You might think your knees and legs do all of the work when you're cycling, but your elbows work hard, too. While you're riding, your arms need to help support and position your upper body and absorb shock loads, some of which can be severe. If you experience elbow pain from cycling, that pain may result from several factors, including injury, tendonitis and poor posture. Correcting these problems should get you back on the road.
Posture
When you ride your bike, your elbows should bend slightly so that they help you absorb the shocks incurred when you hit bumps, according to Harvard Medical School. If you hold your arms straight out with your elbows tensed instead of flexed, you can injure the joints if you hit a pothole or pavement irregularity. Make sure when you ride that your back bends slightly, your shoulder muscles help support your weight and your elbows flex about 10 to 20 degrees to avoid posture-related elbow cycling pain.
Injury
You can injure your elbow badly in a bicycle accident if you crash or fall off the bike and try to protect your body with your arm, according to the College of Charleston. Although this type of elbow injury occurs more commonly in inline skaters than in bicyclers, it's still quite possible in cycling. If you've strained the joint mildly in a fall or other accident, apply ice to it and take an over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen to alleviate the pain. If you believe you've seriously strained your elbow, seek medical treatment -- you might even need physical therapy to make sure you don't lose function in the joint.
Tendonitis
Although tendonitis occurs more commonly in tennis players than in cyclists, leading to the term "tennis elbow," cycling can result in tendonitis, too. In tendonitis, the tendons that hold your elbow joint together become inflamed from repetitive motion and overuse.This causes tenderness and pain that seems to originate at the outside of your elbow. If your physician diagnoses you with tendonitis, you'll probably need to lay off cycling for a while to allow your elbow to rest. You might also benefit from an elbow brace to support the joint.
Considerations
Never ignore persistent elbow pain from cycling -- your symptoms could worsen to the point where you'll need to stop cycling altogether. Always check with your physician if you have persistent pain to get a diagnosis and a treatment plan. Of course, if your physician can't identify a specific condition on which to blame your elbow pain, it's possible that your pain results from an improperly fitting bike that forces you to extend your arms too far and tense your elbows. If you're not sure whether your bike fits properly, consult an expert at a bicycle repair shop, who may be able to recommend changes that will reduce your elbow pain from cycling.
