Elbow Stiffness

[MattE72]

Hi All

On and after long(ish) rides I suffer from terribly stiff and sore elbow joints. In fact on rides I find if I don't continuously take my hands off the bars to flex my arms they seize up for a bit. I've done martial arts for years and can put some of this down to having my arms bent against the flex (jujitsu) and heavy impact (Muay Thai). I'm making the assumption that I've got something like Tennis Elbow and will eventually go to the doctor/physio but does anyone else get this from riding their bike? Am I putting too much weight on them whilst riding?

Any and all advice would be welcome

Cheers

Matt

 

[Mo1959]

Can't comment on the possibility of it being tennis elbow, but I did have a bit of elbow pain when I first started riding a drop bar bike. Don't know if it was just a case of my muscles getting used to the position, but the pain gradually disappeared without me really noticing how long it took......just became aware that it was no longer there any more. One thing to watch is that you aren't locking out your arms completely, especially when you start getting tired. Try and leave a bit of an angle so you can flex your joints with the movement of the bike.

 

[MattE72]

@Mo1959 thanks. I hadn't thought about the change to drops (I recently bought a road bike). I seem to remember getting stiff elbows on long rides on my MTB but I think I probably had my arms locked out on that as well. I'll give it a go tomorrow and let you know if it makes any difference.

 

[Kies]

I keep having to remind myself to bend my arms slightly on the road bike, and yes it's mostly on longer rides. Try bringing the bars up by a mm or two. Might help with your weight distribution.

 

[MattE72]

@Mo1959 Made a conscious effort to keep a little bend in my elbows today and really relax them when climbing, and it appears to have made a world of difference!
@Kies I may well try raising the bars as well, every little helps!