Elbow

One health condition that can be especially troubling is elbow pain. Elbow pain usually manifests itself as a sharp pain brought on by inflammation of elbow joints. Treating this condition usually requires medication to fight the pain and bring down the inflammation of the elbow joints.

Elbow Pain Causes

This elbow condition can have many different origins. The most common of these are sports injuries. This is due to the fact that certain sports like tennis and golf require an athlete to repeatedly thrust their arm out in a specific direction. This can put pressure on the hinge of the arm and eventually do serious irreparable damage to the joints and tendons contained within the elbow.

Other common causes of elbow pain include:

• A previously broken arm
• A previously dislocated elbow
• Bursitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Tendonitis
• Nerve damage
• Torn ligaments

Elbow Pain Symptoms

The primary symptom is an acute pain that is brought on by inflammation of the joints located in the elbow. This pain can be throbbing and quite intense. Beyond this sharp elbow joint pain, a patient afflicted with this condition may also experience other debilitating symptoms. These can include but are not limited to:

• Swelling of the elbow
• Tenderness
• Numbness
• The inability to lift moderately heavy objects
• The inability to ball a fist without pain
• Tingling sensations in the fingers
• Shaky hands
• Problems opening doors and using keys

While the pain felt may be the strongest in the elbow, it can actually negatively affect the normal use of an entire arm including the hand.

Elbow Pain Complications

If left untreated, elbow joint pain can lead to serious problems. It may start as pain brought on by inflammation of the joints. However, if the condition is allowed to worsen, the damage done to the tendons and joints can become permanent and lead to degenerative forms of arthritis.
A patient’s range of motion may become seriously impaired. They may lose some of the motor functions of the hand on that specific arm and lose the ability to perform simple tasks like tying shoelaces. Overall, it could be the beginning of a serious disability if left unaddressed.