Why Does My Elbow Pain During Push-Ups or Bench Press?
Feeling a sharp or nagging pain in your elbow every time you hit the bench or drop for push-ups? You’re not alone. Elbow pain during push-ups or bench press is a common issue that can creep up gradually or strike all at once. Whether it’s tricep tendonitis or an elbow overuse injury, knowing the cause is the first step toward relief.
That dull ache or sharp twinge in your elbow could be your body waving a red flag, signalling irritation, strain, or faulty movement patterns. Our elbow pain physiotherapy in Edmonton is tailored to help you recover, rebuild, and get back to pain-free strength training safely and confidently. Whether you’re a gym regular or just starting out, our team is here to guide you through healing and prevention.
What’s Causing That Elbow Pain?
If you’ve been feeling any sort of pain in your elbow when pushing or pressing, chances are your body is trying to tell you something. A few usual suspects often show up, including:
1. Tricep Tendonitis
This happens when the tendon responsible for connecting your tricep muscle to the elbow becomes irritated, often due to repetitive pushing movements like bench pressing or doing push-ups. It’s one of the top reasons folks experience elbow pain during push-ups.
Common signs:
- Achy pain at the back of the elbow
- Worsening discomfort when extending your arm
- Tenderness around the tricep tendon
2. Elbow Strain or Sprain
When your muscles or ligaments around the elbow are pushed beyond their limit, maybe lifting too heavy or using poor form, you can end up with a strain or sprain. This can happen suddenly or build up over time due to elbow overuse injury.
Symptoms to watch for:
- Sharp or shooting pain during lifts
- Swelling or stiffness
- Weakness in your grip
3. Joint Misalignment or Poor Form
Poor technique during push-ups or bench press can put unnecessary pressure on the elbow joint. Even a slight misalignment can lead to long-term elbow discomfort or inflammation.
4. Overtraining
Pushing through fatigue or not giving your muscles enough time to recover is a fast track to joint pain. If your elbows hurt even when you’re not lifting, it’s a sign you may be dealing with an elbow overuse injury.
How Physiotherapy Can Help With Elbow Pain
Our elbow pain physiotherapy in Edmonton focuses on treating the cause, not just the symptoms. Here’s how we approach elbow pain during push-ups or bench press:
1. Personalized Assessment
We start by assessing your movement patterns, strength imbalances, and any limitations in your elbow, wrist, and shoulder mechanics.
- Postural and Movement Analysis: Evaluates your posture and movement during push-ups and bench press to identify any faulty mechanics contributing to elbow strain.
- Elbow Joint Range of Motion (ROM) Testing: Measures the flexibility and stiffness in your elbow to spot mobility restrictions that may be affecting your performance.
2. Manual Therapy Techniques for Elbow Pain
- Myofascial Release & Soft Tissue Mobilization: Reduces muscle tightness and tension in the triceps, forearm, and surrounding soft tissues.
- Joint Mobilizations for the Elbow: Gently restores mobility and alignment in the elbow joint, helping relieve stiffness and reduce mechanical stress.
3. Therapeutic Modalities for Elbow Pain Relief
- Ultrasound Therapy: Uses deep-penetrating sound waves to promote soft tissue repair and reduce inflammation in the elbow tendons, especially helpful in tricep tendonitis from repetitive pushing.
- Shockwave Therapy: Targets chronic elbow injuries and overuse conditions with focused acoustic energy to stimulate healing and reduce persistent elbow discomfort.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation: Delivers low-level electrical currents to manage both acute and chronic elbow pain, improving circulation and reducing nerve sensitivity in the affected area.
4. Exercise Rehabilitation
Strengthening and stretching programs are tailored to support your recovery and prevent future elbow injuries, especially when it comes to strength training exercises.
1. Eccentric Triceps Extensions:
- How to do it: Use a resistance band or dumbbell, and slowly lower your arm from a flexed to an extended position.
- Benefits: Rebuilds tendon integrity in cases of tricep tendonitis and reduces elbow pain during pressing movements.
2. Tyler Twist (Eccentric FlexBar Exercise)
- How to do it: Hold a FlexBar vertically, twist it with both hands, then slowly untwist with the affected arm.
- Benefits: Helps treat elbow overuse injuries by building tendon strength and reducing pain linked to repetitive movements.
5. Education and Prevention
We guide you on proper lifting techniques, warm-up routines, and modifications to avoid further aggravation. Prevention is just as important as treatment.
1. Lifting Mechanics Coaching Techniques
- Biomechanical Movement Re-Education: Helps correct faulty elbow and shoulder alignment during pushing exercises to prevent elbow strain and reduce the load on irritated structures.
- Scapular Control and Kinetic Chain Training: Focuses on improving upper body coordination, especially between the shoulder blades and the elbow joint, to support better elbow mechanics during lifts.
2. Push-Up and Bench Press Modifications in Rehab
- Grip Width and Angle Adjustments: Analyzes and modifies barbell grip width, elbow tuck angle, and wrist alignment to reduce compressive forces on the elbow during bench press or similar movements.
Tips to Prevent Elbow Pain During Workouts
- Warm up with dynamic stretches before lifting.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top; don’t fully lock them out.
- Use progressive loading, don’t go heavy too fast.
- Allow proper rest between sessions.
- Incorporate mobility work into your weekly routine.
Let’s Get You Back to Pressing Pain-Free
There’s no reason your workouts should leave you wincing every time you rack a barbell or drop into a push-up. The truth is, these kinds of discomfort usually don’t go away on their own, especially when they’re tied to elbow overuse injury, poor mechanics, or tricep tendonitis. With the right rehab plan, a few form tweaks, and some targeted treatment, you can build real strength without all the strain.
At Granville Physiotherapy, we offer custom, movement-based elbow pain physiotherapy in Edmonton to help you recover fully and get back to your training routine. Whether it’s a nagging elbow strain or chronic joint pain, we’ll guide you every step of the way toward long-term performance and elbow injury prevention.
You can book your online appointments even now!
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