Elbow Pain

[BlueVet11]

Thanks guys! And this is my second time replying (stupid internet) so I hope I cover everything!

Oakleaf- yes, it would be what I would consider to be tennis elbow, although I only have the issue when riding, not any other activity. I do have a shoulder issue (right shoulder) from an old injury. I fractured my humerus when I was 12, but no soft tissue issues were ever addressed. I have rotator cuff-type issues, but thats self Dx, not MD Dx'ed! Funny though, my shoulder doesn't bother me at all on the bike. And yes, when I say relaxed, I mean I do not lock my elbows and absorb shock through muscles. Even over rough spots in the road I totally jello out my arms. I grew up retraining racehorses, so I understand how to relax my body yet stay balanced. (thats not meant to be snarky )

As far as mudmuckers experience- I had my bike fitted by the LBS (awesome guys) and the guy who fitted me said my left leg is longer than the right, so he fitted between the two. I know he is spot on since I have always had an issue with stirrup length riding horses. My stirrups are always about 1/2 inch off of each other. I have no other (to the best of my knowledge) fit issues though, no saddle problems, no cramping, uneven muscle soreness. So maybe this is an issue similar to yours with the uneven legs, which transfers to hips, and so on. I just don't ride enough miles to get the other problems...

Pretty sure my bike is a WSD... http://rideblue.com/bikearchive.php?state=rc4al size 54 (Med). I am 5'8''

Only other thing I can think of is my handlebars are tilted slightly up from when I first started back riding and I was uncomfortable leaning down for the handlebars (unless this indicates my tube is in fact too long).

And I don't know how wide my handlebars are either.

Thanks for the stretching exercise as well Oakleaf.

I DO know that I need to work on my standing form... lol... knew nickname is praying mantis. But I'm pretty sure the elbow is unrelated to my praying mantis tendencies since I rarely stand anyway. But you never know. Thats why I'm trying to learn

[BlueVet11]

Sorry Grog... I did try searching, but not just before posting the new thread. I know how irritating that is. I promise I did do a search a few weeks ago when the problem was getting worse.

[mudmucker]

Interesting. My left leg is longer too. I neglected to say which leg is longer. If I have any pain on the bike, it's always on the left. Elbow, knee, forearm. Sigh, now that I'm reading about what I just wrote, maybe it's high time I address it.

[Grog]

Sorry Grog... I did try searching, but not just before posting the new thread. I know how irritating that is. I promise I did do a search a few weeks ago when the problem was getting worse.

No worries, it's just that you'll find a lot more information on that topic. Good luck!! It's a recurrent problem for many riders, women at least.

[tulip]

Strengthening your core (through Pilates or whatever works for you) should help. Even though your elbows are bent and relaxed, if your body is not strong enough to hold you up properly, it'll show in different aches and pains.

[amy]

My elbow pain was fixed with narrower handlebars and a new stem.

I am tall and don't really fit a women's specific bike, but the men's bike in my size always has really wide handlebars.

I had a professional fitting and lots of tweeking.

Now, I'm having right hand pain but I discovered it is the saddle that is killing me and I'm trying to fix it by bearing weight through my right arm... new saddle is on the way.

[BlueVet11]

Thank you guys for all your input. I will look into each of your ideas.

I do some core work (1-2 times a week)... planks, sit ups, knee ups. I may need to give it some more time to build that strength (patience!), plus I tend to be bad and not do it at all some weeks

I'll try and get another fitting too, do some tweaking if necessary.

Thanks again!