If your elbow is swollen and painful: causes and treatment of injuries and diseases of the elbow joint

Elbow pain is a fairly common phenomenon that many clinic patients complain about. It can bother you at any age, affect the left or right joint and can cause a lot of unpleasant moments, since it limits movement and reduces the quality of life.

The elbow joint itself is a movable connection of a long tubular bone, which is the skeletal basis of the shoulder, as well as the ulna and radius. It has a complex structure, as it is formed by three joints enclosed in a single capsule. The latter is innervated by the median, ulnar and radial nerves. The joint is fed from its own network formed by recurrent and collateral arteries.

The variety of movements available to the elbow is provided by four ligaments. Thanks to them, a person can perform flexion/extension, rotation, inward and outward movement. Any disorder associated with a change in the structure or physiology of the elbow joint manifests itself as pain symptoms. Its intensity depends on the pathological process and may be accompanied by swelling, redness, and a local increase in temperature.

CELT specialists will help you find out the cause of pain in the elbow joint. Our multidisciplinary clinic has the widest capabilities for diagnostic studies, allowing us to correctly identify the source of the problem and prescribe adequate treatment. You can find out our prices by going to the “Services and Prices” tab or by contacting our operators.

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The structure of the elbow joint and bones

The elbow is one of the joint formations in the human body. It is the connecting link between the shoulder and forearm. Three bones are found in the elbow joint. It is considered a complex joint that is designed to perform movements. With its help, the arm can bend and unbend.

The structure of the ulna bones

In addition to bones, it contains an articular capsule, ligaments, and muscles. The capsule is attached to the humerus and is slightly stretched. Therefore it becomes quite vulnerable.

The elbow ligaments are attached to the humerus, trochlear notch, radius, radial notch, and forearm bones. The muscles located there perform a protective function and contribute to the performance of the basic functions of the elbow. They guarantee correct movements in the elbow joint.

The structure of the elbow joint

Diagnostics

For correct diagnosis of diseases of the elbow joint, it is necessary to consult a surgeon or traumatologist.

At the initial appointment, the doctor can examine and interview the patient and determine what examination methods may be needed. During examination, the specialist identifies the condition of the joint by external signs. Attention is paid to the color of the skin, pain and its nature, swelling of the joint.

Methods for diagnosing the elbow joint:

• X-ray.
• Tomography.
• Ultrasonography.
• Examination of the inside of the joint using a special camera that penetrates the elbow through an incision.
• If swelling is detected in which fluid, pus or any discharge has accumulated, it is necessary to perform a puncture of the elbow.

At the discretion of the doctor, any examinations of the body or blood and urine tests can be performed. They can help establish the correct diagnosis. If necessary, the patient can be admitted to a hospital to establish a diagnosis.

Help for elbow injuries

The elbow is a complex joint that is often injured.

Before providing medical assistance, you must follow the instructions:

1. Place your hand a little higher so as not to provoke swelling.
2. A cold compress will come in handy. To do this, wrap something cold in plastic and apply it to your elbow. You can pour cold water into a rubber heating pad.
3. Apply a bandage in a spiral , which will move from bottom to top.
4. The forearm can be secured using a piece of cloth . The bandage should be quite tight so that the joint does not move. The bandage is applied with the joint bent.
5. If the pain is quite severe, you can give your child a pain reliever . But you need to take into account the age of the child.
6. After this, you need to go to the hospital and have your elbow joint examined.

Cold compress on the elbow

Elbow bandage

Fixing the elbow with an elastic bandage

Elbow bruise: how to treat?

On the second day after injury, treatment is usually aimed at resolving hemorrhage, restoring lymph flow and blood circulation. For this purpose, physiotherapy (electrophoresis, UHF therapy, etc.) may be prescribed. Exercise therapy, which prevents the formation of fibrous adhesions, may also be helpful.41

One of the symptoms that patients experience when they bruise their elbow joint is pain. For pain in the structures of the musculoskeletal system, it is necessary to use an integrated pharmacological approach. Local treatment of bruises usually includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants.

But in order to determine what to apply to a severe elbow bruise, you need to take into account the fact that there are special requirements for painkillers:

• high effectiveness against pain, inflammation;
• good tolerability, both for short-term and long-term use.

It is also important that the drug chosen has a rapid analgesic effect (especially in the presence of acute post-traumatic pain).42

Symptoms and causes of joint pain

Why does pain occur and the elbow swells? Joint pain can be caused by injury and disease, a list of which it is advisable for everyone to know. What symptoms may appear? How can a preliminary diagnosis be established based on the signs?

Elbow injuries

Elbow joint injuries are common and can occur at any age. Children, especially, often encounter injuries; you can seriously bruise your elbow and hit it when you fall on it.

In this case, the following signs will be observed:

• Forearm dislocation.
• Fractures of the radius or ulna.
• Sprain.
• Manifestation of hemorrhage.
• Capsule rupture.
• Damage to the ulnar nerve.

In this case, the patient may feel pain, the elbow will become hot, and the skin on it will turn red. A person's body temperature may increase.

If an elbow injury causes an open wound, it is necessary to treat it with an antiseptic and prevent dirt from getting into it.

Arthritis and arthorosis

The joints of adults or older people are often affected by diseases called arthrosis or arthritis, and these familiar symptoms occur:

• the pain is aching in nature, it intensifies with exertion and at the end of the working day, but goes away after proper rest;
• the joint crunches when flexing and extending;
• Over time, it becomes harder to bend the elbow joint, and the range of motion decreases significantly;
• To establish an accurate diagnosis, an examination is carried out and a treatment method is selected.

Arthrosis of the elbow joint

How does a patient feel with arthritis? With this disease, inflammation develops, which can be caused by harmful microorganisms or autoimmune processes.

Typical possible symptoms of arthritis:

• The pain is severe and is felt constantly.
• The skin in the elbow area is hot.
• The elbow is swollen.
• It hurts to move the joint.

When rheumatoid arthritis develops, the following symptoms will occur:

• in the morning there is stiffness in movements;
• all symptoms will appear in the left and right elbow joints;
• characteristic symptoms appear, but periods of remission occur;
• similar signs will be observed in various joints of the human body.

Bursitis

This is the name for inflammation of the joint capsule in the elbow joint. Bursitis can be caused by repeated elbow injuries or infection.

Symptoms of the disease:

• The pain is characterized by the presence of pulsation in the elbow.
• The skin will become red and begin to burn.
• A characteristic swelling may form on the elbow. It will stick out in the shape of an egg.
• Movements are difficult and the pain gets worse.
• The overall body temperature increases. At the same time, general health worsens and headaches occur.

With such symptoms, urgent medical attention is required, and maybe even surgery. The cause of bursitis can be diagnosed only after examining the elbow.

Tendinitis

A characteristic feature of tendinitis is swelling of the elbow, in addition there will be other symptoms of tendonitis:

• in athletes after training, when characteristic swelling appears, irreversible processes may occur in the tendons and they will begin to deteriorate;
• the disease will develop more rapidly if the process is accelerated by physical activity and at this moment damage to the cartilage tissue occurs;
• The manifestation of characteristic signs occurs only at the moment of stress.

At rest, the symptoms will be unnoticeable, but at this moment the connective tissue degenerates into fatty accumulations and the development of necrosis begins.

Chondrocalcinosis

This disease is called pseudogout. It can manifest itself when chondrocalcinosis is detected in more than 20% of patients, and the tissue surrounding the joint can also become inflamed.

The following symptoms are present:

• The disease develops quite quickly , one might even say rapidly.
• The pain will be acute , swelling will appear, the skin on the elbow will become hot, and the patient will feel pain when palpated.
• The period of exacerbation is long , lasting for several weeks.
• Any movement causes pain that is felt in the hand and wrist.
• Deformation of the elbow joint occurs .
• The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is constantly increasing.
• The destructive process often begins to progress in people after 60 years of age.

Chondromatosis

This disease has characteristics and symptoms that are present in other diseases.

But there are also characteristic signs by which a specialist can make a preliminary diagnosis:

• swollen elbow joint and pain;
• crunching during physical activity;
• improper development of cartilage tissue occurs in the elbow joint and little bodies will appear inside;
• Young people can get chondromatosis; older patients rarely suffer from this disease;
• Poor mobility of the elbow joint will be observed.

Symptoms of ulnar neuritis

This pathology has pronounced symptoms that begin to appear almost simultaneously:

• Prolonged sensations of numbness in the hand, which can cover almost the entire hand or just the fingers.
• Muscle cramps.
• The skin will take on a bluish-red tint.
• The pain will be aching, all the joints in the hand will be difficult to bend, and difficulty working with the hand will be noticeable. It will hang down.
• Some fingers will be curled under and the little finger will stick out to the side.

Ulnar neuritis

Charcot joint

Diabetes mellitus often causes complications in the joints. Among the pathologies, Charcot arthropathy may occur. It develops without pain, but can destroy the joint completely. The nature of this disease is non-infectious.

Characteristic symptoms:

• At the initial stage of development, destruction of the joint occurs . In this case, swelling, redness of the skin and an increase in its temperature are observed. There is no pain, only x-rays can reveal the changes that are occurring.
• Then bone damage begins. Deformation of the elbow joint occurs.
• At stage 3, external signs will become very noticeable . Frequent dislocations may occur, and fingers will begin to bend poorly. Any significant changes in the elbow joint will be visible on the x-ray.
• With the development of stage 4, there will be ulcers on the skin that take a long time to heal and provoke infection into the body. Other complications may occur in the form of gangrene and osteomyelitis.

Tumors on the elbow

New growths and tumors can form in the elbow area. They can be benign or malignant. But it is impossible to determine this by visual inspection.

Specialists can diagnose the appearance of such neoplasms:

• Hygroma is a benign neoplasm. It will contain mucus and fibrous threads. At first, this formation is not dangerous, but as it increases in size, it will put pressure on nearby tissues and thrombosis may develop.
• The lump grows gradually and pain begins to appear . It radiates to the arm and shoulder. Over time, it will compress the blood vessels, and the hand will begin to go numb.
• The hygroma is noticeable upon visual inspection, is located on the inner bend of the elbow and can be felt when it is still small in size. When pressed, it will be soft and mobile.
• It is removed during surgery and the fluid is pumped out using a puncture.

But malignant tumors can also develop in the elbow joint. In this case, the patient will experience characteristic symptoms. But the type of formation can be determined only after analysis.

Symptoms of a malignant tumor:

• The patient becomes lethargic and constantly complains of general weakness.
• A person's body temperature fluctuates and short-term increases and decreases are observed throughout one day.
• Appetite worsens and a complete refusal of food can be observed and a sharp weight loss occurs.
• Pain may be felt at the initial stage , and then the sensations will intensify if treatment is not started.

How to alleviate the condition before starting treatment

Diagnosis may take several weeks, during which time the patient will experience pain. You can minimize discomfort by reducing physical activity - you will have to temporarily give up sports and any activities that cause pain symptoms. Ensuring complete immobility of the elbow at home is quite problematic, but until the end of the examination it is still worth minimizing any movements of the joint.

What to do if your elbow hurts very badly during exercise? First, you should stop the pain attack using anabolic steroids orally. Ointments with an analgesic effect, the effect of which is often based on warming up the skin, dilating blood vessels and increasing blood circulation in the problem area, are best postponed until the cause of the discomfort is clearly established. If the arm hurts in the elbow when lifting weights due to a malignant tumor, warming ointment can aggravate the situation and provoke the development of metastases.

Helping a child with elbow pain

To provide correct and timely assistance to a child if he hits his elbow, you need to:

• find out the cause of the pain;
• if the cause was a fall or blow, you need to check whether the fingers on that hand are moving;
• then you can apply a bandage or fix your hand in one position;
• If an open wound appears, you need to stop the bleeding and treat it with any antiseptic to prevent infection from entering the body.

If a child has aching and dull pain in the elbow, you need to go to the hospital and have the elbow joint examined.

Prevention

Preventive measures will depend on the type of pathology, but there are universal methods:

• maintaining immunity at the required level;
• monitor your diet so that your body gets all the necessary vitamins and microelements;
• undergo preventive medication courses regularly for chronic diseases;
• do not self-medicate;
• wear a bandage if necessary.

The situation when the elbow is swollen and painful cannot be ignored. Even if there was no injury, the disease may begin to develop as a result of other factors. Without the necessary treatment, the disease will progress and may cause complete incapacitation of the elbow joint.

Elbow bruise: symptoms of injury

With mechanical damage to soft tissues, the following clinical manifestations are observed41:

• painful sensations at the site of the injury (intensity depends on the degree of damage);
• edema and swelling, which are especially pronounced in the area of ​​loose connective tissue;
• local hemorrhage or bruise (if a joint is damaged, hemorrhage occurs in the joint cavity)

When different parts of the elbow are bruised, nerves can be damaged. This leads to the formation of post-traumatic paresis (loss of muscle strength) and neuritis. This phenomenon may be accompanied by periodic lumbago in the limbs and numbness of the fingers.41