Elbow Pain is very common and frustrating to treat because of how nagging the pain can be. This blog post will introduce you to the necessary anatomy, and break down the symptoms and conditions normally experienced with pain associated with the elbow.
The Anatomy of the elbow
The elbow is made up of three bones: the humerus, ulna, and radius. It is known as a hinged joint which allows you to bend and twist your forearm. Cartilage allows the joints to move against one another very easily and absorb shock that may otherwise hurt your elbow.
The tendons in your elbow attach muscle to bone. One of those tendons of the elbow is the bicep tendon.
This tendon is important because it connects to the bicep muscle on the front of your arm and the tricep tendon on the back of your arm.
On the inside of your arm just above the elbow are the muscles that straighten your fingers and wrist come together. These tendons are important because they are common locations of tendonitis.
Three primary nerves start at the shoulder. They are known as the radial nerve, the ulnar nerve, and the median nerve. These nerves signal your muscles to work and give the signal of touch, pain, and temperature.
Symptoms of elbow pain
Elbow pain can come with different types of elbow pain depending on the area and condition of your elbow.
Some symptoms can be a dull ache, pain when making a fist, soreness around the bump of your elbow, weak grip, popping of the elbow, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion.
If you’re struggling with these symptoms or similar, seek medical advice from your doctor for your next health steps.
Conditions
Elbow pain can be a symptom of many conditions such as bursitis, osteoarthritis, and a golfer’s elbow.
Bursitis
Bursitis is when swelling around your elbow joint occurs. This swelling can be painful and the first sign of bursitis is swelling at the elbow. Bursitis occurs when the bursa sac around your tendon gets irritated from overuse or trauma.
Bursitis is common in people who require to be on their hands and knees a lot of leaning on their elbows.
Athletes or hobbies that require you to do repetitive motions with your arms can increase pressure and the likelihood of getting bursitis.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a very common condition we see at Preferred Physical Therapy. This occurs when the cartilage of the elbow is worn out or damaged.
This condition can occur because of a previous injury such as a fracture or dislocation. It commonly occurs due to normal wear and tears and from age and activity.
Some common symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and loss of range of motion. Your elbow may start to lock up more and you may feel the loss of the normal smooth joint surface.
Golfer’s Elbow
Golfer’s elbow is a condition where the tendons of the forearm muscles attach to the bump inside your elbow. This pain may spread into your forearm and wrist.
A golfer’s elbow is similar to a tennis elbow as it occurs outside the elbow. This condition is not limited to golfers. Some symptoms of this condition are pain, tenderness, stiffness, weakness, and tingling.
3 exercises for elbow pain
3-way bicep curl
To help reduce elbow pain you can try this 3-way bicep curl. This is a great exercise to help strengthen the bicep.
This will also help with elbow flexion. The first is a normal bicep curl. Keep your elbow pinned to your side and bring your arm all the way up to the shoulder.
The second way is to have your thumb facing upward on the dumbbell, still keeping your shoulder pinned to your side.
Going up and down in a controlled manner. The third way is going to be having your palm facing down.
Do ten of each being 30 total. If you want to use any weight dumbbell, make sure you don’t start off with too much weight. Follow the video for visual instructions on how to perform this exercise.
3 Way Bicep Curl To Reduce Elbow Pain | Technique Tuesday
Post-Workout Elbow Stretch
If you’re experiencing pain on the inside or the outside then this stretch is for you to help reduce the pain in your elbow. You want to place your hand on the wall straight out. This is to stretch the elbow flexors.
To stretch the elbow extenders place your wrist down while not putting too much pressure on your wrist. Watch the video for a demonstration of the stretch.
Tennis elbow stretch
This exercise is for the outside of your elbow. This will help strengthen your elbow when you’re playing racquet sports.
Lay your arm on a table holding some sort of weight. With your palm facing down while holding weight, have your wrist leaning off the surface so you are able to move your wrist up and down slowly. For a demonstration of this exercise watch the video below.
Key takeaways
Elbow pain can come with different types of elbow pain depending on the area and condition of your elbow.
Some symptoms can be a dull ache, pain when making a fist, soreness around the bump of your elbow, weak grip, popping of the elbow, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion.
The elbow is made up of three bones: the humerus, ulna, and radius. It is known as a hinged joint which allows you to bend and twist your forearm.
Cartilage allows the joints to move against one another very easily and absorb shock that may otherwise hurt your elbow. Elbow pain can be a symptom of many conditions such as bursitis, osteoarthritis, and a golfer’s elbow.
A great way to diminish your elbow pain is through physical therapy. Physical therapy helps you to eliminate pain, increase range of motion, increase mobility, and recover from an injury or surgery.
At Preferred Physical Therapy in Glendale, Arizona we specialize in helping people 40 and above stay active and independent, live free from painkillers and avoid surgery.. Even if you’ve had pain for years. Our physical therapists get down to the root cause of your pain to help eliminate that pain for good.
To learn more about us and our story follow this link.
You get attention from your physical therapists and exercises to help your specific need.
You are monitored at all times by the physical therapists and patient care specialists to guide you the whole time you are here to make sure you are getting the benefits of doing the exercises correctly.
Does this sound like what you’re looking for? Sign up for a free discovery visit and our front desk team will give you a call to go over what is going on and how we can help you live pain-free again.
Dr, Nick’s greatest passion is seeing his patients recover from injury and return to their activities that bring them joy.
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