UKC

So I've been Bouldering for about 2 years now (all indoors at the minute) but i'm currently having to cut my sessions short due to quite severe pain down the inside of my elbow.

It's been getting worse week after week, so i wondered if anyone had any tips or advice for me!

Thanks in advance!

It's probably tendonitis and if it is, it needs dealing with. It's a common climbing injury and there is quite a lot of info on the web. However, it would probably be best to see a physio first

Three bits of advice. 

1. See a decent physio, 

2. See a decent physio, 

3. See a decent physio.

If like 90% of climbers you ignore that advice (me included on many occasions) then have a google about golfers/climber elbow, as that is probably** what you have. 

(**I'm not a physio!!)

A good paper resource is Make or Break by Dave Macleod. All about climbing injuries, prevention and rehab. 

I've suffered with climbers/golfers elbow on several occasions, and found a change of scene (i.e. less bouldering, different wall, more outside climbing) and different training, plus a load of elbow rehab and antagonist exercises have made it go away. 

PS - See a physio

Brilliant, Thanks very much....

Guess i should probably have a look for a decent physio then !

As Cake says, google "climbers elbow" and you'll find tons of advice. I got it after coming back to climbing from a long break. But some physio sessions (inc. what was described as `medical' acupuncture), and then lots of following the prescribed exercises, sorted it out after about 6m.

6 months !?!

Thanks for the advance!

If you do, try to find one that has some knowledge of climbing injuries. Ask around at the climbing wall might be a good start. 

Hi, I am going through the exact same issue you describe. I have been unable to climb since Dec and I am currently having Physio. Have tried deep tissue massage, ultrasound, and laser therapy, without much improvement. Physio says next plan is acupuncture  with I will start this week.

Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Make yourself one of these - about £5 from Decathlon. 

youtube.com/watch?v=UHXpMPQ4sNM&

If you buy a couple of proper dumbell bars too you have a great devices for training prior to the winter axe swinging season (I remember we had a winter once, a long time ago...)

Hey, I'm an old(ish) man, and yours may heal quicker, but some take even longer. I'm no doctor but I get than tendon/ligament/cartilage problems are much slower to heal than muscle problems (due to poorer blood supply apparently)

I'm not a physio but this is what did, and didn't, work for me. Thirty-odd years ago (in my late 30s), my right-elbow pain (inside/golfers) became 'extreme' (it was even hard to drive a car etc).  The probable cause was small-range-of-movement, very repetitive, training (the Brick-Edge traverse at SIDS wall, for those who remember it). Complete rest didn't help. Climbing didn't help (probably because one is liable to make uncontrolled, unexpectedly demanding movements) and took me very quickly back to Square One. Several physios (with the knowledge at that time) didn't help: 'frictions' and other massage on the elbow had no effect. Stretching didn't help. Exercises with therabands and wrist exercises with small weights etc didn't help. Surgery made no impact (apart from on my wallet!). Acupuncture: uncertain. However, after two and a half years, in desperation and having read some ideas from an American sports specialist, I tried self-massage and acupressure (not puncture!) along the full length of the forearm, particularly on 'sore' points (often in the area between muscle and bone, especially around 3 to 4 inches from the wrist) - the theory being that micro-tears and scar tissue had shorted the forearm muscles and so the elbow insertion point of the forearm flexors never had a chance to recover (even whilst resting or sleeping), being permanently under 'tension'. The concept was that 'softening up' the forearm muscles would give the elbow insertion point a chance to get some rest. After two weeks of this, I was able to start gentle, controlled (important!) arm exercises in the gym and built up over two more weeks. The problem resolved itself in four weeks total. Over the next thirty years, I then was able to improve my best redpoint grade by five or six grades without any serious recurrence. Crucially, I was able to spot immediately any hint of the problem returning... and repeat the above. In anticipation of any modern physios dissing my solution, all I can say to you is that 'it worked for me' (thank god, it was driving me insane at the time!). Good luck.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/injury_management_and_preventi...

This article is really good. I had bad golfers elbow and the forearm supination exercises really helped me. I also use a therabar. I occasionally have flare ups if i dont do the exercises for a little while.

This video is great https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/skills/how_to_heal_elbow_tendonitis-361...

Push ups also helped. 

But, most likely, one of the more usual treatments will help poor H Mitch, right? Like doing the right exercises

Seeing a physio is a good plan, climbing specific ideally. I had something similar when trying to train for one arm chin up, mainly from doing weighted chin ups. From what I've read (Dave MacLeod's book included) slow onset tendon injuries respond best to a fair bit of loading but in a different way to that which causes the pain.  In my case, switching the grip from chin up to pull up made the pain go away, and I haven't had any since. I read somewhere double overhand deadlifts had helped quite a lot of people with this issue also!  

Probably 'golfer's elbow', but as other's say, best to get that confirmed.

I found regulalry using a 'powerball' [gyroscope thing] helped me a lot, seemed to take away the pain/tension really quickly.

Good luck!

ps - if you do try out a 'powerball', best get one with an automatic start rather than one that needs a small cord. More expensive but worth it I think.

try doing lots lots and lots of push ups. Might be an imbalance from all the pulling. 

Thats what mine was, Huffy down in Bournemouth is the man to see, amazing physio and mega climber too. He diagnosed me and sorted the issue after many attempts at “normal” physios through the doctors giving me the usual tendinitis and golfers exercises which made it worse.

The definitive article http://drjuliansaunders.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ri_dodgyelbow.pdf 

LD

In November I had pretty bad golfers elbow. I took a month off (it was torture). Stretched every day as most UKC elbow links advise, I performed the eccentric exercises, watched golfers and tennis elbow youtube videos. It got better, until I started climbing again. It was then I read about push ups and tricep dips helping elbows. 

2 weeks after doing pressups and diamond pressups every day/other day. My elbows have stopped hurting. It seems antagonistic muscle training seems to be a must when climbing, with all that pulling up, you need to balance it with some pushing. I am certainly not a physio, but I have read that doing some pushups after a climbing session will help prevent its reoccurrence. 

This is amazing!!!