The TuneUp Program

Elbow pain is generally related to tendinopathies in the muscles that control the wrist and hand. On the inside (ventral surface) of your arm the wrist and hand flexors originate on the medial epicondyle. On the outside, the dorsal surface, the extensors of the wrist and hand attach on the lateral epicondyle.

As well as the strategies in the members section the biomechanics studies of the wrist and hand are relevant for most soft tissue injuries of the elbow due to the location of flexor and extensor tendon attachments.

The degree of elbow flexion depends on the size and position of the guitar. If you're sitting the left elbow will flex more than 90˚and the right will be close to 90˚. The degree of flexion varies more when you're standing depending on how low you carry your guitar.

Biomechanically the elbow is relatively straightforward since it has only this one simple motion. Two other joints however can be considered as part of the elbow complex. The two bones in the forearm run parallel to each other when the palm is face up and they cross when the palm is face down. They articulate with each other at either end at the proximal and distal radioulnar joints. Although the distal radioulnar joint is closer to the wrist it is considered part of the elbow complex because it is closeley related functionally to the proximal joint.