What should every person know about elbow pain?

It’s easy to take your elbows and other joints for granted, but when they get hurt, you suddenly realize their importance. Your elbows are at risk for pain primarily due to overuse, but elbow aches can have many other causes, too.

Your elbows are joints made up of bones, cartilage, muscles, ligaments and joints. Each of these areas is at risk for some form of pain or injury, and when one of them is hurt, the entire elbow suffers for it. Elbow pain can be managed with treatment from a physical therapist. These specialists can also help you learn important information about your elbow issue and symptoms. 

Signs that you have a serious elbow issue

Since there are many parts that make up the elbow, there are many conditions that can cause elbow pain. As mentioned before, some conditions are mild and are not of great concern, but others are serious and require professional treatment.

Signs of serious elbow conditions can include:

• Pain that is severe or lasts longer than a few days
• Pain that persists regardless of whether you’re resting or using your arm
• Redness and swelling
• Stiffness and loss of motion
• Deformed appearance of the joint

If you have any of these symptoms, please visit your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment. Do not try to ignore the pain and be tough. If serious elbow symptoms are left untreated, they can grow worse or cause permanent disability.

Issues that commonly cause elbow pain

Mild elbow pain may be caused by strain to one of the muscles or ligaments due to overuse or failure to warm up before activity. More severe symptoms can come from serious causes that require medical attention. If you are suffering from severe elbow discomfort, your physician will check for the following common causes:

• Tennis elbow
• Golfer’s elbow
• Elbow bursitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Elbow dislocations
• Fractures
• Osteochondritis dissecans

Therapy techniques your physical therapist can use for elbow pain

Once they understand the cause of your elbow pain, a physical therapist can develop a therapy plan to address it. Your plan will be personalized to fit the specific cause of your elbow symptoms, and it can be designed to reduce pain and improve function. 

There are many therapy techniques that could be included in your elbow therapy program. A few of the most common physical therapy methods used for elbow issues are: 

• Manual therapy — This therapy method is also called hands-on therapy—physical therapists use their hands to move and manipulate the affected elbow. Issues that cause elbow discomfort can benefit from manual therapy. One study of manual therapy for tennis elbow shows that it               reduced elbow pain by at least five points on the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS). 

• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) — IASTM involves your physical therapist applying therapeutic pressure to soft tissue around the painful elbow. This pressure is applied using specially designed metal tools. One medical case study reports that a patient who had suffered a dislocated elbow had a 30-degree improvement in elbow range of motion after six          weeks of IASTM.

Find help for your elbow issues at Advent Physical Therapy

Suffering from elbow pain? Our Advent Physical Therapy team can help you reduce your pain and regain your ability to use your elbow. We offer free screenings designed to reveal the cause of your elbow symptoms. In addition, our physical therapists excel at creating personalized therapy plans intended to reduce elbow pain. 

Not able to leave home to get help? Don’t worry! Our team offers at-home therapy and virtual care services that can help you get effective physical therapy without leaving home. You can even start using our therapy services without first getting a doctor’s referral. 

Contact our team today for more information about our physical therapy services or to schedule your free screening.