Elbow Pain Specialist

What is elbow pain?

Your elbow joint is a hinge made up of three bones held together by ligaments that provide joint stability. Muscles and tendons help move the joint. Elbow pain can result from an injury or disease. Symptoms often include:

• Mild or severe discomfort
• Stiffness
• Limited range of motion
• Swelling
• Discoloration
• Warmth
• Pain with movement
• Numbness or tingling
• An obvious deformity

If elbow pain is severe or lingers for more than several days, see an orthopaedic specialist at Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Centers for an evaluation.

What causes elbow pain?

Numerous factors can contribute to elbow pain. Example include:

• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Elbow dislocation
• Sprains
• Fractures
• Golfer’s or tennis elbow
• Tendinitis
• Tendon tears
• Osteochondritis dissecans
• Bursitis
• Infections

You might experience elbow pain from playing sports, a work injury, overuse, or a chronic disease. 

To determine the cause of pain, your orthopaedic specialist examines your elbow and reviews your symptoms and medical history. They use blood tests or imaging procedures, such as X-rays and MRIs, to make a diagnosis.

How is elbow pain treated?

Your personalized elbow pain treatment plan focuses on what’s causing the pain and its severity. Your doctor might recommend one or more of the following.

RICE therapy

RICE therapy involves rest, ice, compression, and elevation to reduce inflammation and discomfort associated with elbow pain. You might wear a flexible brace or sling to optimize your recovery and prevent re-injury. If pain persists after several days or you experience severe pain, additional treatments may be necessary.

Medications/injections

Your orthopaedic surgeon might recommend over-the-counter medicines, prescription medications, or steroid injections to alleviate pain and inflammation – or antibiotics to treat an infection. 

PRP

Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Centers offers revolutionary platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, a form of regenerative medicine derived from your blood that helps heal damaged tissue naturally.

Physical therapy

On-site physical therapists at Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Centers help you strengthen and stretch your elbow joint to ease pain and accelerate healing with or without surgery.

Surgery

Elbow surgery, while often a last resort, is sometimes the best way to fully restore your joint’s structure and function. Your surgeon uses arthroscopy with smaller incisions and shorter recovery times to optimize results. 

During surgery, they may repair, debride (remove damaged tissue), or reconstruct tendons or ligaments. Your doctor might surgically split a damaged tendon to perform tendon release.

Don’t live with chronic or severe elbow pain when simple solutions are available. Schedule an appointment with Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Centers over the phone or online today.