A variety of simple everyday motions can cause shoulder and elbow pain. Something as basic as picking your body up and getting out of bed can trigger pain. Usually, it’s nothing serious, and a few simple exercises or stretches can reduce the pain and prevent it in the future. 

The following information will help shed some light on the causes of this pain as well as how to get rid of it. 

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Causes of Elbow Pain

Bursitis and tendonitis are soft tissue injuries caused by inflammation in the tissues surrounding the joints. When you experience shoulder and elbow pain, the first thing you’ll want to do is try to resolve it on your own. 

The main issue is that most people mistake bursitis and tendonitis for arthritis. The main difference is the location of the inflammation. Arthritis is an inflammation of the joint while the other two impacts the tissues around the joint. 

There are many different factors that can cause elbow pain, some of which include: 

• Strenuous activity at work that forces the individual to overuse the painful area.
• Poor posture
• Stress on the soft tissues caused by arthritis
• Infection

Related: Ligament Pain vs Tendon Pain

 

Ways to Resolve Elbow Pain

 

When we experience pain, it’s often difficult to think about anything else. All we want to do is get rid of the pain but luckily, resolving shoulder and elbow pain is simple with the right exercises and even lifestyle changes. 

Here are some quick and easy ways to reduce pain and improve your quality of life:

 

Elbow Pad 

Purchasing a pad is a simple and effective way to reduce the pain until the inflammation subsides. You can buy an elbow pad that will add more cushion to the sore area, and it will also restrict motion in that part of the body to prevent further pain or damage. 

Icing It

Once the pain starts to flare up, you could grab an ice pack or a pack of frozen vegetables from the freezer to place on the sore shoulder or elbow. Do this for around 20 minutes, and it should help numb away the pain. 

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Taking an over the counter pill like Ibuprofen will help reduce the swelling, which will result in less pain once the medication kicks in. This method should only be a short-term solution, and if the pain doesn’t go away after a few days, it could require medical attention. 

Adjust Your Activities

The best way to reduce and eliminate elbow pain is to try and avoid whatever caused the pain in the first place. If you’re already experiencing pain, you want to limit strenuous activities that involve that part of the body until the pain subsides. Once the pain is gone, find out what caused it and try to avoid it. Sometimes it’s as simple as performing a job duty a little different or putting a little less pressure on your body throughout the day. 

Related: How To Avoid Repetitive Stress and Strain Injuries

 

Exercises and Stretches to Reduce Elbow Pain

 

It’s normal to experience loss of mobility in the shoulder and elbow due to injury. There are a few exercises that can help reduce the pain, but you should only do these if they do not increase the amount of pain you’re experiencing. 

Here are some exercises to help with elbow pain: 

Clenching - A common symptom associated with elbow pain is lack of grip strength. You’ll want to grab a towel, soft ball, or something you can hold in your hand and squeeze. Rest your forearm on a table and squeeze your tool and hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat this process with rest periods in between. Gelliflex’s abacus can be used for this exercise.

Wrist Extension - Muscles in the wrist connect with those in the elbow, and they are subjected to abuse during work activities and sports like tennis. Take something small that weighs around two pounds and hold it in your hand. Rest your elbow on your knee and curl your wrist down towards the floor. Bring your wrist back up and continue repeating this process. Be sure only to move your wrist. If this hurts in any way, perform the exercise without the object. You can also rest your elbow on the abacus.

Twisting - Take a small hand towel and roll it up. Place the towel in both your hands with them out in front of you. Twist the towel in opposite directions with each hand. This motion will mimic wringing out a towel. Continue doing this ten times with resting periods in between. 

Final Thoughts

Elbow pain happens for a variety of reasons. If it’s due to sports or work, you might not always be able to stop doing whatever causes it. Using these exercises will strengthen the tissues and muscles in your shoulders and elbows, which will help prevent future injuries. 

Want to see how Gelliflex’s abacus can help you, check it out!

 

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