Bicep Curl | Severe, sharp pain (medial ulnar area)

I am a family physician and I do lots of spots med care.

The information below is not to be taken as an accurate or complete diagnosis or appropriate treatment plan. You should seek the advice and evaluation of a physician who can examine and properly diagnose your issue. You may need xrays or other exams that this post cannot take the place of.


There are no muscle origins or attachments on the mid shaft ulna from muscles that are involved in flexion of th elbow or supination of the forearm. The biceps brachii, brachioradialis, nor supinator muscles connect with the midshaft of the ulna. However, the origin of the flexor digitorum profundus is in along the proximal to distal 2/3 of the ulna. This muscle flexes the fingers into a fist.

A strain, tear, or even partial avulsion fracture from this muscle can cause considerable pain. This is not uncommon in rockclimbing and when the injury comes from forcable trauma at the finger tip it is often called a jersey finger.

Considering you feel the most pain as you set the weight down, I would make the assumption you are gripping the bar very tightly and resting it more in your fingers than in your palm. Even more so as you set it down you are likely letting the bar roll down and across your fingers as it reaches the floor. This motion is putting the full weight against your fingers while you are flexing the FDP.
You may be exacerbating this by flexing your wrist also which can cause golfers elbow. This is also an over use injury of the wrist flexor.

Essentially it sounds like an overuse injury with the underlying cause being a minor flaw(s) in form.

Try doing open palm curls wil less ROM in flexion, not letting the bar rest in your fingers only, or switch to hammer curls and be mindful of your grip tightness. Also be aware of similar strain on the finger and wrist flexors in other pull movements like seated row, and lat pull downs.



Anatomically there could be a few other things going on with the bone or the interosseous membrane which may require further investigation.

The treatment for all overuse injuries is rest and often ice, at least early.

Like Purple said, it's an overuse injury. I think more precisely it's too much weight being transfered to the forearm muscles and tendons when curling a heavy weight.

You're probably straining so much with the weight that you break the neutral position of your wrist, which takes the strain off of your bicep and onto the forearm. These muscles haven't "caught up", so to speak, in strength to your biceps.

Back down on your weight, slow the speed, and concentrate on form, paying close attention to keeping your wrist in the same neutral (i.e., not flexed) position throughout the full range of motion.

Many years ago a younger fella asked this in the gym I was working out in and about five of us (30s-50s y/o) had said we had all experienced the same pain at some point early on in our "heavier" lifting days, and felt that we recovered by doing what I mentioned above.