Elbow pain

Elbow pain is when you have pain or discomfort in your elbow joint, the muscles or other tissue around it. Your elbow joint is what connects the bone in your upper arm to the bones in your forearm. Elbow pain will not usually have serious consequences.

Most people experience swelling in their muscles or other tissue around the elbow joint. This can be caused by strain, stress or diseases (like arthritis). Most elbow pain resolves on its own or after taking a mild pain reliever.

• Straining the muscles of your elbow by leaning on a hard surface for a long time.
• Hitting your elbow on a hard surface.
• Doing repeated activities that can cause wear-and-tear on the elbow joint, like tennis or golf.
• A bone in the elbow breaking due to an accident.
• If a nerve around your elbow gets trapped between the bones.

Elbow pain will usually resolve on its own. You should visit your doctor if:

• The pain continues for several weeks.
• Your elbow keeps swelling, or if it appears that you may have broken a bone.
• You have difficulty moving your elbow.

You may not be able to prevent elbow pain, but you can reduce the severity by doing the following:

• Prevent over-use (repeated movement for long hours) such as from sporting activities, the use of a computer mouse or from operating machinery.
• If you have arthritis or other disorders, you should use your medicines as recommended by your healthcare provider.
• Keep physically active and avoid injury by warming up before strenuous activities.

Self-care tips:

• Take pain relievers like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
• Put ice packs on the area to reduce pain or swelling.
• Elevating your elbow to reduce swelling.
• Rest your elbow and avoid doing stressful activities. You can immobilize the elbow using an elbow brace or by using a sling to put your arm in.

Treatment options:

• Your healthcare provider will usually inspect the arm and try to identify the problem. This may require you to have an x-ray done.
• They may recommend stronger pain relief medications or something to reduce the swelling.
• Where an underlying disease causes the elbow pain, your healthcare provider will focus on treating that condition while providing adequate pain relief.
• If required, they may perform surgery to correct a problem.
• If you have arthritis or other long-term conditions that affect the bone or muscles, they may refer you to a specialist.

Elbow pain is usually not serious and will usually resolve in a few days. It can be very uncomfortable because your elbow is important for almost all hand movements. Resting your elbow and using over-the-counter pain killers will usually help to relieve your pain.