# Chronic Elbow Pain and the Olympic Barbell



## PillarofBalance (Oct 12, 2015)

I can confidently state that at least 80% of the people I train with are complaining about chronic elbow pain. And no matter how much they floss their elbows, stretch the biceps and triceps nothing seems to alleviate this pain.

It seems to ache the worst on squat days and will often times shut down pressing days. When we are trying to progress, these kinds of aches are a tremendous hindrance. When your bench day is calling for some triples at 340lbs and you can’t even press 225 progress stops.

So what the heck is causing so many lifters to suffer? Look no further than the bar you’re using! This isn’t new information but it seems to be something that escapes a lot of people in the gym. So I don’t mind repeating it at all.

When you pin yourself under the squat bar and get your back nice and tight, chest is up and you’ve got a big belly full of air you are in a horrible anatomical position! You are pinching a nerve in the shoulder and the elbow pain you feel is referral through the nerve. If pain referral is unfamiliar to you, this is the phenomena where pain stimuli in one area of the body are perceived as coming from another part. The easiest example of this is a type of visceral pain referral when having a heart attack. Sensations of pain are felt in the medial portion of the left arm. This is because the same spinal segments (T1-T5) innervate the heart as well as the arm. For whatever reason the brain is interpreting the pain stimulus as coming from the more common pathway in the arm.

The anatomy of the shoulder is quite complex. In fact I think it is one of the most amazing structures in the human body. There are several nerves with roots in the cervical spine (C4-C8) as well as the first vertebrae of the Thoracic Spine (T1) which run down the arm. Most notably, the radial (and axillary which branches off) nerve, musculocutaneous nerve, ulnar nerve and median nerve as pictured below.









Which nerve you are crushing is unclear. I have never found a definitive source explaining which nerve, but it is clear from the characteristics of the pain that it certainly is nerve pain. My best guess is you are pinching either the radial or median nerve. 

I propose going through the process of elimination.

Step 1. Stop wrapping your thumbs around the bar. In some cases this is enough. This is not a safety issue in my opinion. Your thumb is not what is holding up the bar, your back is. The heel of your hand is perfectly capable of stabilizing the bar. Use chalk to prevent slipping. If your gym doesn’t allow chalk either use it anyway or find a new gym. Chalk is for safety!

Step 2. Bring your grip width out further. No this does not mean your back will be loose. Shove yourself under the bar and set up like you would with your normal grip. Once the bar is on your back where it should be (but before unracking) slowly extend the elbows so your hands move away. Do not let go of the tension on your upper back when doing this. Once you are at max extension possible, perform your squat.

Step 3. Stop squatting with an Olympic Barbell at every session. You simply need to give yourself a break from it. There are many other options for you to squat with fortunately. Safety Squat Bar, Camber Bar, and buffalo bar are the most common. The Safety Squat Bar (SSB) is one of the most difficult to use and will add pounds to your squat. Don’t plan on using your typical working weights with this monster. The Camber Bar I find awkward and don’t use it as much as I should. It’s fantastic for good mornings with chains or bands as well. The Buffalo Bar most are not familiar with. The bar is simply curved. When racked it looks like you have 2,000lbs on it. Except the sleeves holding the plates remain parallel to the floor. The Buffalo bar will take some getting used to as well. It forces me into a higher bar position and it is a challenge to keep the chest up. This is a great thing though!


Laura Phelps-Sweatt with a Buffalo Bar







So if it took you all the way to step 3 to find relief you need to be aware of some things if you plan on stepping on the platform. You will need to swap that bar out for a squat bar at some point prior to the meet. Depending on how you peak this is very possible to do. You can certainly still accumulate a ton of volume. But you do need to get your technical bits in order. Typically switching from an SSB to a squat bar is actually quite simple. The challenges of an SSB will improve your squat mechanics. So don’t fret. Just switch back to the squat bar when you are 4 to 6 weeks out. 

-Strength First


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## Milo (Oct 12, 2015)

Thanks for that write up. My gym just got Chris Duffins Duffalo bar in and I think I'll be using that for the majority of my squatting from now on.


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## Beedeezy (Oct 12, 2015)

I've put in a request for a buffalo bar 3-4 weeks ago. Hope they make the purchase, but that's yet to be known.


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