I was doing sprints today (Speed day) and I noticed my right elbow started to get sore, it feels like someone hit it with a hammer, it’s weird.
Any Suggestions on what to do or what might be goin on here? The AeroStallion is totally confused here.
Thanks
CU,
Is the soreness in the bicep or tricep side of the elbow?
Ryan
The outside half (if my arm is hanging or folded up towards my ear) on the tricep side
[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
The outside half (if my arm is hanging or folded up towards my ear) on the tricep side[/quote]
I am by no means a doctor, but this is common among the athletes I train who tend to run with a flair in their elbows. While perfect running form brings the hands from hip/pocket to chin in a vertical line (perhaps a 5-10% slant), some athletes have developed what I call a “flair hammer”, that is, the elbows flair more on a horizontal plane (in some cases, as bad as 60 degrees!).
As to why this causes that type of elbow pain I am not sure, but my theory is that the running in such a manner negates use of the shoulder musculature and instead relies more on the tricep and joints of the elbows in order to propel the athlete further. I have not seen you run, but perhaps taking a video of it and looking over your arm mechanics might offer some insight.
Hope this helps!
CU,
OK, how long have you been doing the sprints and have you recently changed any parameters of either your training or running program?
Ryan
Dr. Ryan,
Sprints started today.
I usually don’t do any, although the last time I did was about 2 months ago, and this is the first time I’ve experienced the sorenesseses, ever.
Normally I don’t include much running in my programs simply because I don’t enjoy long jogs, although sprinting/HIIT seems to creep into what I do a few times a year as my GPP (when I do it).
hoosierdaddy,
I just did a little mini sprint, and I’ll be damned, my arms are probably flared out about 20 degrees from my side. Any suggestions other than just bring my damn upper arms closer to verticle?
thanks guys
Brachialis. Because of your arm swing (with the elbows flexed, and thumbs up more than likely) you will be engaging this muscle strenuously while performing a sprint. The brachialis lies deep to the biceps brachii and is placed under more stress in an “arm curl” motion with the thumbs up or with the hand in a prone position. Some stretching and ibuprofen will help tons. If it persists, some A.R.T. treatment will fix it right up
[ quote] As to why this causes that type of elbow pain I am not sure, but my theory is that the running in such a manner negates use of the shoulder musculature and instead relies more on the tricep and joints of the elbows in order to propel the athlete further. I have not seen you run, but perhaps taking a video of it and looking over your arm mechanics might offer some insight.
Hope this helps![/quote]
Brachialis. This is the muscle that lies deep to the biceps brachii and is placed under more stress when performing an “arm curl” motion with the thumbs up or with the hand in a prone position. The arm swing in a sprint is very vigorous and this is probably what got it fired up. The pain you feel is actually near the distal insertion, or where the muscle becomes tendonous near the elbow where the majority of the stress will be placed. Some bicep stretching and ibuprofen/ice should do the trick. If it gets worse or persists, some A.R.T. will fix it right up.
I’ve been trying to stretch my tricep (bending then really bending the elbow) and that’s seemed to help it. I also gave it a little massage while extending/retracting my arm and it’s doing better already.
It was just one of those weird pains, I guess I should keep those arms tucked a little more.
Thanks for the continued support, team.
ps. I forgot to say that it becomes more of a tender spot when I bend elbow. more bend, more soreness
[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
I’ve been trying to stretch my tricep (bending then really bending the elbow) and that’s seemed to help it. I also gave it a little massage while extending/retracting my arm and it’s doing better already.
It was just one of those weird pains, I guess I should keep those arms tucked a little more.
Thanks for the continued support, team.[/quote]
I figured there might be a small flare, this is very common in many “sprinters” but my other concern as well is that you could very well be that you are not using your shoulders when you run. The running motion of a sprint includes swinging shoulders. Try another mini sprint and notice the movement of your arms in the mirror (side view). At the bottom portion of your arm swing, your arms should still be at 45 degrees (from bicep to hand) and near the top, maybe 10-15 degrees at most. What I’m trying to say is, use your shoulder to swing your arms back, don’t just extend your arms. Not only will this save you from any nagging injuries, but in the long run will make you a more efficent sprinter and therefore faster.
Don’t hesitate to ask any questions.
[quote]deadgame wrote:
[ quote] As to why this causes that type of elbow pain I am not sure, but my theory is that the running in such a manner negates use of the shoulder musculature and instead relies more on the tricep and joints of the elbows in order to propel the athlete further. I have not seen you run, but perhaps taking a video of it and looking over your arm mechanics might offer some insight.
Hope this helps!
Brachialis. This is the muscle that lies deep to the biceps brachii and is placed under more stress when performing an “arm curl” motion with the thumbs up or with the hand in a prone position. The arm swing in a sprint is very vigorous and this is probably what got it fired up. The pain you feel is actually near the distal insertion, or where the muscle becomes tendonous near the elbow where the majority of the stress will be placed. Some bicep stretching and ibuprofen/ice should do the trick. If it gets worse or persists, some A.R.T. will fix it right up.
[/quote]
This is excellent advice for treating the injury and makes sense since you said that your arm becomes tender when you bend it. In the long run however you are going to have to correct your form.
Let me throw one last thing out there… do you play pickup-basketball?
pickup basketball… no, haven’t really played much in the last 3 years
as for that arm angle, are you talking about the angle that my arm hanging down is making… I guess I’m not really following you there, maybe you could elaborate a little more then I can give you a better answer.
Thanks again.