The elbow joint is formed where the upper arm bone (the humerus) and the forearm (the ulna and the radius) connect.
These bones have cartilage on the end, which helps absorb shocks and allows the joint to move smoothly. These are kept in place with strong tissues called ligaments, while your tendons connect your bones to muscles, which allow you to move your arm in different ways.
If anything happens to any of these, or the nerves and blood vessels that surround them, it can cause you elbow pain.
Elbow pain is often caused by overuse, with most cases occurring due to strained or inflamed soft tissues, such as the tendons or ligaments.
Often times sports (such as Tennis) hobbies and jobs require repetitive hand, wrist or arm movements, which over time, can lead to discomfort or injury.
Elbow pain symptoms can include:
– Pain, stiffness, difficulty moving and swelling (possibly Tendonitis or Tennis Elbow)
– Pain, tenderness, bruising and swelling
– Pain, stiffness radiating down from the Shoulder
– Pain and stiffness coming from the joints
Elbow pain is usually diagnosed based on history as well as through a physical examination.
Treatment will vary depending on the severity of the elbow pain and the cause. Which is why we always conduct a full assessment prior to starting any treatment. A physiotherapy appointment combines various techniques such as massage and specific exercises to help ease the pain and correct the cause.
Other treatments to try at home:
– Heat/cold treatment packs – do this for 5 minutes, 3 times a day
– Raise your arm if it’s swollen
– Take painkillers like paracetamol or Ibuprofen or use an Ibuprofen gel
At Comfort Health we offer a range of treatments from Sports Massage, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture and Cupping which can all help when struggling with elbow pain. All of our practitioners are very experienced in this area, you can see our whole team here. For chronic elbow issues such as tennis or golfers elbow, shockwave therapy can be highly beneficial.
If you feel like you could benefit from a treatment from one of our practitioners – Click Here and book in today.