My Left Elbow Feels 'Off'

Training Powerlifting
1

Background:
I’m currently following 5/3/1 according to a 4-day-a-week protocol. I don’t think it’s 5/3/1. Recently I had been attending the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club meetings at my university and the combination of arm-bars on tuesdays/thursdays and benching on wednesdays made my whole left arm feel unstable and uncomfortable. I could do push-ups and pull-ups totally pain free.

But flat or incline benching made my left arm feel ‘off.’ So I took a week off of jiu jitsu. My arm felt better, went back to another meeting and got in a nasty arm-bar. I tapped, my arm felt weird again. I stretched it out, did some push-ups and chin-ups and left practice. My arm felt fine, but practice was over. I decided that the combination of benching and jiu jitsu was messing something up. I cut out jiu jitsu permanently. It’s been almost two weeks. My arm felt fine, despite the continued use in the gym for my regular routine (pulling, pushing, curls, etc. all feel fine).

I had a similar injury months ago when I was doing extensive tricep extension work via skullcrushers, benching, and dips, all done relatively heavy.

Problem:
The past couple days my elbow has been feeling weird again, but only sometimes. It looks the same as my right elbow as far as I can see. When loaded with weight via pushing (dips, bench press, over head press, push-ups) or pulling (chins, pull-ups, curling, rows, deadlifts), the joint feels perfect fine. If the arm is neither pronated or supinated (think neutral-grip chin ups) and I’m flexing the triceps at or near lockout do I feel the pressure. It doesn’t hurt badly or tingle. It’s just like my body is stops me from flexing my tricep hard. I unwillingly hesitate and there’s discomfort and pressure in that part of the joint. It’s only where the long-head of the triceps connects.

Honestly, I have no idea how to rehab an elbow besides ice and rest. Maybe some Flameout/other fish oil supp?

2

Pick up Steve Maxwell’s Encyclopedia of Joint Mobility. Maxwell is a BJJ guy. There is great stuff in there for shoulders and elbows. The whole DVD set is awesome. If you don’t start doing this stuff now, you will get more and more things like this over time.

Here is the mobility thread from the old guys forum. There might me something in there as well for elbows.

3

I’m thinking 2 options here:

  1. Grab some elbow sleeves and try and go at it anyway. I’m not really bothered by it during my gym time anyway. My brother (ex-BBer) also said that using suicide grip relieved some pressure from his elbows when he was going heavy on pressing movements. Include icing every night and fish oil.

Or

  1. Stop doing any upper-body work involving the arms. Just focus on my squat for 2-3 weeks and include icing every night and fish oil. See how I feel after 3 weeks.

thoughts?

4

At full extension you have problems? There is a tiny muscles at the bottom of the tricep, right at the elbow. Check for trigger points there.

Does passive extension give you the same pressure? (i.e without using the muscle in question)

5

How do I “check for trigger points”? Just poke where it ‘hurts’ during extension? I found pain nearby (I think it’s a nerve), but that’s on both arms. As for passive extension: When I’m reaching for something while my hand is neutrally positioned, there is that same ‘pain.’

6

[quote]TisDrew wrote:
How do I “check for trigger points”? Just poke where it ‘hurts’ during extension? I found pain nearby (I think it’s a nerve), but that’s on both arms. As for passive extension: When I’m reaching for something while my hand is neutrally positioned, there is that same ‘pain.’ [/quote]

to find trigger points, press around in the area and look for specifically tender areas. nevermind that they may be the same spot on the other arm.

for passive extension test, have someone hyper extend your arm gently with you keeping your arm relaxed. is there pain?