Reasons Why Your Elbow Hurts When Throwing A Jab

Does your elbow hurt when you jab the heavy bag, mitts or even during shadowboxing or sparring? There are a couple of reasons why that might be happening and some ways to treat it, so down below i describe exactly how to do that.

Most common reason

Usually the elbow causes pain when you throw the jab overextending. The same thing can happen with just about any other punch, but it happens most frequently with the jab because boxers tend to use it the most.

It’s usually a problem for beginners, but it’s not uncommon to happen for more advanced fighters.

There are numerous ways you can overextend with the jab, but often times it happens when you strike and not hit a target with proper technique. Faking the shot is definitely a great idea during a sparring session or competition to set up different punches or combinations, but if you’re not conscious enough to do it correctly you can accidentally hyperextend the elbow by just a little, and that can cause some discomfort.

Not to mention there are numerous other ways you can overextend the elbow, such as during strength and conditioning work, or other daily activities.

Another reason why your elbow might hurt when throwing jabs is because you have a condition called tennis elbow – it’s very much like elbow hyperextension, just usually less severe. It happens when you strike over a long period of time incorrectly, but the treatment is usually the same.

How to treat it

The best thing you can do is simply not box for some time. It’s hard to say exactly for how long, but i would suggest at least 1 week. You could also try applying some cold compress to the area, take some pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen, or even wrap some elastic bandage around for compression, depending on how painful it is.

After a week, try to move the arm around and see how it feels, if you still feel some discomfort, try one more. If it’s more serious it can take months to heal. If that doesn’t help, your best bet is to go and see a doctor. Lifting your elbow above the heart level can reduce the swelling even more.

What if i still want to train?

Personally i would still suggest to not train at all and let it heal, but if you still want to hit the gym with the injury then at least don’t spar; switch the stances and start jabbing with your dominant hand. Another thing you could do is focus on your cardio – start to run more, walk.

Changing your punching habits

When you come back to train, make sure to point out to your coach the problem you’ve been dealing with and correct your punching mistakes.