Chronic Upper Forearm Pain

[PC1]

Just this AM I concluded a MONTH long leave from regular training. I probably benched twice in that time period, probably squatted twice, just to not feel like a complete POS.

On the tops of my forearms, where they insert into the elbow, I seem to have this chronic pain that will just NOT go away. They hurt just lifting a small pot of vegetables off the stove top for example. And I mean they haven't improved one BIT in spite of all the rest.

Since it doesn't seem to matter whether I train them or not, I'm training again. Power Cleans are definately out of the question though, along with reverse curls, both only serve to irritate them.

I've tried a topical blue emu preparation, that included other ingredients. I can't say I've done it religiously, because the stuff just smells too strong. I've also tried taking Ibuprofen for several days at a time, 600-800 mg at a time. They feel better while taking it, but neither seem to have really helped to heal the suckers to any degree.

Maybe it's just part of being almost 44 years old, I don't know. But I'm very fed up with it, and appreciate any suggestions you guys might have.

Thanks.

[Sir Foxx]

What you describe is something I experienced around '98. I had switched jobs at the place I work at and started having to use 35lb to 70lb lead pigs to put highly radioactive samples in. At the time I was grabbing the pigs with just one hand and moving them from one table to another. Lo and behold, within a month I had the most excrucitaing pain in my left forearm. Any thing that had weight was impossible to grab with my left arm. I couldn't open a door without almost falling to my knees in pain. It took the better part of that year, with a lot of rest, heat, ice, NSAID's, to get past this. I think its a tendon that I strained really bad and it just takes time to heal. Good luck.

[supersize77]

I've got the same thing in my left forearm (was diagnosed with tennis elbow) and ART helps but it didn't cure my problem. I'll say one thing about this injury, it sure has improved my form on ALL exercises involveing my upper body. I don't know the answer other than to take several months off, but since I'm not willing to do that at this point in time, I continue to train carefully.

[PC1]

Thanks guys. Good luck

[Yimen E.Cricket]

Bump,
I have tennis elbow right now along with an aggravated shoulder on the same side. I blame it on the strength i recieved from m1T. I just overtrained my strong side i guess. I am now going to be training with dumbells for a while. For the next two weeks i will train my right side only to give the injured arm some rest.
It will force me bring my weak side up to par so im not bitching.

Does anybody have updates on their condition. This **** is painful as hell. I fell like im disabled right now.

[supersize77]

Mine comes and goes. Still can't train biceps directly. Woenzbyn (typo) has helped, as has ART. Oh, and higher rep range and better form has helped with the pain and swelling without really affecting size.

[PC1]

When I'm on a PH cycle, it doesn't bother me. Once I get into PCT though the problem returns.

[Greenguy]

When I'm on a PH cycle, it doesn't bother me. Once I get into PCT though the problem returns.

I have the same problem, but not as severe as yours. I think it is a strained tendon connecting the bicep to the bone of the forearm close to the elbow, but I suppose it could be the tendon connecting the forearm muscle over the elbow to the humerus.

All I can figure to do is rest it and take MSM & Glucosamine/chondroitan.

I added some Knox gelatin cause it is said to help in cartilage regeneration.

I sure hope it goes away....


Greenguy

[supersize77]

When I'm on a PH cycle, it doesn't bother me. Once I get into PCT though the problem returns.

I'm the same. Getting getting ready to start a Methyl 1-testosterone cycle so maybe I'll have some relief for a few weeks. I'm Coming up on a year with this problem, and starting to wonder if it will ever go away.

[Yimen E.Cricket]

Atleast we have our own support group. LOL

It especially hurts when i make a tight fist or rotate my wrist upwards.

Heres a link on tennis elbow.
http://www.tennis-elbow.net/tenniselbow.htm

[supersize77]

Atleast we have our own support group. LOL

It especially hurts when i make a tight fist or rotate my wrist upwards.

Heres a link on tennis elbow.
http://www.tennis-elbow.net/tenniselbow.htm

Yep, thats a good description of what I have. I worked back and bis tonight. Formarm pain was pretty bad the first 5 miniutes, and then almost completely disappeared. I'm iceing now.

[Onslaught]

For me, icing my forearms after training helped greatly. I used to have this problem a lot, doesn't seem to happen anymore. I don't do too much preacher curling anymore and I think that has a lot to do with it. If I do use the preacher curl, I do hammer curls with DB's. A hammer grip seems to take a lot of strain off of the forearm, and it does a better job at recruiting both heads of the bicep.

[Biggs]

sort of quick-glanced through this thing but I'll be damned if it doesn't sound like another brachioradial thing PC1... between tennis AND lifting I used to experience a similar thing, just too much work load on the smaller muscles and when you get those micro-tears you're looking at a situation similar to shin splints... you did take a long time off so I'm surprised things were aggravated again so quickly, but I'm not too sure what can really be done... I think unfortunately, not too much. as onslaught suggested no preacher curling or any straight bar movements, but I think you can work through the injury via dumbbells. it worked for me, I still don't use straight bars for curls (no preacher either, my favorite movement is the old standing ez bar curl) but there's just that hump of getting it and the muscles around it up to speed. pain in the ass in the meantime though, good luck

[PC1]

Thanks guys. I've given this some thought and I'm fairly certain the problem began when I got back into doing heavier (for me) power cleans with 225 lbs. I liked alternating deadlifts 1 week and power cleans the following week. But one day I was using a grip that was too wide, which put WAY too much stress on my forearms from wrist all the way to elbow. I don't know what the heck I was thinking. It was hurting like a bitch, but I had it in my mind I wanted to complete the set and wasn't even thinking about the grip. Big mistake. The following power clean session, I tried backing off the weight, and narrowing my grip to the point where, when the weight was cleaned, my forearms were more perpendicular to the floor, but the damage was already done. I've not done power cleans now in a couple of months.

I think the tops of my forearms have always been the "weak link" in doing that lift anyway. Unlike deadlifts or squatts, power cleans require some speed and technique to get the weight up. I know it was the speed/heavy weight/poor form that caused the problem.

Since I've been on this PH cycle, I've taken do doing just very light (20-25 lbs each arm), concentrated reverse dumbell curls when I finish up my biceps/forearm workouts. I'm hoping that between the aforementioned rest period, no powercleans, the PH's, and some light training to strengthen the area, the problem is now behind me. They feel about 98%, but again, I know some of that is from the PH's. I'll know soon enough.

I'm a big fan of power cleans, but it may be that at my age, I'm going to have to avoid really heavy weight with lower rep ranges, and focus more on reps.

Thanks again guys, and good luck to all of you.

[Yimen E.Cricket]

I experienced the most pain doing lateral dumbell raises with my palms facing the floor.

At the top of the movement i was losing control and my arm will just painfully give out.

I was hoping to add power cleans to my next routine damnit.

[PC1]

I experienced the most pain doing lateral dumbell raises with my palms facing the floor.

At the top of the movement i was losing control and my arm will just painfully give out.

I was hoping to add power cleans to my next routine damnit.

Yimen E.......

The only lateral raises I'm doing now is to superset them with seated military presses, after doing heavier military presses. I don't go very heavy, but that movement doesn't bother mine at all?

I mention this because whatever our ailments are, they may be different. You may find you're ok doing power cleans.

Try easing into them. Rather than going for heavy weight low reps right off the bat, start with 1-2 sets of higher reps every other week. Then work your weight up, reps down over the course of 2 months. Hopefully you'll be ok and who knows, the exercise may even help your forearms. I think if I wasn't so preoccupied with heavy weight for low reps at the time, I would have been ok.

Good luck

[supersize77]

I experienced the most pain doing lateral dumbell raises with my palms facing the floor.

At the top of the movement i was losing control and my arm will just painfully give out.

I was hoping to add power cleans to my next routine damnit.

I don't even do lateral raises anymore except machines. I believe this movement contributed greatly to my condition.

[Trapark666]

Sounds like I have something similiar to what everyone else has although, I think my problem may be a little higher up in the arm. It hurts in the lower bicep area. I can do straight bar curls pain free but anything on the preacher bench as well as pullups, makes me want to quit lifting and pick up herion addiction. Lately, I've noticed that stretching out the muscle before the exercise seems to help somewhat but like you PC1, even after a solid month of not curling, the problem didn't go away. I've even thought about trying to get a cortisone injection but am afraid that if there is a tear in there, then I will do more damage in the long run.

[supersize77]

Sounds like I have something similiar to what everyone else has although, I think my problem may be a little higher up in the arm. It hurts in the lower bicep area. I can do straight bar curls pain free but anything on the preacher bench as well as pullups, makes me want to quit lifting and pick up herion addiction. Lately, I've noticed that stretching out the muscle before the exercise seems to help somewhat but like you PC1, even after a solid month of not curling, the problem didn't go away. I've even thought about trying to get a cortisone injection but am afraid that if there is a tear in there, then I will do more damage in the long run.

May I suggest ART? Like you, I also feared that something in my arm was torn. A qualified ART Doc will be able to give you a pretty acurate assesmet on this. After I was examined I found out that mine is nothing more than an overuse injury. If I had to pick one thing that has helped my problem this would be it. When I first went into the ART office the my upper forarm/lower bicep area was extremely stiff and painful. Doc, said it almost felt like I had a "nodule" of scar tissue in this area. 3 sessions latter and its about 75% better. It hasn't healed completely but is mamagable if I make wise decisions when I work out. Unfortunaqtely this means eliminating certian 'favorite' exercises that probablycontributed to my injury, but at least it keeps me in the gym and making progress. ART, Trust me on this one.

[bellicose]

what you are experiencing is bicep tendonitis and i feel your pain bro.
It is good to warm up properly, ice elbows after lifting hard, and if it starts to really bother you then take a week off.

Mine comes and goes, usually flares up when on cycle since my strength shoots up so quickly