Elbow Pain

Elbow pain can be a major inconvenience, especially when it prevents you from enjoying the routine of your daily life. Caused by a variety of factors, from overuse, to sports, to underlying medical conditions, elbow pain can also be exacerbated by injury or arthritis. Below we discuss symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment for elbow pain.

Symptoms

There are a few symptoms of an elbow injury or underlying medical condition that you should look out for. They include:

• Swelling or redness
• Stiffness
• Pain
• Locking sensation
• Difficulty moving your elbow
• Loss of motion
• Joint Instability

Causes

Elbow pain can be caused by a number of different things. Common causes include:

• Injury or dislocation
• Fracture
• Ligament Strains or Sprains
• Arthritis
• Golfer’s Elbow (Medial epicondylitis, a condition of the tendons of the inner elbow caused by repetitive motion)
• Tennis Elbow (Lateral epicondylitis, a condition of the tendons of the outer elbow caused by repetitive motion)
• Bursitis
• Panner’s Disease (When small pieces of cartilage and bone become dislodged in the elbow joint)

Prevention

In most cases, elbow injuries and chronic pain are caused by misuse or overuse. To prevent elbow injuries, you can do the following:

• Correct improper sports of exercise technique
• Stretch and warm up properly before physical activity
• Use the correct sporting equipment, such as the right sized grip
• Use elbow pads

Treatment

Your doctor will use imaging and a physical exam to determine the cause of your elbow pain. When it comes to treatment, mild cases can be treated with rest, ice and medication. However, more severe cases may require braces, steroid injections, or elbow padding. In most cases, however, your physician will recommend elbow exercises that you can do at home to improve your range of motion and build up the surrounding muscle. Additionally, these stretches and exercises can also help to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. 

Elbow Pain Relief at Minivasive Pain

At Minivasive Pain, our mission is to treat the causes of your pain with the highest standards of care and quality. Our team of experienced orthopedic physicians will help determine the root cause of your elbow pain, and work to get you back to the joys of life in no time. Plus, we have several locations throughout the Greater Houston Area for your convenience. To schedule an appointment, please call (346) 800-6001 now.