Push Ups Elbow Pain (Root Cause & How To Fix)

You've come to the right place, if you experience elbow pain after working out, especially during or after push-up. For years I struggled with elbow problems during pushup exercises: diamond push-up, pike push-up, one-arm push-up, wide-arm pushup, archer push-up, and military push-up. I fixed my elbow pain. I will show you how to do the same. Let's begin!

Elbow pain during push-ups can occur for several reasons, including restricted triceps muscles or forearm muscles, inadequate warm-up of the triceps muscles and forearm muscles before exercising, lifting weights that are too heavy (i.e., weighted push-ups), poor push-up form or technique, and a sudden increase in training volume (i.e., performing an excessive number of push-up sets). Any of these factors, individually or in combination, can cause your elbow to hurt during push-ups. However, for most people, the primary cause is restricted (shortened, tight and tense) triceps and forearm muscles.

To cure or prevent elbow pain during push-ups, it is crucial to prioritize proper form, gradually increase resistance, and, most importantly, maintain pliable triceps and forearm muscles through self-myofascial release (SMR) exercises. These exercises can instantly relieve the restrictions in the muscles and minimize the risk of injury, overuse, and inflammation.

"Push" exercises such as push-ups can trigger or aggravates elbow pain because the exercise involve the triceps and elbow tendons. The repetitive movement during push-ups can strain and inflame the elbow tendons and elbow joint. When the elbow tendons become inflamed, it causes acute elbow pain after the workout - this is what causes your elbow to hurt after doing pushups.

Acute elbow pain is an inflammatory pain experienced during or immediately after working out. In the case of a push-ups workout, it includes:

• Burning pain in the elbow joint after push-ups
• A sensation of heat, swelling or redness around elbow joint after push-ups
• Sore elbow after push-ups
• Elbow pain when bending and straightening arm after push-ups

A side-by-side comparison photo of the forearm extensors and triceps muscle. Left photo: Illustration of the forearm extensor muscle group and tendon. Right photo: Illustration of the shoulder joint, scapula, arm bone, and triceps brachii muscle and tendon. When these muscles groups become shortened, they cause outer and posterior elbow pain during push-ups. The "X" indicated on each photo is where trigger points in the forearm extensors and triceps muscle tend to occur. Trigger points, also known as muscle knots, are small, hyperirritable spots within a muscle. They cause pain and tenderness and can develop due to muscle overuse, stress, or injury. Image source: Google

If you experience outer elbow pain while doing pushups, the cause is usually a combination of restricted triceps muscle and forearm muscles (tight and shortened), and inflamed elbow tendons. The forearm muscles and triceps muscle contract when you do exercises involving your arms, such as push-ups. When the forearm muscles and triceps muscle contract during exercise, they pull and put pressure on the elbow tendons. 

During push-ups, the forearm extensor muscles can overstretch and inflame the tendon on the outer part of the elbow. Outer elbow pain (also known as tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis) can be chronic (develop over time) or acute (occur suddenly from overloading the elbow).

Acute pain is an inflammatory pain experienced during or immediately after an exercise. In this case, experiencing outer elbow pain while doing pushups is a sign of acute elbow pain.

A video of Nurudeen performing variations of push-ups and post-workout stretches (2020): standard push-ups, diamond push-ups, and wide-arm push-ups. "Push" exercises such as push-ups can aggravate tennis elbow (pain on outside part of elbow) and triceps tendonitis (pain at the back of elbow).

The muscle conditions that lead to elbow pain are gradual and cumulative. Through repetitive use and over time, the forearm muscles and triceps muscle become restricted (shortened, inelastic). This process of muscle restriction can take months or years to develop.

When the forearm muscles and triceps become chronically restricted (lasting over three months), a routine activity at home or work (carrying a bag of groceries, holding or gripping something tightly), or at the gym (e.g. routine push-ups workout) can suddenly trigger elbow pain. Unfortunately, most people do not realize their forearm or triceps are restricted until a routine activity unexpectedly triggers elbow pain.

The forearm muscles and triceps muscle contract when you do exercises involving your arms (such as push-ups). Over time as you exercise, the forearm muscles (Extensor Carpi and Radialis Brevis "ECRB") become tighter and shorter. Shortened forearm muscles and triceps muscle pull and put tension on the elbow tendons and decrease the elasticity of the elbow tendon. As a result, the elbow tendons get overloaded, strain and inflamed, and cause elbow pain during pushups.

The pain usually occurs inside of the elbow (golfer's elbow), outside the elbow (tennis elbow), or at the back of the elbow (triceps tendonitis or lifter's elbow). The elbow tendons that cause elbow pain during push-ups include the extensor elbow tendon (outside elbow tendon), medial elbow tendon (inside elbow tendon), and triceps brachii tendon (posterior elbow tendon).

For a detailed article on the root causes of elbow pain, including during push-ups and weight lifting, the types of elbow tendonitis (tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, triceps tendonitis), elbow bursitis, chronic vs. acute elbow pain, and the fastest way to cure elbow pain, check out this complete guide: how to relieve elbow pain from lifting.

Important: Apart from musculoskeletal injuries (muscle and tendon-related pain), other medical conditions can contribute to elbow pain during pushup. These include nerve entrapment and compression, bone fractures and dislocations, and arthritis, which causes joint inflammation, pain, and stiffness. If your condition is medically related, it's important to consult your healthcare provider to ensure there are no structural issues with your elbow.

A side-by-side comparison photo of the forearm extensors and flexor muscles. Left photo: Illustration of the forearm extensor muscle group and tendon. Right photo: Illustration of the forearm flexor muscles and tendon. When these muscles groups become shortened, they cause outer and inner elbow pain during push-ups. The "X" indicated on each photo is where trigger points in the forearm muscles tend to occur. Trigger points cause pain and tenderness and can develop due to muscle overuse, stress, or injury. Image source: Google

When performed properly with good technique, push-ups are not bad for the elbows. However, performing push-ups without first warming up the triceps muscle and forearm muscles, lifting a weight too heavy (e.g. weighted push-ups), or a sudden increase in training volume (i.e. performing an excessive amount of pushup sets) can overload the elbow tendon and triceps tendon, and cause elbow tendonitis and elbow pain.

When performed properly with good technique, push-ups does not cause elbow pain. However, push-ups can trigger or aggravate elbow tendonitis and elbow pain. "Push" exercises such as push-ups involve the forearm muscles, triceps muscle, elbow tendons, and elbow joint. During pushups, the forearm muscles can get overloaded. When the forearm muscles become overloaded, it can overstretch and inflame the elbow tendons and cause acute elbow pain (sharp pain) or aggravates chronic elbow pain (dull pain).

Nurudeen performing diamond push-ups during triceps workout at gym (2020). Diamond push-ups is a variation of the standard push-ups exercise. Diamond push-ups effectively target the triceps and pectoral muscles. Diamond push-ups can aggravate golfer's elbow (pain on inside part of elbow) and triceps tendonitis (pain at the back of elbow).

When performed properly with good technique, push-ups does not damage elbows. However, for a person experiencing elbow tendonitis, push-ups can trigger acute elbow pain or aggravate chronic elbow pain, leading to elbow tendinosis. Tendinosis is the deterioration of tendon collagen due to repetitive stress and chronic injury. Tendinosis results in the loss of strength in the tendon and often lead to tendon tear or rupture. So doing push-ups with elbow tendonitis (i.e. inflammatory elbow pain) can lead to elbow tendinosis (i.e. degeneration of elbow tendon) and damage the elbows.

When performed with good technique, push-ups is a safe exercise and will not cause injury to the elbow. However any or a combinations of the following factors can cause you to hurt your elbow during push-ups:

• Inadequate warm-up of the elbow tendons and triceps tendon before push-ups
• Inadequate stretching of the triceps muscle and forearm muscle before pushups
• Lifting a weight too heavy (e.g. weighted push ups)
• Bad pushups form or technique. To learn proper push-ups technique, check out this push-ups guide by the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
• Sudden increase in training volume (i.e. performing an excessive amount of push-ups sets)
• Doing push-ups while experiencing ongoing mild-to-severe elbow tendonitis

It depends on the severity of the elbow pain. If the elbow tendonitis causes "low to mild" pain, most people can use elbow sleeves, elbow wraps, elbow straps, or other short-term pain relief remedies to reduce elbow pain during push-ups. If the elbow tendonitis is chronic and severe, or causes sharp pain in the elbow during push-ups, it's best to treat the root cause of the pain before resuming exercising.

Nurudeen performing push-ups during sun salutation A vinyasa yoga (2019). Sun salutation A is a sequence of yoga movements including chaturanga, upward dog, and downward dog. This sequence of movements puts pressure on the elbow tendons and causes elbow pain. Most people experience triceps tendonitis (posterior elbow pain) during this sequence of sun salutation A.

A man performing push-ups with resistance band. Resistance band push-ups is a modification of the standard push-ups exercise. Resistance band push-ups can strengthen and build the pectoral muscles. Additionally, it's an effective exercise to rehab and strengthen the elbow joint and shoulder. The resistance band modification increase the difficulty of the push-ups exercise, which can be useful during elbow pain treatment therapy.

Pushups can be a good exercise to rehab tennis elbow. Push-ups help strengthen the elbow tendons, triceps tendon, forearm muscles, triceps muscle, and elbow joint. The push-ups exercise can be modified to accommodate an individual's ability. Here are five push-ups variation to rehab tennis elbow:

• Wall Push-ups
• Kneeling Push-ups
• Resistance Band push-ups
• Incline Push-ups
• Stability Ball Push-ups

When performed properly with good technique, diamond push-ups is not bad for the elbow and does not cause elbow problems. However, diamond push-ups can trigger or aggravate elbow tendonitis and elbow pain. The diamond push-ups primarily targets the pectorals (chest) and triceps. The exercise involve the forearm muscles, triceps muscle, triceps tendon, elbow tendons, and elbow joint.

During diamond push-ups, the triceps muscles can get overloaded. When the triceps muscles become overloaded, it irritates and inflames the triceps tendon and causes acute elbow pain or aggravates chronic elbow pain. Diamond push-ups can aggravate golfer's elbow (pain on inside part of elbow) and triceps tendonitis (pain at the back of elbow).

Elbow sleeves (including elbow straps, elbow braces, elbow wraps) are a popular option to manage elbow pain during exercise. Elbow sleeves compress the elbow tendon and elbow joint. As a result, it temporarily reduces elbow discomfort when exercising, for example, during push-ups. Unfortunately, elbow sleeves do not cure the root cause of elbow tendonitis. Left untreated, elbow tendonitis pain can lead to elbow tendinosis and cause irreversible elbow tendon degeneration.

Nurudeen performing wide-arm push-ups during a chest workout at gym (2020). Wide-arm push-ups is a variation of the standard push-ups exercise. Wide-arm push-ups isolate the triceps muscle while targeting the pectoral muscle. As a result, it's an effective exercise to strengthen the pectorals and build a bigger chest. Wide-arm push-ups can aggravate golfer's elbow, tennis elbow, and triceps tendonitis, and cause push ups elbow pain.

It's possible to relieve elbow pain from push-ups, by releasing the forearm flexor muscles, forearm extensor muscles, and triceps muscle and tendon. You can accomplish this by using a myofascial release massage ball. Once the restricted muscles in the forearm and triceps are released, it will alleviate the tension on the elbow tendons, which allows the tendons to heal. 

Using a combination of post-workout treatments, for example - RICE therapy (to relieve burning pain), magnesium supplementation (to reduce inflammation), and self-myofascial release (SMR), it's possible to heal elbow pain (dull, sharp, severe) in 7-10 days. To accomplish this, it will require performing self-myofascial release on the triceps and forearm muscles, at least 2-3 times a day. 

Keep in mind that simply resting the elbow (i.e. taking a break from physical training), might temporarily provide relief, but it will not fix the root cause of the pain (e.g. restricted triceps and forearm muscles that overload the elbow tendons and cause elbow pain during push-ups).

To stop elbow pain during push-ups, you have two approaches: short-term pain relief remedies for temporary relief and addressing the root cause of the pain to prevent its recurrence.

Short-term pain relief remedies include joint supplements and vitamins, anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs), physical therapy, stretching, ice and rest therapy, elbow braces, elbow straps, kinesiology tape, and topical anti-inflammatory solutions (oils and creams). For a detailed explanation, refer to this article.

To permanently cure elbow pain and prevent it from affecting your workouts, it's essential to address the root causes, which include chronic inflammation, magnesium deficiency, and muscle restriction. The TitaniumPhysique Program can help you achieve this goal.

The exercises below can help you relieve acute or chronic elbow pain from push-ups, including tennis elbow (outer pain), golfer's elbow (inner pain), or triceps tendonitis (posterior pain). You will need a peanut ball and a lacrosse ball, found on Amazon or your local sporting goods store.

If your elbow pain is acute (causing burning pain after working out), you can place an ice pack on the elbow when you are not using the massage ball. Suppose your elbow pain is chronic (causing dull or achy pain during/after working out). In that case, you can supplement it with magnesium to heal and decalcify the elbow tendons.

Important: Restricted triceps and forearm muscles that cause elbow pain develop over many years, so using the correct treatment techniques for lasting results is necessary.

For a step-by-step, easy-to-follow video-based guide to cure and prevent elbow pain, try the TitaniumPhysique Program today. Use the code "blog10" for a limited time to save an extra 10% OFF.

Here is how to quickly relieve elbow pain:

To fix tennis elbow, use a peanut ball to massage the forearm extensor muscles (click the link to see photo). Lean against a wall and place the peanut ball on the forearm extensor muscles. Roll out (massage) the muscles with the peanut ball for 3-5 minutes. Stretch the forearm extensor muscles. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix tennis elbow using a peanut ball to massage the forearm extensor muscles

To fix golfer's elbow, use a peanut or lacrosse ball to massage the forearm flexor muscles (click the link to see photo). Sit on a chair next to a table. Place the ball on the table and position your forearm flexor muscles on top of it. Roll out (massage) the muscle with the ball for 3-5 minutes. Stretch the forearm flexor muscles. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix golfer's elbow using a lacrosse ball to massage the forearm flexor muscles.

To fix triceps tendonitis, use a peanut ball to massage the triceps muscle and tendon (see photo below). Sit on a chair next to a table. Place the ball on the table and position your triceps muscle on top of it. Roll out (massage) the triceps muscle and tendon with the ball for 3-5 minutes. Start near your armpit and work down to the triceps tendon, just above the elbow joint. Stretch the triceps muscle. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix triceps tendonitis using a peanut ball to massage the triceps muscles.

Important: part of avoiding chronic elbow pain, is preventing acute elbow pain. If you begin to feel elbow pain during push-ups, modify the exercise. For example, try kneeling push-ups or wall push-ups, narrow or widen your arm position; if performing weighted push-ups, reduce the weights. If the pain persist, stop the exercise and train another body part that does not involve your elbow. Pushing through a workout with elbow pain will intensify the degree of post-workout acute inflammation, worsen the pain symptoms and prolong the recovery of the elbow.

To avoid elbow pain when doing push ups, follow these steps:

1. Stretch the triceps muscle and forearm muscle before doing push-ups (e.g. overhead triceps stretch, forearm stretch).
2. Start your push-ups workout by warming-up the elbow joint and triceps tendon (e.g. wall push-ups).
3. If performing weighted push-ups, incrementally add weights to avoid sudden overload of the triceps tendon and elbow tendons.
   
4. Learn and always good push-ups exercise technique. This is especially important if performing a new or advanced push-ups variation (e.g. archer push-ups, pike push-ups, dive bomber push-ups). To learn proper push-ups technique, check out this guide.
5. Incrementally increase training volume (i.e. be mindful about doing an excessive amount of push-ups sets, or performing push-ups with other elbow intensive exercises).
6. Supplement with magnesium to heal and decalcify the elbow tendons. Magnesium also relax muscles to reduce pain.
   

7. Incorporate self-myofascial release (SMR) exercises into your recovery routine. Perform SMR on the forearm extensors, forearm flexors, and triceps muscle/tendon at least twice a week to keep the forearms and triceps pliable.

Important - keep in mind that restricted triceps and forearm muscles that cause elbow pain develop over many years. It is necessary to use the correct treatment techniques to get lasting results.

If you want a step-by-step, easy-to-follow video-based guide to permanently cure and prevent elbow pain, try the TitaniumPhysique Program today. Use the code "blog10" for a limited time to save an extra 10% OFF.

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Written by: Nurudeen Tijani

Nurudeen (aka TJ) is passionate about helping people build the body they desire through weight training. He is a physique and fitness trainer, nutritionist, yoga instructor, vegan natural bodybuilder, National Physique Committee (NPC) competitor, and founder at TitaniumPhysique. Nurudeen is a member of the International Association Study of Pain (IASP) and the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA).

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