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Elbow Pain: Not So Funny After All

Blog by Dr. Michael Horowitz | April 13th, 2017

Tennis-Elbow.jpgWhy does my elbow hurt? It's certainly not funny (but it is connected to the humerus!).

The elbow is a hinge joint that allows your arm to bend. This movement makes it possible to throw, lift, swing, and hug. The elbow joint is formed where the three bones in your arm meet: the humerus (the upper arm bone) and the radius and ulna (the two bones of the forearm). Each of these three bones has cartilage at the end, which allows them to slide against each other and absorb shock. These bones are kept in place by ligaments, and attached to the arm muscles by tendons. If anything happens to one of these parts (i.e. the bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, or muscles) it can cause elbow pain. More specifically, here are a few causes of elbow pain:

  1. One-time injuries: Injuries such as dislocation, fractures, strains or sprains.
  2. Wear and tear injuries: Such as bursitis (the inflammation of the bursa within the joints), tendinosis (e.g. tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow), trapped nerves (cubital tunnel syndrome), or stress fractures.
  3. Diseases: Such as arthritis, osteochondritis, gout, lupus, or Lyme disease.

In the case of wear and tear injuries, such as tennis or golfer’s elbow, chiropractic adjustments to the wrist and elbow joints can help to relieve pain by restoring movement to the joints, while used alongside cold therapy (to bring down inflammation) and stretching. Sometimes nerves that run along the arm can become compressed, either by injury or repetitive strain, causing elbow pain. This too can be treated with chiropractic care and adjustments made to the elbow, wrist, neck, or shoulder. If you are experiencing elbow pain, and you want to stray away from invasive treatments or drug therapy, give us call to set up an appointment for a chiropractic assessment.

Massage therapy is another effective treatment for elbow pain. In the case of repetitive use injuries, such as tennis or golfer’s elbow, massage can help to relax tense muscles and ease pain. Call us or book an appointment online today!


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