Understanding the Causes of Elbow Pain

Muscles Involved in the Movement of the Elbow

Type of movement and muscles used for the elbow:
Flexion (bending the arm) – biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis
Supination of forearm (palm facing up) – biceps
Pronation (palm facing down) – pronator teres,
Extension (straightening the arm) – triceps, anconeus

In order to understand potential causes of elbow pain we must go back to the shoulder. The same way the hips can cause knee pain, the shoulders can cause elbow pain. A shoulder’s ideal amount of external rotation should be 90 degrees and its internal rotation 70 degrees. In throwing athletes however, the shoulders can externally rotate to 130 degrees, which causes the ligaments to stretch. In addition, their internal rotation is only 30 degrees.

Without the right amount of internal rotation, the force goes to the medial part of the elbow, which may cause an elbow injury. Elbow pain experienced during a bench press can be caused by a lack of internal rotation as well. Another cause of elbow pain may be overuse of the wrist extensors. For example, in a sport like tennis, the athlete may extend the wrist in order to create the whipping force needed to hit the ball. By repeating that motion hit after hit, the stress accumulates and the effects are felt. This may also apply to everyday activity. You may not be aware that you are extending your wrist every time you go to pick something up or move something with your hands. It is important that you keep your wrists neutral, especially if you are an athlete.