Hopefully, you haven’t found yourself asking this question recently, but the answer might not be clear cut if you have.
The elbow is a complex joint that’s made up of connective tissue, muscles and bones. It’s also a joint where many people experience pain. Most of us would expect to feel pain in our elbow after playing baseball or doing some other activity; however, we don’t necessarily expect to wake up from a good night’s sleep with elbow pain.
Fortunately, a physical therapist can help you learn why you’re waking up with elbow pain, and these medical specialists can help you effectively treat your elbow pain, too.
Three possible reasons why you’re waking up with elbow pain this morning:
- How you slept — Your elbows can easily slip into some odd positions while you’re fast asleep. These odd positions can leave your elbows feeling achy in the morning. If you’re a side sleeper, you might also rest part of your weight on one elbow, and the all-night pressure on your elbow could trigger some morning aches.
- Activities you did the day before — Many common workout movements involve your elbows, and it’s likely that these movements can lead to elbow soreness the next morning. In some cases, you might not start feeling sore from a workout until several days later. A few of the workout movements that might leave your elbows aching are:
- Triceps presses.
- Biceps curls.
- Bench presses.
- Pushups.
- Chronic elbow conditions — Waking up with a sore elbow on one morning is no fun. Waking up with a sore elbow every morning likely means there’s a chronic condition causing your discomfort. One chronic condition that’s known to cause pain first thing in the morning is osteoarthritis, and a medical study found that elbow osteoarthritis affects 2% of people. Untreated conditions like tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow can also lead to chronic elbow pain.
Find help for your morning elbow pain at Whatcom PT
Are you tired of waking up with elbow pain in the morning? At Whatcom Physical Therapy, our team empathizes with you, but we can do so much more than that. We can do a free screening on your elbow to pinpoint the cause of your pain. In addition, our physical therapists are adept at building individualized treatment plans designed to reduce your pain and keep it from coming back. Even better, you can use our virtual physical therapy service to treat your pain without leaving home.
Contact our team today for more information about our treatment services for elbow pain or to schedule your initial appointment.
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