How to relieve elbow joint pain

Tennis elbow, golfers elbow or elbow pain can be brutal to live with and usually presents with dull, aching pain at the outside of the elbow or inside of the elbow. Most people don’t get tennis elbow or golfers elbow from playing tennis or golf, but from doing other sports or repetitive activities. You may have this pain when griping heavier objects, turning door knobs or other forearm dominant movements.

This pain usually develops when the demand placed through the forearm muscles exceeds what they can handle. This leads to pain at the common extensor tendon. Lets take a look at what you can do to relieve elbow joint pain.

📝 Why does elbow joint pain occur?

The irritation of the area arises from repeated overuse and common causes are poor strength, tight muscles or poor technique. It is also associated with reduced upper back and shoulder strength.

📝 The difference between tennis elbow and golfers elbow

The elbow is made up of bones, muscles, ligaments (which connect bones), and tendons (which connect muscles to bone). The elbow joint has three bones:

• Humerus. This is the long bone at the top of your arm
• Radius. This is the shorter bone on the thumb side of the forearm
• Ulna. This is slightly longer than the radius and is on the little finger side of the forearm

These three bones make the three bumps at your elbow joint. Injury to the tendons that secure the muscles to the two bumps on either side of the elbow are a common cause of elbow pain.

These bumps are:

• Lateral epicondyle is the bump on the outer side of the elbow. The muscles on the back of your forearm, responsible for curling your wrist backwards, are fixed to this bony point. Pain in this bump is called lateral epicondylitis also known as tennis elbow
• Medial epicondyle is the bump on the inner side of the elbow. The muscles on the front of your forearm, responsible for curling your wrist up are fixed to this bony point. Pain in this bump is called medial epicondylitis also known as golfer’s elbow

📝 Common causes of elbow pain

• Racquet sports such as tennis, badminton or squash
• Sports that involve throwing (baseball, javelin or discus)
• Gardening
• Medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis
• Bursitis (when the fluid-filled sacs called bursa that cushion the joints have become painful and inflamed)
• Injuries such as fractures, dislocations, sprains
• Repetitive movements of arm or wrist from everyday work e.g. using a screwdriver

🩺 Symptoms of tennis elbow

• Pain on the outside of your elbow or inside of your elbow
• Pain in your forearm
• Stiffness, swelling, difficulty moving the affected area
• Pain when making a fist (golfer’s elbow)
• Pain when opening the fingers (tennis elbow)

🏥 Diagnosis

Often, medical history and an exam are enough to diagnose tennis elbow. During the physical exam, a health care provider might press on the affected area or ask you to move your elbow, wrist and fingers in various ways.

X-rays, sonograms or other types of imaging tests might be needed if a care provider suspects something else might be causing the symptoms.

🏠 What are some effective home remedies for relieving elbow joint pain?

‌Elbow and arm pain is not usually a sign of anything serious. If it does not go away after a few weeks, see a healthcare professional. Here are a few self care methods you can try yourself at home:

• Soft tissue massage to relieve pain and stiffness to encourage blood flow to your arm
• Placing a heat or ice pack to your elbow for 10 to 15 minutes every few hours can ease pain and stiffness
• Over the counter paracetamol and ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and provide pain relief
• Try wearing a special tennis elbow strap, clasp, splint or brace to support your forearm to reduce pain doing certain activities. These can be bought from some pharmacies and sports shops

💊 Treatment options

If the symptoms don’t improve, see your doctor or they may also refer you for physiotherapy. Treatments from a healthcare professional may include:

• Physical therapy. A physiotherapist will recommend strengthening exercises to regain flexibility to increase your range of motion
• Steroid injections. If you’re experiencing severe pain you may be suggested a corticosteroid injection. These injections are short-term painkillers, but the pain may start to return after about six weeks
• Platelet rich plasma. This technique may reduce pain and increase movement by using a sample of a patients blood cells to accelerate healing in a specific area

📝 Conclusion

We have looked at a different ways to improve elbow pain with at home treatment, but it’s important to see your healthcare provider if:

• You are experiencing severe pain when you move your elbow, or you can’t use it
• You are unable to straighten or bend your elbow
• There is an obvious tear or a break
• Resting your elbow and taking pain medication shows no improvement within 2 weeks
• You are experiencing numbness, tingling or weakness in your hand or arm
• You have a fever
• You have swelling, bruising or redness near your elbow

Sources

• Elbow Pain: Causes & Treatment
• Tennis elbow – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic
• Elbow and arm pain – NHS
• Golfer’s elbow – Doctors and departments – Mayo Clinic