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Thread: Inner Forearm Pain - Squat

  1. #1
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    Default Inner Forearm Pain - Squat

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    Is there anything you can see from my squat forearm that could be causing my forearm pain? No elbow pain at all. Pain is centered around the very middle part of the forearm, along the bone, on the inside (thumb side) of the forearm. Both hurt, but the left is worse than the right. Hurts to the touch and gets worse with every workout, eventually too much pain to complete a normal workout.

    Here are my squats from today, Deloaded at 205:
    January 19, 2022 - YouTube

    For reference here was my high bar squat from last September, which I was doing without pain at 320:
    September 3, 2021 - YouTube

    I've since been trying to make the switch and dial in the proper low bar squat form, but every time I start loading it meaningfully, I am breaking down with debilitating tendonitis of the forearm muscles. Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    Narrow your grip and keep your elbows down, and let your wrist stay in a straight line with your forearm. That's a problem in both videos.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Narrow your grip and keep your elbows down, and let your wrist stay in a straight line with your forearm. That's a problem in both videos.
    Am I getting any closer here?

    January 23, 2022 - YouTube

    Thanks

  4. #4
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    Looks much better. How did it feel?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Looks much better. How did it feel?
    So I experimented with the placement, took a few tries to get it right. 1st set was still to wide, and had the same problem. 2nd set was way too close, and just about all the weight was on my palms. Hurt like hell.

    3rd set is the one I posted here - I went in pretty tight but a few fingerwidths out from set 2. Seemed about right. When I set my upper back, it felt like all the weight was on my back and off my arms. Felt pretty good.

    Are my wrists still too extended?

    Also not sure if you know of any version of the chin-up pin firing protocol for elbow pain that I can do if it's the forearm extensors that are in pain? I'd hate to do some silly bullshit like wrist curls, but the chins don't seem to really target where the pain is down lower/inside on the forearm. As of right now I can still train, but my forearms feel like shit during my presses.

  6. #6
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    I started the ibuprofen protocol 800 mg 4x/day for 5 days. Feels a ton better currently. Do you think I still need to do the pin firing afterward?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Looks much better. How did it feel?
    Hate to keep beating the gong on this one, but was really hoping if you had some advice on what to do here. The ibuprofen helped for sure, but the pain definitely is still there now that I've finished the 5 day course. I think it is less bad than before, but coming on back. Is there anything else I can do to get these forearm extensors/flexors healed?

    Should I do some form of the pin firing protocol, switch any of the lifts, or is there anything else I can do? Or is this something that is just going to take a long time to heal as long as the squats aren't making it worse?

    Thanks coach

  8. #8
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    You are doing something wrong. But since I can't see it, I can't be much help. Did you do the chinup protocol?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    You are doing something wrong. But since I can't see it, I can't be much help. Did you do the chinup protocol?
    I tried the chin-up protocol, but it did not help. The smaller extensors/flexors in the forearm are in more of a static position during a chinup so it doesn't really subject them to any concentric/eccentric loading. I have successfully used the chin-up protocol to help with tennis elbow a year or so ago.

    Do you think it would be helpful to try something that puts the wrists in flexion and extension with a light load?

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    That first grip does look pretty wide. It's probably just going to take some time to heal a chronic problem caused(or aggravated)by that.

    I had a bicep issue issue from a similar grip width.

    It was about 4 months ago. I did chin ups every session, and then I did pin firing last month, and it seems mostly gone now.

    It was an acute injury for me, it sent electricity down my shoulder to my bicep to my forearm. Only the bicep developed the chronic pain.

    Make your negatives very slow, and just keep on grinding out a lot of sets. Get your other lifts checked out too, just in case.

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