Diagnosis
If elbow pain occurs, a visit to the treating family doctor or a specialist in orthopedics is recommended. In acute cases such as suspected fractures after an injury, an emergency room in a hospital can also be visited. The diagnosis usually begins with a consultation during which the attending physician may ask about the cause of the accident, the type and duration of the elbow pain and the individual history.
This so-called anamnesis alone often enables the doctor to make an assumption as to the cause of the pain and to adjust the further diagnosis. If the anamnesis is complete, a physical examination of the patient usually follows. In addition to the external examination of the affected elbow, a movement test is also carried out to determine which movement causes any pain.
In this test it is also checked whether the affected elbow shows a pressure pain. The further diagnosis depends on the individual symptoms which are shown in the medical history and the physical examination. In case of a suspected fracture or degenerative changes due to wear and tear of the joint, x-rays are usually taken to give an impression of the injuries and joint changes. In the case of problems involving soft structures such as nerves, muscles or tendons, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be performed.In rare cases, it may be necessary to puncture the capsule of the elbow joint and search in the synovial fluid for the cause of the complaints. The attending physician will discuss every diagnostic examination to be performed with the affected patients and is the right contact person in case of open questions.
Causes
In general, different categories of causes that can lead to elbow pain must be distinguished. On the one hand, it can lead to injuries of the structures of the elbow joint which cause acute pain. The most common injuries of this kind are cuts, abrasions and broken bones.
Also ligament tears at the elbow can occur. On the other hand, so-called degenerative causes can be made responsible for the development of the pain. This group of diseases of the elbow joint is summarized under chronic diseases of the elbow.
Acutely occurring, strong pain can usually be traced back to a certain event which was the trigger of the pain. For example, bruises of the elbow or a fracture of the upper or lower arm can cause severe pain in the elbow. The reason for this is damage to the tissue.
If tissue surrounded by nerves is damaged and destroyed, as is the case with a fracture or a severe contusion, nerves are stimulated to transport the information of the pain to the brain. Thus, the pain in such acute pain usually lasts until the damaged structures have healed. Depending on the damaged tissue, this can take different amounts of time.
Likewise, a rupture of the capsule at the elbow, primarily caused by external force, leads to severe pain. Damaged tissue can affect bones, cartilage, tendons and ligaments or the muscles. Contact sports are predestined for the development of elbow injuries.
The elbow joint often cannot be protected properly and is exposed to extreme stress. Chronic illnesses which can lead to elbow pain are usually based on overloading the joint structures and an associated inflammation of the elbow. The type of pain as well as its therapy depends mainly on the affected structure and the severity of the disease.
Frequent chronic diseases of the elbow can be traced back to years of overloading of the joint. A reaction of the joint to such overloading is an inflammation of the bursae, which can cause severe pain. In addition, overloading or incorrect loading can lead to tendon inflammation of the elbow.
In addition, degenerative diseases such as arthrosis of the joint and pain caused by gout in the joint can also occur. Even if nerves are trapped, strong pain can occur. On the one hand, this can occur directly at the elbow, whereby the so-called ulnar nerve is usually affected, but on the other hand, it can also be a problem of the nerves at the shoulder.
Finally, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis can also be the cause of the pain. The so-called tennis elbow is another chronic disease of the elbow joint which can lead to severe pain in this region. The cause of the disease, which is by far not only present in tennis players, is an irritation of the tendon attachments on the outside of the elbow joint.
Irritation of the tendon attachments on the inside of the elbow can also lead to elbow pain and is also called golfer’s elbow. However, this is much less common than the tennis elbow.
- Acute pain
- Chronic diseases of the elbow
