Armwrestling Injuries: Prevention, Pain and Rehab
Armwrestling puts big forces through small joints. Most athletes deal with some elbow, shoulder or wrist pain at some point. The goal is to keep it small and keep training.
Common problem areas
- Elbow: pain on the inside or outside of the elbow from repeated heavy pulling, and ulnar nerve irritation
- Shoulder: often from pulling with the shoulder in a bad position
- Wrist and fingers: from heavy hand fighting
How to lower your risk
- Warm up the whole arm, shoulder and hand before table work.
- Increase load gradually. Tendons adapt slower than muscles.
- Keep your shoulder behind your hand and never turn away from your arm when losing (the break-arm position).
- Plan rest days and lighter weeks.
- Stop and change the exercise when you feel joint pain rather than muscle fatigue.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. For pain that does not go away, numbness, or any injury from a match, see a doctor or physiotherapist.