Different Elbow Pain Kinds

There are a lot of different conditions that cause elbow pain, darn it.  I’ll give a list of the most common conditions, and then briefly describe them.  I hate that the body can brake down in so many ways, but I’ve found that people’s pain rarely comes from the worst possibility.  I was intimidated doing research on my elbow, but being educated is better than being ignorantly in pain.

List of elbow pain causing conditions:
• Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
• Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)
• Olecranon bursitis
• Tendonitis
• Fracture
• Sprain
• Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
• Radial Tunnel Syndrome

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
Tennis elbow is perhaps the most common elbow related pain injury.  This form of tendonitis is an inflammation of the lateral epicondyle tendon that attaches many of the forearm muscles to the elbow from repeated use.  Many typists as well as tennis players and other racket ball players get this at some point in their careers, and you can get lots of info about it on this elbow tendonitis page.

Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)
Golfer’s elbow is common as well.  It is a result of the repeated stressing of the medial epicondyle tendon that attaches forearm muscles to the inside of the elbow.  Golfers get this because of the force exerted on the inside of the elbow joint many, many times over the course of practicing the swing.  This is a form of tendonitis.

Olecranon Bursitis
Elbow bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa in the elbow, a smooth sac that facilitates the easy movement of the elbow joint.  Bursitis can be diagnosed by pain behind he elbow joint, as well as swelling and tenderness behind the olecranon, the bony protrusion at the back of the elbow.

Tendonitis
An inflammation of the tendons in the elbow, see Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow for the kinds of tendonitis and more specific info.

Fracture
An elbow fracture is either a facture running through the entire elbow joint, or a fracture of one or both of the bones on either side of the joint.  It is most common to fracture the olecranon, the bony protrusion behind the elbow, or the radial head of the upper arm (the smooth disk that serves as the upper part of the elbow joint).  Fractures should be immediately immobilized and thereafter require surgery or pinning to heal.

Sprain
A sprain is a minor stretch or tear of a ligament in the elbow joint.  Though not serious, sprains take several weeks of rest to resolve.  Treatment includes RICEing the elbow and taking anti-inflammatory. 

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
This is a compression of the ulnar nerve as it goes behind the elbow and into the forearm.  It causes pain and weakness similar to the feeling when your funny bone is hit.  Tingling can be felt in the little and ring fingers.  It’s symptoms are mimicked my trigger points in muscles of the forearm and upper arm, which cause pain, weakness, and tingling in the fingertips is those muscles are overworked or are given a sudden shock.

Radial Tunnel Syndrome
This occurs when the posterior interosseous nerve responsible for your hand and wrist becomes pinched or compressed.  This causes pain and weakness in the forearm, wrist, and hand and can be mistaken for tennis elbow.  Trigger points can mimic the symptoms of Radial Tunnel Syndrome. 

There you have it, an overview of the different conditions that can give you elbow pain.  If you still think you have tennis elbow pain or symptoms, great!  I know, odd choice of words, but there’s a lot of great info about how to cure that.  So lets go and get that elbow pain-free.  Now.