going to need it for at least 2-6 weeks). Maybe that’s why you should always get good instruction. Brachialis tendonitis is a condition that affects the tendon attaching the brachialis muscle to the ulna. Most of us know this lateral elbow pain as lateral epicondylitis, but this is misleading. Aug 11, 2021 · Don’t learn the hard way and only do them after you get your first chronic injury. Rock climbing has an increased following in the last several decades. In Rock climbing has gained popularity over the past few decades. I've mostly been using this guide for rehabbing. Elbow pain in the antecubital fossa (front crease of the elbow) associated with tenderness along the course of the tendon towards its insertion on the radial tuberosity Pain and/or weakness with supination of the forearm (turning the palm up) against resistance Are there any special tests used to diagnose biceps tendonitis? Assuming that most activities of daily living are less stressful than climbing, the elbow complex should remain fairly functional during treatment and gradually regain strength. This type of tendonitis means the tendons that connect muscles to the elbow are inflamed and swollen I'm relatively new to climbing (i started climbing during the summer) and in the last couple months I've been having some issues with climber's elbow. Jan 22, 2023 · Climber’s elbow affects the muscles on the front of your forearm. This was Yesterday I slipped off a hold during a sketchy finish move. Have any of you guys dealt with this? Any advice? Pain at night when sleeping on the painful shoulder. I dislocated my elbow in February 2019, and was back to climbing V7, my bouldering grade at the time, by June 2019. While climbing, you are constantly pulling and overworking the biceps. Hurts on the inside or outside of the elbow, often from gripping too hard. Once it stops hurting day to day start back in MILDLY climbing. In this article we’ll be covering the different ways to recover forearms after a bouldering or climbing session, along with ways to mitigate forearm pain in the future. Learn about the causes of shoulder pain after climbing, evidence-based physical therapy treatments in Boulder, and exercises for prevention. If you've got pain on the inside of your elbow, one thing you can do Nov 1, 2018 · Time and time again, climbers seem to be treated unsuccessfully for elbow pain, which I believe is due to treatment being targeted too specifically at the elbow. Now I have a whole bunch of scar tissue around the nerve, which at first gave me incredibly bad elbow pain (after climbing for an hour or so I'd lose feeling on my pinky, ring, and part of my middle finger), etc. However, there are specific injuries common among rock climbers that can occur. Mar 31, 2020 · The pain will present at the anterior (front) portion of the elbow near the crease of the elbow. The problem here is after the first session of the week I get elbow pain for like 3 days in a row and I don't know if I should skip the next session on thursday or power through. I'm curious about how you guys have rehabbed if Rock climbing has become a professional competitive sport, many folks are being drawn to this sport with a parallel increase in the occurrence of sport-related injuries on both the natural rock and artificial walls. While flexor tendon tenosynovitis can have a rapid onset from a single hard day or training session, it is most common with an increase in training volume, or from consistent overuse. The pain that radiates to inner elbow feels kind of like tendinitis. TheraBand FlexBar - Tendonitis Question I finally got over my medial (inner) tendon / elbow pain when climbing after a long (COVID forced) break. Elbow pain is one of the most common and debilitating injuries climbers get. If soreness persists for several hours or into the next day Sep 15, 2014 · If you’ve ever had elbow pain from climbing, listen up! This week I’m excited to share an article written by Dr. Pain also usually gets better after activity or with rest. Now since returning, I'm having even worse lateral (outer) tendon / elbow pain. It results in pain at the front crease of the elbow. Distinguishing between these conditions is necessary for effective treatment and rehabilitation. While several conditions can cause this discomfort, two primary culprits are wrist extensor tendinopathy and triceps referral pain. Over time, the biceps muscles overdevelop and the opposing triceps muscles become weak, creating an imbalance. It's been about 4 weeks, no climbing, and have been doing stretches, using a flexbar, and resting but am still find Been going to my local walls every other day (when I can) for about 3 months now (starting from nothing) and almost every time my lower biceps are just in pretty large amounts of pain by the end. I am a new climber (two months at most) and have been… Feb 24, 2025 · Did you dislocate your elbow?Elbow dislocation is an uncommon injury for most. Golfers' elbow Similar to tennis elbow, this condition involves inflammation of the tendons that connect to the bony prominence on the inner side of the elbow. This can lead to degeneration of the biceps tendon as it inserts into the bone below your elbow. If you have some of these symptoms, you may be experiencing something called subacromial pain syndrome (often referred to as shoulder impingement). Dec 7, 2022 · The symptoms of this kind of pain are quite similar to those of epicondylitis: you’ll usually feel an achy pain that sets in after a good climb, and usually after more strenuous activity within the shoulder joint. It is a pain that comes from the inside of the elbow and sometimes goes up to your wrist as you climb. All tendonitis is overuse to a degree Cut back on climbing volume and Sep 4, 2025 · Pre-climbing resistance training Begin this progression 5-10 days post injury Only progress to the next training level when you can perform the prior level with minimal or no pain Go slowly with all motions and progress through resistance levels carefully. Something is getting pinched/tweaked/stretched in your elbow, but it is unlikely to relate to the integrity of the attachment itself. If it's more of a dull pain/soreness, you might want to give it a bit rest, see a doctor, but you may be able to climb with it cautiously while doing exercises to rehabilitate it. I have a dull pain in my elbow that occurs when I start climbing and continues after I climb. Jul 26, 2021 · In this video we'll discuss the injuries and rehab activities associated with the flexor digitorum profundus, or FDP. One session after completing an overhanging move, I felt a stinging pain in both elbows. The two most affected areas are the outer elbow (lateral epicondylalgia) and the inner elbow (medial epicondylalgia). This is especially true for beginners who haven’t had the chance to build up any real forearm or grip strength. Do the Physical Therapy (links to follow), and be patient. Management of these tight muscles is possible with a proper exercise regime and with use of a Wave Tool. When you climb, you are constantly pulling and overworking the biceps muscles in the front of your arms. The stoke was high, and 1. If you experience an increase in pain immediately after or the next day after climbing, then the tendon has not coped with the load - it's as simple as that. The upper arm is made up of elbow flexors and extensors. This is also called medial epicondylitis, or golfer's elbow. Mar 3, 2024 · Many climbers have experienced pain at either the medial (climber’s) or lateral (tennis) elbow at some point during training or peak season. Common questions regarding wrist pain after climbing I tore the ligament on the ulnar side of my elbow a few years before I started climbing and never had surgery on it. I was introduced to her in hopes that I could help to resolve her elbow pain. We understand the real reasons behind those aching elbows and how to optimize the things you’ve already been doing to manage it Jan 20, 2021 · I have been climbing for at least eight years and mostly indoor. I’m going to see a professional to know for sure, but the thought of having to take weeks off to rehabilitate a tendon really has me down. It may be slightly more medial than lateral but should not be felt on the inside of the elbow. This imbalance can lead How One Climber Healed His Climber’s Elbow I have been climbing for a couple of years. Your elbow may hurt for a variety of reasons such as overuse, an injury, or an underlying medical condition. I have stumbled across a few injuries along the way. Self massage Oct 26, 2018 · Tame inside elbow pain and still train hard and crush your project with some simple movement tips, plus this preventive exercise. The initial 2-3 weeks feel absolutely hopeless, stuck in the splint, stick it out. I do always It creates deep elbow pain, sends pain to the front of the shoulder, and even mimics thumb arthritis. That injury healed nicely after a few months. I think it was caused by trying to down climb but being too weak to slowly resist on the way down and so it kinda quickly locked my elbow. Jan 17, 2022 · How and when to come back to climbing after an injury. He is board certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist from the American Physical Therapy May 30, 2021 · Rock climbers often develop pain on the inner side of the elbow. Aug 14, 2014 · Doing a ton of what you love (climb, train, climb, climb, train, repeat) naturally makes muscles tight, sore, and knotted—especially those forearms! Without effective recovery, you can experience a drop in performance, an increase in pain, or even worse, injury. Only my ring and the pinky fingers were affected. Either my left elbow or the left side of my left forearm arm hit a random hold pretty hard as I slipped, sending a shooting pain from my forearm up to my fingers, instantly followed by numbness. Dr. It’s also referred to as medial epicondylitis. Slow push-ups and curls with my palms facing outwards really helped me alleviate my elbow pain temporarily, sometimes going from completely unable to climb to being good for another hour mid session. Oct 28, 2023 · Turning your hand into a palm-up position while your elbow is flexed, as it is when you undercling, is the primary role of your bicep. I pulled a muscle in my leg by doing a weird move. Any quick google search for these conditions will bring up wrist flexion and extension strengthening and stretching; however, these exercises fail to treat possible irritation to the nerves Signs and Symptoms Pain typically comes on within minutes or hours after a climbing session, or acutely while climbing. Apr 18, 2025 · Icing the elbow for twenty minutes, three to six times a day, and use of NSAIDs will help reduce inflammation and pain following injury. Dec 8, 2022 · Stretches to Avoid Elbow Pain from Climbing Climbers most commonly suffer from medial epicondylitis or golfer's elbow, so always be sure to warm up before climbing Gripped Magazine December 8, 2022 May 9, 2022 · Old Problem, Newer Elbow I have had pain in my left elbow for 15 years and it has ended my climbing career. With the right training and gear, rock climbing is generally a safe activity. A rigorous climbing schedule can strain these tendons before they have a chance to fully recover. After a short period of sporadic climbing, I fell completely in love with the sport. Elbow pain So I just want to start with I have looked this up and down and want to make sure I’m gonna go right about this. In later stages, atrophy of some wrist and hand muscles may be observed While climbing: It may be harder to hold onto climbing holds Increased pain may be experienced in the medial elbow as you try to grip harder Heaviness in the affected arm Assessment A comprehensive series of assessment techniques can be used to identify the source of the Jul 21, 2023 · Find out what you need to know about tricep tendonitis and discover how it may affect your health. The pain is simply feeding your anxiety that it might! Mar 3, 2016 · Climber’s Elbow – aka the most frustrating injury Just over 12 months ago I was doing a route toward the end of an endurance training session at the climbing wall when I popped out for a hold with my left hand. I bought one of the green resistance FlexBars and have been doing Tyler Twist exercises once per day off. Proper wrist alignment is what matters. Wrist injuries aren’t uncommon either, carpal tunnel, wrist compression, those sorts of things. Tendons need to be stimulated through exertion to heal. This was the case when I first met Brittany Griffith, a Black Diamond Ambassador. Here's the general timeline, and tips for each stage of recovery. Should the injury be painful enough to cause limited use, a greater degree of treatment and rehabilitation will be required. After a few minutes it subsided and I had the usual "funny bone" symptoms: numbness, tingling and muscle weakness in my ring/pinky fingers on that hand. relatable experience here ; although I never had a full blown epicondylitis but often times I had a beginning of dodgy elbow after upping training regimen / climbing volume / elbow lockoffs however none of the usual tests for medial epicondylitis would trigger the pain, and none of the subsequent rehab exercices worked. Let’s use fascial systems to consider two common conditions By Becca Wezensky, PT, DPT, OCS >> Request an Appointment Many climbers have experienced pain at either the medial (climber’s) or lateral (tennis) elbow at some point during training or peak season. There are several different types of dislocations, such as simple, complex, and severe, wherein blood vessels and nerves in the joint area may be Certain positions and tasks can improve/worsen symptoms, but in general, pain will be worse when using your biceps, during overhead movements, and during/after repetitive motions with your elbow and shoulder. Other people climb once in a while as a weekend activity. When I palpate deep into crook of the elbow, however, it’s extremely painful. Jun 4, 2020 · For those who do not get rid of the stress pain despite this own management, I advise the contribution on the Percutaneous electrolysis - Therapy EPTE ® to read, which will appear next on LACRUX. Reverse wrist curls. So how do you recover your forearms after bouldering? A couple of months back I developed some right-hand ring finger pain, I’m pretty sure while climbing an overhang V4 (or maybe overdoing pull exercises). If it the pain is above the elbow, it's not climber's/tennis elbow (that affects the forearm). Elbow injuries (tendonitis) are arguably the most common along with finger injuries. Sep 27, 2025 · Our science-backed deep dive on climbing injuries covers everything from prevention to rehab. If the tendon has become more painful after a session, look for ways to decrease your next training session's load a little. If you suffer nagging elbow pain, there's a road to recovery, but it takes active attention. Inner Elbow Chronic elbow injuries often result from long-term degeneration of the tendon attached to the bony lump on the inside of your elbow; this condition is often called golfer’s elbow. If you are experiencing elbow pain, our team of orthopedic […] Whether you've got climber's elbow, epicondylitis, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, pulley rupture, or finger pain, this blog will help you overcome your climbing injuries. For example: if you’re returning to climb after a pulley injury you may have soreness to your skin, a mild pinch in shoulder and stiffness in your low back after a climbing session, but the symptom you want to pay attention to in this case is the pain experienced in the finger from the pulley injury. Jan 28, 2025 · Elbow pain is super common among climbers and often the reason for taking unwanted breaks from the sport. Tenosynovitis, or inflammation of the finger flexor tendon sheath (synovium), is a common If it's a sharp pain, stop climbing, rest, ice, see a doctor. Jared Vagy is a Physical Therapist and avid climber, who received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. In this article, climbing coach Robin O'Leary and physiotherapist Nina Leonfellner look at ways to treat and Mar 14, 2024 · Discover essential techniques to manage and prevent elbow pain from climbing. I know the pain is not muscle related but tendon related because I can feel the strain from my shoulder to elbow and than to the wrist. How Do You Fix Elbow Pain From Climbing? Fixing elbow pain from climbing requires a comprehensive approach that involves addressing the underlying causes, promoting healing, and preventing future occurrences. We grip and pull things when we climb, and this gets our forearm muscles to engage in work. What Tendons are a hot topic in the climbing world and with good reason. Jan 13, 2025 · Explore effective exercises, treatment options, and prevention tips for climber's elbow to reduce pain, prevent injury, and enhance your climbing performance. This post will focus on how our occupational and physical therapists approach treating tendonitis, specifically for rock climbers feeling elbow, forearm, and finger pain. One night after climbing, I had a dull pain in my elbow almost as if I hyper-extended it (i know how this feels from having it happen while playing basketball). The best way is to utilize a rehabilitation framework, such as the rock rehab pyramid that is the book Jan 16, 2025 · Symptoms include tenderness on the outside of the elbow, pain or weakness when using the affected elbow, and pain with resistance. Learn how to prevent common climbing injuries and effective treatment approaches for faster recovery and long-term climbing health. Jan 21, 2021 · Suffering from climber's elbow? MTI PT provides expert treatment for rock climbing injuries, helping you recover and get back to climbing. I started rock climbing in the gym 2 weeks ago. First step is to stop climbing for a week. Elevate your climbing experience with expert advice and comprehensive solutions. You even notice a bit of swelling in your elbow. If pain returns, go back to no climbing for a week. Lateral epicondylitis infers that there is inflammation of the tissue, which occurs with acute Depends on if you have Golfer's Elbow or Tennis elbow (inside or outside pain). Week 2 it’s still there and after the climbs which I try not to push it as hard. My forearms were already very fatigued and as I caught the hold and pulled through into a deep lock I felt a bursting strain at the elbow end of my forearm and in my wrist. Learn to treat and prevent pulley, shoulder, and elbow issues. We’ll start with relevant anatomy, then move on to internal risk factors, causes of injury, testing and symptoms, and finally how to heal and retrain to get you back to sending! ANATOMY Apr 5, 2025 · And then there’s elbow pain, climber’s elbow, some call it. Treatment for tennis elbow Most cases of tennis elbow can be resolved without surgery. Jared Vagy, aka The Climbing Doctor. You should go to see a physio therapist, but it's likely what many climbers go through. I’ve recently returned to the gym, and even sticking to easy routes (V0, V1) in 20-30min climbing sessions (with warmup beforehand), and I’ve started to get a dull pain in the hours and day after climbing. On the web and in climbing books, you can find countless resources on how to recover from elbow injuries, but the advice is often hard to implement without knowing what outcome to expect. It emphasizes on physical and mental challenges, one that often tests climber's upper and lower body flexibility, strength, endurance, agility, and balance along with mental If your elbow hurts, it is important to identify the cause of your pain so that you can take the correct steps to reduce the pain. Conservative treatment options include rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications, bracing, or physical therapy. After about a month of easy climbing, I started pushing the intensity again, but with reduced frequency. If you are mildly sore for 30 minutes to 1 hour after a session that is fine. What should you do? Jul 31, 2019 · Have you ever experienced elbow pain during or after a climb? This pain is most likely your body’s way of telling you that something is off in your climbing stability and technique. It’s about finding the balance of strengthening your tendons without making them painful. Brittany is a self-professed gypsy with endless energy, whose solution to Jan 8, 2022 · If you’re experiencing brachioradialis muscle pain after lifting or curling, you can read our article to learn about the treatment options. Jan 11, 2022 · Elbow problems are common among climbers. 4bgbrl gxvp ufi8p px cuxbl qzc4n w6nft kz8 i8uvth do9o

Painful elbow after climbing. Jared Vagy, aka The Climbing Doctor.