Elbow pain: Why does it hurt and what caused it?
Elbow pain is not as common of a problem as other joints in the body. When there is pain in your elbows it is most often caused by injuries to the tendons. There are those rare occasions where a muscle injury may be involved as well, which may cause pain to travel down the forearm. Although there are other structures around the elbow that can become strained or inflamed, the tendons and muscles cause the majority of elbow pain.
3 common locations of elbow pain
#1 If the elbow aches inside and is difficult to fully bend or straighten, most likely there is inflammation inside the elbow joint. Pain and difficulty straightening the arm could be signs of bursitis of the elbow. #2 Pain felt on the outside of the elbow is usually caused by the lateral collateral ligament or commonly known as tennis elbow. #3 Pain on the inside of the elbow irritating the inside of the elbow or medial collateral ligament is also known most commonly as golfer’s elbow. The first elbow pain can be very faint but after repetitive motion stress the pain can noticeably increase. During this time the elbow and tendon usually suffer hundred’s of micro tears just through normal daily activity.
What is the first thing to do when you noticed elbow pain?
Self-treatment is an option to start off with but it takes patience. The most important thing to do during home care for elbow pain is to stop activity. The most common reason why an elbow problem doesn’t heal up is because of re injury. All of the normal things for tissue repair should be done at home such as alternating ice and heat, light massage and gentle motion.
What else can help my elbow pain?
If you choose to get care from a chiropractic physician you can expect some type of functional release of the tissue around the elbow; this would be similar to massage during active motion of the joint. Therapeutic ultrasound may be used to help bring blood into the area for healing and break up pockets of inflammation around the damaged tendon. Natural anti-inflammatory injections could also be used to help repair damaged tissue. Medical physicians may offer steroid injections with the usual rest of at least a week after the injection followed by conservative therapy on the soft tissue similar to what we have just discussed. Other injections that could be helpful are PRP injections or platelet rich plasma injections. This is where your own blood is taken and spun down to get platelets removed and then injected back in to the damaged tissue to stimulate healing and repair.
Do not let elbow pain continue very long.
If initial home therapy does not help your elbow pain improved, it is best to get the opinion of a physician or healthcare professional so you can start healing process as soon as possible. You need to partner with someone who thoroughly understands the condition and has the hands on techniques necessary to treat it so you can speed up healing and get lasting relief. I have seen many patients with elbow pain around the St. George Utah area and the treatment that I use have proven to be effective. However, to avoid re-injury, patience is essential. As you began to feel better you will often be tempted to resume normal activity before the healing process is fully complete. At this stage the damaged structures are still vulnerable and can be easily strained or torn again. With soft tissue injuries you must exercise caution while the tissues are gradually strengthened so that when the injury heals it heals for good.