Introduction
Elbow joint comprises of three bones the humerus (upper arm) and the radius and ulna in the forearm. The prominent bony part at the tip behind the elbow is called the olecranon process. Elbow pain is a common complaint and there are many common causes for this problem. It is important to make an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your symptoms so that appropriate treatment can be directed at the cause.

SYMPTOMS:
 Acute and severe pain and tenderness
 Swelling around the elbow
 Radiation of pain down the forearm to the wrist
 Difficulty in bending and lifting the arm
 Difficulty in gripping activities
 Wrist may feel weak at times
In chronic conditions it may lead to morning stiffness.

CAUSES OF ELBOW PAIN
Causes and contributing factors are varied, but commonly they are related to repetitive injury as a result of one or more of the following:

Poor sports/exercise technique

Wrong grip size of racquet for racquet games

Occupational tasks involving repetitive movements of the wrist and hands.

Injury to the elbow or minor tears of the tendon

TYPES OF ELBOW PAIN

TENDINITIS: Repeated elbow and wrist activities leading to overuse and stress to the muscles and tendons may lead to elbow pain. E.g.: Gardening, using computer mouse .etc.     Lateral epicondylitis or Tennis Elbow. The pain usually occurs on the outer part of the elbow joint .It usually occurs due to the overuse of forearm muscles while doing activities like gripping, extension of wrist, elbow, typically the backhand stroke in Tennis.     Medial Epicondylytis or Golfers Elbow. The pain usually occurs on the inner part of the elbow joint. It usually occurs with activities like repeated gripping, flexion of wrist and elbow, typically similar to Golf Swing.

OLECRENON BURSITIS: This is a local inflammation behind the elbow usually occurs after an injury or trauma or prolonged resting of the elbow on a hard surface. This may also occur in systemic conditions such as Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis.

SPRAINS: Sprains occur due to overstretching or tearing of the ligaments that stabilise the elbow joint. It usually occurs when there is a direct blow or a twist. This may result in pain, stiffness and instability of the joint.

PHYSIOTHERAPY
Your physiotherapist may try various techniques to reduce the inflammation and pain. These may include:
Radial Shock Wave Therapy: There is an increased delivery of nutrients to the affected area , which increases  the blood vessel formation and initiates  the healing response
Ultrasound Therapy:  decreases inflammation, increases the blood supply thereby promoting tissue repair.
Interferential Therapy: stimulates the muscle and nerve fibers and reduces pain and inflammation.
Cryotherapy: use of ice reduces pain and inflammation.
Laser Therapy: Low level lasers cause vaso- dilatation, bringing in more oxygen to the tissue .This reduces the inflammation and promotes healing. There are no side effects.
Exercise therapy: Soft tissue release techniques, frictional massage and stretching promotes healing and recovery.
Elbow guard or Tape: to support the tendons, thereby reducing the stress on them to encourage healing.

USEFUL ADVICE

Regular stretching as advised by the physiotherapist

Progressive strengthening exercises using Omni bands or weights to increase the strength of gripping and arm muscles

Using a proper Racquet designed to reduce the effect of repeated stress

Resting the arm or reducing repetitive movements

Proper positioning of hand when working with the computer keyboard or mouse.

Bracing or taping the elbow during activities

Experienced physiotherapists in Singapore, with over 18 years of experience, help you to get relief from pain/weakness quickly and easily. You can book an appointment to see our Senior Physiotherapist. We are located right in the heart of Singapore, at Orchard, and are available Mondays through Saturday.