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i've been having pains in my forearms while performing bicep curls lately. they feel kinda like shin splits. i've already tried stretching beforehand and eating more potassium, but no dice! does anyone have a clue what might be going on?

thanks!

If it IS something like splints, screw it, work through 'em. But I'm not sure how that works or if that's possible, and I have heard of something like that feeling when it comes to stress fractures. Unless you find something or someone that says splints can happen in your forearms, I'd back off the weight and start putting back the vitamin D milk.

Milk's never a bad idea anyway, though...

thanks for the advice! i just moved and realized that my milk intake has significantly decreased... it could be that!

Whenever I hear someone compare forearm pain to shin splints, it makes me think of tennis elbow (basically, tendinitis). The symptoms of tennis elbow are not just relegated to pain above or behind the elbow. It can also cause pain down the forearms too. A simple test is trying to pick up a can of something from the top with your hand. If you feel discomfort in your forearms, it could very likely be that form of tendinitis.

I'm not a doctor or anything, so get it checked by someone who can tell you what's going on. If it is tendinitis, stretching your wrists (especially in the downward position gently for at least 30 sec. x 3) will help. Ice after workouts will help too. If it hurts lots while you workout, then stop.
Aggravating this type of tendinitis will definitely cause a very long recovery... trust me!

novembermike saidIf it IS something like splints, screw it, work through 'em. But I'm not sure how that works or if that's possible, and I have heard of something like that feeling when it comes to stress fractures. Unless you find something or someone that says splints can happen in your forearms, I'd back off the weight and start putting back the vitamin D milk.

Milk's never a bad idea anyway, though...

Working through it is quite possibly the worst thing you can do! You may have a serious tendon issue going on. I've said this once and I will say it again, we often go gaga with bicep curls concentrating solely on the biceps and forgetting that the arms ALSO has muscles in the forearm. Often the biceps CAN lift a much heavier load than the forearms are capable of and you then start placing tremendous strain on the forearms AND the biceps tendon. Simply put you have tendinitis and depending on the pain you either have a mild case of it and at worst, well, you can tear the tendon.

Take it from me and months of my PT fixing not one but BOTH biceps tendons and forearm muscle and their associated tendons, even a month of layoff may not help recovery if they have been chronically hurt. I ignored the pain, rested for a few weeks and went right back at it and two years later, well, paying the price. LISTEN to your body, don't ignore the warning red light on the dashboard. It will comeback to haunt you when you're older of you're not careful about it now!

PEACE

daWeatherMan

Shin splints are actually muscle tears in the connective tissue that attaches your tibalis anterior to the tibia. When these tears occur it's usually because something was done to stretch the muscle the wrong way, and cause the pain that we know as shin splints.

There are some muscles in your arm that attach to bone in similar ways (certain hand flexors for example; the muscles you're complaining about). So, if you're feeling like you have splintering or the same type of pain that you'd get from shin splints, then you're likely feeling some tearing of muscle and/or connective tissue. In which case, back off from what you're doing for awhile and let the tissue heal.

One thing you can do when you feel this, is give your forearms an ice bath or run them under cold water. But go and see a soft tissue professional (such as Massage Therapist, Physiotherapist, or Physical Therapist) to help you heal faster.

It's not going to go away just because you stretch. The damage is done, so make sure to get some care before you continue your regimen. At the very least, back off of the weight, like novembermike mentioned, and definitely go get some treatment. And! for goodness sake, DON'T work through it.

Ok I don't get the shin splint pain, but I do get a shock feeling, almost like the nerves firing down my forarm. Happens when I'm lifting heavy on my chest, shoulders, and some others. Its not painful, but its discomforting. I just hope I'm not damaging myself. The eagerness to push hard vs taking it easy when it happns. I've been holding back, but I don't wanna lol.

Thoughts?

I was going to say stop jogging on all fours, but I will be serious for a change. I had a problem with an elbow hurting when I would do bicep curls. I think it started a while back when I banged my elbow on a steel fencepost. So, I would try to give my biceps a break or use lighter weights on the arm that was messed up. I also took some fish oil. It eventually went away.

DrStorm saidWorking through it is quite possibly the worst thing you can do! You may have a serious tendon issue going on. I've said this once and I will say it again, we often go gaga with bicep curls concentrating solely on the biceps and forgetting that the arms ALSO has muscles in the forearm. Often the biceps CAN lift a much heavier load than the forearms are capable of and you then start placing tremendous strain on the forearms AND the biceps tendon. Simply put you have tendinitis and depending on the pain you either have a mild case of it and at worst, well, you can tear the tendon.

OK, see, I didn't know that. The working through it part just came from how I dealt with splints... this is why I'm not a doctor

Onetoughguy saidOk I don't get the shin splint pain, but I do get a shock feeling, almost like the nerves firing down my forarm. Happens when I'm lifting heavy on my chest, shoulders, and some others. Its not painful, but its discomforting. I just hope I'm not damaging myself. The eagerness to push hard vs taking it easy when it happns. I've been holding back, but I don't wanna lol.

Thoughts?

Seems like you're pushing yourself too hard. Hopefully all that's happening is that you are making the muscles so tight that you're squeezing the nerves that travel down your arm; that's still not good.

Cut back on the weight get some massage therapy. Also, have a trainer or Physical Therapist check your form and help you get on the right path for your goals. If money is an issue, find a school that specializes in massage or PT and find out how to become a client in their clinics. Students usually need people to work on and they can't charge you until they have their license.

take care of it the same way you take care of shin splints. workout your muscles that surround the bone so that your muscles are taking the core of the action over your bone.

when was the last time you did wrist curls? grab a 1.5" diameter piece of PVC pipe, cut it to about 6 inches. drill a hole through the very middle of it and pull a rope through the hole. attach a ten pound weight to the end of the rope and spend a good 5 to 10 minutes of rolling the 10lb plate up and down the pvc pipe with your arms held straightout in front of your face and just using the torsional motion of your wrist. still got problems, see a doctor.

Onetoughguy saidOk I don't get the shin splint pain, but I do get a shock feeling, almost like the nerves firing down my forarm. Happens when I'm lifting heavy on my chest, shoulders, and some others. Its not painful, but its discomforting. I just hope I'm not damaging myself. The eagerness to push hard vs taking it easy when it happns. I've been holding back, but I don't wanna lol.

Thoughts?

Sounds like the same thing that's happening to me. It seems to only affect my right arm. I hate to go down to lower weights, but it looks like that may be my only solution.

Let me know if you find anything else that helps.

hey guys, I've been an LMT working with injuries for 16 years and had a few of my own.....what this appears to be is tendonitis combined with a strain of the fibers between the muscle's bellies and/or the bones of the lower arm...inter-oseous membrane is the technical term that creates shin splints in the lower leg and can do the same for the lower arm. find a good LMT that knows what he is talking about and get some injury recovery massage

Both the lower leg (Shin) and the forearm are similar physiologically
Both of them are relatively small spaces with a lot of tendons, nerves and blood vessels running through them
what they also have ... the forearms to a lesser extent is muscle
and muscle is the culprit in what causes shin splints and possibly what you are feeling in the forearm
when the muscles in these small compartments are overused or used incorrectly these muscles become engorged with blood and this hypertrophy causes an increase in intracompartmental pressure
this inturn puts pressure on the tendons nerves and blood vessels in there which leads to pain and discomfort

If it is indeed tennis elbow or tendinitis you should consult with a qualified professional and when cleared to do so start doing forearm exercises in order to strengthen this area.

Perhaps get clearance for massage therapy too as this can be a great addition to include in your arsenal for healing and preventing this from occurring again.

seeit2blv saidi've been having pains in my forearms while performing bicep curls lately. they feel kinda like shin splits. i've already tried stretching beforehand and eating more potassium, but no dice! does anyone have a clue what might be going on?

thanks!

Are you taking creatine? That can make shin/forearm cramps worse.

I used to have the same thing and an athletic trainer (not a personal trainer but a certified athletic trainer who treats injuries of athletes) told me what to do.
she had me start doing overhand curls with an EZ curl bar, light weight, 3 sets of 10, before any bicep work. it eventually went away.
basically it's like caspervann said. it's in the forearms