Sore Elbow Treatment

The elbow joint is one of the most vital body joints that enable us to perform several vital tasks. We use this joint for pulling, pushing and many other tasks that require rotation of the forearm. When you have a sore elbow, the movement of the elbow joint becomes a painful affair. Soreness is mostly accompanied by swelling which makes the joint stiff and that restricts the motion of the joint. A sore elbow is often warm and tender to touch.

The elbow joint has a complicated structure that consists of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, a network of nerves and blood vessels. Any minor or serious injuries to any of these structural components of the elbow joint can give you a painful elbow.

It can be a symptom of a number of underlying problems of the elbow joint. Some of the key causes as follows:

• Traumatic injury. Your elbow joint often gets injured due to a bad fall and direct blow to the joint. Besides, abnormal twisting, bending and jerking of the elbow joint while playing sports, exercising or doing any everyday activities can injure it.

• Overuse of the elbow joint over a prolonged period of time. It occurs commonly in athletes involved with racket sports, baseball, shot put, javelin thrower and swimmers. Activities like lifting of objects, gardening, driving screws, use of plumbing tools also require repetitive use of elbow.

• Arthritis, an inflammatory disease which is characterized by joint pain and inflammation.
• Elbow bursitis where the fluid filled sac or bursa that provides cushion to the bones and tendons of the joint get inflamed.

• Tendinitis where the soft tissues of tendons that connect the muscles and bones get irritated and swelling occurs in them.
• A bacterial or viral infection in the elbow joint.
• Tennis elbow is a condition where the tendons get inflamed because of strain in the forearm muscles. As a result, soreness is felt in the outer part of the elbow where the forearm muscles join the bone.

If you have developed a sore elbow all of a sudden after you have banged it against any hard surface, it can be assumed to be a minor injury. All such similar cases where the soreness of the elbow is mild to moderate, can be treated at home.

For faster healing, you must provide a lot of rest to the affected hand. Stay away from all such activities that involve use of the injured elbow. If you are wearing bracelet, watch or ring on that hand, you must remove them. Such steps are taken to minimize the pressure on the injury site.

Ice application is an excellent remedy used for sore elbow treatment. Keep an ice pack on the elbow area for 15 minutes. Repeat it after an hour or so. Several ice applications throughout the day can alleviate the pain. If possible, keep the elbow at an elevated position in order to bring down the swelling.

Wrap up an ACE bandage on the affected elbow. This can provide required amount of support to the weak elbow. A light massage on the elbow area with the tips of your finger can be helpful too. However, avoid massaging if there is too much of swelling.

If the soreness of the elbow continues even after 24 hours of home treatment, then it is time to visit a doctor. You must not neglect a sore elbow which is accompanied by bruises. If you are bothered by a sore elbow for quite some time now, you must consult your doctor for its treatment.

Doctors first identify the underlying cause of the problem with the help of physical examination, laboratory tests like x-rays or MRI scan and then carry out the treatment accordingly.

We all know the first step of treatment is pain relief. For this, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (or NSAIDS) are often prescribed. If it is an excruciating pain, then these oral pain relieving medicines may not work.

In that case, cortisone injections are administered for pain relief. Doctors often recommend use of splint, cast or brace to ensure faster recovery from the injury. If the elbow joint has stiffened up, physical therapy is highly beneficial for improving its strength and flexibility. Physical therapists suggest suitable exercises for sore elbow that stretch the muscles in the area and thus improve their strength and flexibility. This can restore normal range of motion of the joint.

All the methods of treatment given above, can cure the problem within a few days. If it is a chronic problem, then the recovery time is going to be as long as few weeks. As the pain subsides, do not jump into regular activities. Avoid all such activities that require repetitive use of the elbow joint for the time being. Resume those activities only after your doctor advises you to do so.