Hey lot....This last week I have been experiencing some pain in my right elbow. I play quarterback and throw with my right hand. When I do throwing drills it starts to hurt a bit but it really starts to hurt after I stop. The thing is I feel no pain when I left weights. What should I do and what is wrong with my elbow?

I am guessing rest will be the anwser, any more ideas/help? Thanks!

Sounds like "tennis elbow"... which is used a just a catch-all term for any overuse injury involving the elbow or forearm. In most cases like this it's technically a case of tendonitis. This occurs when the tendon (or tendons) near your elbow gets irritated by repeated us and becomes inflamed. It's actually very common for these sorts of injuries to be very activity specific... which is why the weight work doesn't bother it. Regardless, it would be worth your while to get it looked at by a doctor.

A very common cause, for throwing athletes, is a flaw in your throwing motion. The most common being an over-extension of the elbow when you release the ball. If you have access to a good QB coach, tell him about the problem and get him to check out your mechanics. In the meantime, try making some adjustments to your throwing motion to see if you can work around the problem... and, yes, rest is pretty much the only way to really heal something like this.

Last, and this doesn't heal anything... but it can make the discomfort more bearable... ice your elbow after throwing. This will help to reduce the internal swelling/irritation. This is a technique that major league QB's and pitchers use as part of their general post game routine.

Andrew

thanks a lot for the help andrew! my coach and I have decided that I shouldn't throw for a week and just rest the elbow. then I will go back tmy normal routine to see if there is still any pain. I will take your advice into mind, thanks again! hopefully it isn't serious.

It's likely not serious... if it was then it would most likely hurt continuously, be swollen, etc. It really sounds like a classic case of "tennis elbow" caused by overuse.

It may be worth your while, during your off week, to re-evaluate your throwing motion. For long term durability it's important that you derive the bulk of your throwing power from your legs/hips and not from your arm. Check out how a mechanically sound guy like Peyton Manning throws the ball... he gets his whole body into it; his arm gives the accuracy while his body supplies the power.

Anyway, good luck!

Andrew

Adding to Andrew's precription for alleviating pain, I would also working on stretching and strengthening of the muscles in your shoulder, wrist and fingers. You may fail to see the corrolation to your elbow, but the insertion points of all of these muscles is located at the elbow. Strengthening and stretching these muscles will help to reduce some of the stress caused at the humerous (upper arm bone) during elbow felxion and extension in movements such as throwing. Use lighter weight and more reps. You should not be feeling intense pain during these exercises if using the correct load. I think this would be your best bet for preventing re-occurence of this condition in the future. If you need a more prescriptive list of exercises, just ask.

I don't think the entire problem is coming from my mechanics or throwing motion. I have been throwing the same way for the last couple of years and this is the first real problem I have experienced. I think it might be overuse or too much abuse.

When it first stated I tried to just play it off but it continued to get worse so I think I added to the problem. Anyway good point about Peyton Manning--I will try altering my throwing style a bit.

Also thanks for the stretching tip Harbee! I think stretching has really been lacking for me. I do stretch but maybe not as much as I should.

Thanks again AML and Harbee for all the tips and help!