Remember that pain relief doesn’t happen overnight- just like injuries aren’t healed in a day- so give it a few weeks before seeing a sports medicine professional about your elbow pain. Conditions like tendinitis can take a long time to recover. But if changing up your workout routine and practicing the preventative measures above doesn’t help relieve your elbow pain when lifting, then it might be time to make an appointment with your doctor or physical therapist. Severe pain, the inability to move your arm in a normal fashion, swelling, and bruising around the joint are also tell-tale signs that it’s time to see the doctor. In these cases, don’t wait for the pain to go away; make an appointment immediately. Your doctor will be able to accurately diagnose your elbow problem and offer some practical ways to address it. For extreme cases that aren’t remedied with over the counter anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and TLC alone, your doc may offer more invasive treatments. These treatments include ultrasound-guided injections, anti-inflammatory or steroid injection, and even elbow surgery in severe cases.