Elbow brace for lifting small weights?

PatanjaliTwist
PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm brand new to using 2, 4, 5 lbs weights at home to build strength... using a book to follow the exercises & get the form right... I've never used weights before.

The problem is my left elbow smarts for 2-days if I do just 3-4 exercises... 8-12 reps only. That's not much at all... so, I can only do 1 day, then need to stop for 2. BTW, it's not muscle pain, like when working out legs & they feel sore the following day. This is a flinching pain that's in the joint... it almost feels as if I've over extended the joint in the wrong direction, but I know I'm not doing that.

I'm confused. If my form were wrong, wouldn't both elbows hurt? Also, I've never had an arm/shoulder/elbow injury, so don't understand why this is happening. I thought I could wear an elastic Ace elbow brace, but a physical therapist once told me that binding any area for exercise isn't good as it forces the muscles around the injury to work harder, stressing them unnecessarily & might induce injury.

So, I suppose I could leave the 5-lb weight alone & just use 2, 4 for a few days. But, since I did the exercises a few hours ago & my elbow is smarting again (enough that I'm thinking of taking an Ibuprofin), I'll need to wait 'til Sat/Sun.

Any ideas? Thanks very much!

Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    edited June 2017
    This sounds like and acute injury which is irritated/inflamed by the exercise. I have suffered from similar issues with my knee when I was a runner and the advice I was given was "rest it completely, until there is no pain at all and then bring the exercise back in very, very gradually". The idea being that repeatedly running on the injury was not allowing to heal properly.

    In your case this would seem a sensible option also - Rest it for at least 2 or 3 weeks and then try the exercises again.

    It would be remiss of me not to also recommend that you talk to your doctor about it, but I'll hazard a guess that they will have little practical advice (my experience with general practitioners and exercise injury is they simply tell you not to do that exercise anymore).

  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
    edited June 2017
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    This sounds like and acute injury which is irritated/inflamed by the exercise. I have suffered from similar issues with my knee when I was a runner and the advice I was given was "rest it completely, until there is no pain at all and then bring the exercise back in very, very gradually". The idea being that repeatedly running on the injury was not allowing to heal properly.

    In your case this would seem a sensible option also - Rest it for at least 2 or 3 weeks and then try the exercises again.

    Thank you for your reply, Stealth. Here's the thing. I did take off 2-wks & just started back again. Did them once & same results.

    BUT, embarrassingly, I inadvertently discovered the cause. I went into the kitchen to cook breakfast, picked up my heavy cast iron pan with my left hand (the hurt elbow), twisted it around in an awkward way, like I always do & my elbow is screaming at me. I realized I do that all the time. So, perhaps the weights make it worse, but that joint is always on slow boil as I only use cast iron, some of the pots are heavy & I always take the bulk of the weight on that left arm.
    wrote:
    It would be remiss of me not to also recommend that you talk to your doctor about it, but I'll hazard a guess that they will have little practical advice (my experience with general practitioners and exercise injury is they simply tell you not to do that exercise anymore).

    I've experienced the same w/drs, which is why I thought I'd post here & ask athletes. Well, I think I discovered the problem... I'll need to leave the pans at a reachable distance & stop twisting my elbow so awkwardly when I pick them up.

    But, I did want to ask, the above aside, how do you feel about braces on delicate areas during exercise?
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    You are doing something wrong. Skip that movement until someone can teach you form.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    See a physio
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    It sounds like you've correctly figured it out.

    So now what you need to do is identify what the correct movement pattern is, and practice it deliberately.
  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
    edited June 2017
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    See a physio

    No insurance. Can't afford a dr at this time.

    I'll lay off it for a few weeks, stop lifting my cast iron pans the way I normally do, as I said above & then see if I can begin again. In the meantime, I'll watch some vids on how to do the exercises properly. If all that fails, I'll just use exercise bands... I need a new set anyway. I've never hurt myself w/bands.

    Thank you, Everyone!

    P.S. Can anyone comment on the braces when exercising? Good? Bad?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Just like the knees, elbow pain doesn't mean it's your elbows.

    It is more likely your wrist or shoulder or both.

    So when you're looking for guidance on the lifts and exercise make your you check your wrist and shoulder alignment.
  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    Just like the knees, elbow pain doesn't mean it's your elbows.

    It is more likely your wrist or shoulder or both.

    So when you're looking for guidance on the lifts and exercise make your you check your wrist and shoulder alignment.

    Okay, I didn't know that. Thank you, Stan.

    I do have a scoliosis, so my alignment is off anyway. Now that you mention it, my wrist & shoulder are stinging, too... I didn't notice as the elbow is very tender atm. No wonder... I've been lifting those pans for 3-mos now & just don't do it properly.

    I think it's smart to leave the weights alone & not do anything with that elbow for a couple of weeks. Then, I'll go back to exercise bands... I just felt like I needed more. If I do try the weights again, I'll just use the 2-lbs only & see how I tolerate it. If I don't, I'll wait 'til I can afford a trainer, just to get the form down.

    Thank you again! You've been very helpful.
  • lessismoreohio
    lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
    I used to have elbow pain when I first started lifting 2 years ago. An active friend at work recommended an arm band that applies pressure just below the elbow, as opposed to an elbow brace or sleeve. I rested my elbow, made certain I was using proper form when lifting and used the arm band. The pain went away.
  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
    lessismoreohio wrote: »
    I used to have elbow pain when I first started lifting 2 years ago. An active friend at work recommended an arm band that applies pressure just below the elbow, as opposed to an elbow brace or sleeve. I rested my elbow, made certain I was using proper form when lifting and used the arm band. The pain went away.

    Thank you, Les. Glad your elbow is better. I have those bands & forgot about them... I'll dig for them in a sec. I did 6-yrs of home renovations years ago & needed braces for everything. Took my body 2-3 yrs to recover from all the bang ups. Fortunately, I kept all the braces... must have $400 worth.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    PatanjaliTwist wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    See a physio

    No insurance. Can't afford a dr at this time.

    I'll lay off it for a few weeks, stop lifting my cast iron pans the way I normally do, as I said above & then see if I can begin again. In the meantime, I'll watch some vids on how to do the exercises properly. If all that fails, I'll just use exercise bands... I need a new set anyway. I've never hurt myself w/bands.

    Thank you, Everyone!

    P.S. Can anyone comment on the braces when exercising? Good? Bad?

    Bad. Masks the problem instead of solving it.
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    Could also be tendinitis. I have it in both elbows but the right is worse since it is my dominant arm. Push-ups, triceps dips and overhead extensions always get it bad. I have been diagnosed and my PT told me which brace to get and how to put it on properly. I also have magnesium oil spray and a herbal ointment that help when it does flare up.
    The above commentor is correct that if you aren't properly diagnosed bands/braces can give relief but make the issue worse. My particular issue isn't "fixable" so proper form and not overloading the joint are about it.
  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
    UPDATE: I stopped lifting heavy cast iron pans with 1 hand & twisting my arm to flip them over, rather than grabbing them at either end with both hands. They're the only pans/pots I use, so it was ongoing bad form. Stopped doing anything in the weight lifting category & no push ups or arm exercises of any sort for 2-wks to give my elbow a rest... it was fine after a 4-5 days, but I wanted to ensure I had no long term injury.

    Just began again with small hand weights & I'm fine, although I'll begin slowly & only do weights twice/wk for a few weeks. It was the continual lifting of heavy pans & flipping them around like a ninja that caused the problem. They're now on top of the stove, rather than inside the oven, which makes a huge difference, too.

    It's embarrassing I couldn't figure it out sooner, but thank you everyone for your help. I really appreciate it!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    So I run into this a lot with females. What I've found is pretty consistent.

    If you had a baby, most females I've ran into held the baby in their left arm. Continuous carrying as the baby got heavier put more force on the tendons on the forearm, bicep and elbow. So betting this is a tendinitis issue.

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  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    So I run into this a lot with females. What I've found is pretty consistent.

    If you had a baby, most females I've ran into held the baby in their left arm. Continuous carrying as the baby got heavier put more force on the tendons on the forearm, bicep and elbow. So betting this is a tendinitis issue.

    Females? You're betting kids are the issue? :smiley:

    Well, I am a woman, no kids, no tendinitis. I've mentioned it several times. It was the heavy pans... never had it before. It's fine now, but yeah, any poorly done or too repetitive action will cause some sort of damage, eventually.
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