Grapplers Elbow???

[owengunn]

I am a very sporty guy who has been involved in lifting weights for many years now and in the last 2 years I started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & doing submission wrestling.
In the last month my right elbow has been tender when fully extended or fully contracted... other than that bearable. But as of this weekend I have been getting shooting, explosive pain at the top of my olecranon. The odd part is that sometimes I cant even touch my head with that hand because it hurts SO much but when I extend my arm, externally rotate my wrist & then flex again, the pain goes away (if not on the first try then one of the subsiquent ones).
Unfortunately I cant say that there was anything in particular that I did that aggrivated it and am worried it just might be an overuse injury.
I realise a degree of joint pain is going to be unavoidable in my sport but this is definitely something a little more serious. Any ideas what it could be & what I can do to help heal it?

Thank you for your time!

[Ruth]

Hello,

I have to admit the elbow is definitely not "my" joint, however due to the nature of your sports and the problems you are describing I would suggest you get it checked out by a therapist who is experienced with elbow injuries, preferably one interested in sports.

It could be a whole range of things, have you tried using ice/anti inflammatories if you can take them?

I think it'd definitely be a good idea to get it checked out which will give you a better idea of what is causing the problem, and then you can develop this into a strategy to reduce the pain and hopefully completely alleviate it!

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!