Top Tips for Treating Elbow Pain
Do you have a lot of holiday presents to wrap? No better time to do it than…very late at night. Your busy days are too packed to fit in one more task, so grabbing a cup of coffee, tape, and scissors while stifling yawns it is! You pick up the first heavy box for wrapping and elbow pain radiates down to your wrist and up to your shoulder. The box drops and you hear the contents loudly shatter, which wakes your partner from upstairs. So much for your clandestine efforts to create some holiday magic!
This isn’t the first time elbow pain has snuck in and ruined something important. You’ve been feeling increasingly weak and unstable when lifting items, and the pain is jarring. Luckily, you know that a visit to Pain Treatment Specialists is the first step to addressing this issue. Their board certified and Harvard trained pain doctors treat a wide variety of elbow pain issues including rheumatoid arthritis in the elbow, tennis elbow, elbow tendonitis, inside elbow pain, and olecranon bursitis. You make a note to book an appointment with them in the morning, since your body is craving sleep after your late night wrap session.
What are the Different Types of Elbow Pain?
All types of elbow pain hurt, but the underlying causes differ. When you meet with a pain doctor at Pain Treatment Specialists, you’ll receive a thorough diagnosis and treatment of your elbow pain. Your interventional pain doctor asks questions about any recent accidents, injuries, and activities that cause your elbow pain. The reason for this line of questioning is determining not only the cause of your elbow pain, but also what’s causing it.
Medical elbow pain is caused by underlying conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. There are different types of arthritis, and this autoimmune condition causes RA symptoms in elbows. Rheumatoid arthritis in elbow symptoms include swelling, pain, and stiffness. At Pain Treatment Specialists, we have several rheumatoid arthritis elbow treatments that are effective for pain relief.
Acute elbow pain is caused by an injury or accident. A dislocated elbow, elbow sprain or strain, or a fractured elbow are examples of acute elbow pain.
Chronic elbow pain is common, and affects many people as they age. Elbow osteoarthritis is an example of chronic elbow pain, and is a degenerative joint disease. Pain and swelling, along with stiffness accompany elbow osteoarthritis. Bone pain arthritis symptoms are similar, and also cause pain and stiffness due to wear and tear.
Elbow tendonitis is a chronic pain condition where the tendons surrounding your elbow are damaged from overuse. What is tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow? Tennis elbow affects the outside of your elbows, and inside elbow pain is known as golfer’s elbow. The medical name for golfer’s elbow is medial epicondylitis, and lateral epicondylitis for tennis elbow.
Olecranon bursitis is a condition where excess fluid collects in the bursae (sac) behind the elbow. This causes pain, swelling, and tenderness behind the joint and over a bony portion called the olecranon.
If you’re bothered by tennis elbow, rheumatoid arthritis in my elbows, ra pain at night, or elbow tendonitis, contact the pain doctors at Pain Treatment Specialists for expert elbow pain relief.
How Can I Find Elbow Joint Pain Relief?
The best treatments for elbow pain involve minimally invasive methods for pain relief. Surgery is often avoided by utilizing more conservative treatments first. At Pain Treatment Specialists, our interventional pain doctors have a wide variety of minimally invasive procedures available at their cutting edge pain clinics in NYC and northern NJ. Some of our elbow pain treatments include:
- Steroid Injections: A corticosteroid injection is highly effective at reducing elbow pain and swelling. During this procedure, your interventional pain doctor identifies the area for injection, and then administers the corticosteroid into your soft tissues. After applying a bandage to the injection site, you’re good to go! You’ll feel instant pain relief and reduced inflammation. A steroid injection provides much more pain relief than OTC medicines like aspirin, and relieves pain for several weeks, or even months.
- Hyaluronic Acid Injection: Hyaluronic acid is the primary component of elbow joint fluid, and gives the fluid its slippery, viscous quality. When you have enough elbow joint fluid, your bones’ cartilage covered surfaces easily glide against each other. When you do not have enough joint fluid, these surfaces grind together causing swelling and pain. If you suffer from elbow osteoarthritis, then you likely do not have enough natural joint fluid. During a hyaluronic acid injection, also known as viscosupplementation, your pain doctor injects a small amount of hyaluronic acid directly into the elbow joint capsule. You may need between 3-5 injections a week which are administered quickly and need no prior preparation.
Schedule an appointment at Pain Treatment Specialists and consult with our expert pain doctors to see which elbow pain treatment is right for you.
Can I Treat Elbow Pain at Home?
Yes, you can find some relief from elbow pain at home by using the treatment acronym RICE. This stands for “rest, ice, compress, and elevate.” The RICE method is effective for short term pain relief, but keeping your appointment at Pain Treatment Specialists is critical for receiving long-term pain solutions.
Rest your elbow from heavy lifting or carrying heavy objects. If you know that there’s tasks in your day that require heavy lifting, ask for assistance instead of trying to do it yourself. Ice your elbow in 20 minute intervals to reduce pain and swelling. Compress your elbow with an athletic bandage or brace to provide additional support during your day and also reduce swelling. Elevate your elbow above your heart to reduce swelling and promote good circulation.
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Don’t shatter your holiday spirit, or another present, due to your elbow pain. Book an appointment at Pain Treatment Specialists, with convenient locations in NYC and northern NJ, and get rid of your chronic elbow pain for good.