Therapy
Depending on the underlying cause of the elbow pain, different treatment options are possible. For example, a number of causes leading to elbow pain can be treated conservatively with medication and immobilization of the joint, while other diseases require more or less extensive surgery. In the case of complaints caused by arthrosis in the elbow joint, treatment is usually conservative.
The conservative treatment is carried out with painkillers, the so-called NSAIDs, and includes consistent protection of the joint. If the elbow is overstressed, the focus of the therapy should also be on protection. For example, the so-called tennis elbow is initially spared so that the irritated structures can calm down.At the same time, new therapeutic methods such as so-called cold therapy can help to alleviate these forms of elbow pain.
In the case of inflammation, painkillers even help twice. They help to reduce the pain and at the same time have anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason, aspirin, ibuprofen or diclofenac, for example, are well suited for the treatment of inflammatory elbow pain.
Most diseases of the elbow which cause elbow pain can be treated conservatively. In case of severe injuries or problems due to a pathological nerve pathology, surgery may still be necessary. A fracture usually has to be treated with plates and screws so that the two pieces of bone grow together properly and no movement restriction or permanent pain remains.
Pain caused by a pathological nerve course must also be corrected by surgery. Mostly the so-called ulnar nerve is affected which can be relieved by surgery. If a conservative therapy is not successful and surgery is not indicated or promising, there are other methods to relieve elbow pain.
A so-called brachial plexus anaesthesia anaesthetizes the nerves running in the arm, which transport the pain information to the brain. In this way, pain medication can be administered through a permanently running catheter and pain relief can be achieved. Depending on the clinical picture, a minimally invasive joint endoscopy can be performed to determine the cause of the elbow pain.
The therapy of elbow pain, which is based on a systemic disease, such as rheumatism, should include a systemic treatment of the underlying disease. An individual consultation with a specialist is recommended in these cases.
- The conservative treatment
