Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentWhen to See a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you’ve ever hit your funny bone, you know thatelbow paincan be annoying. But with the different muscles, ligaments,tendons, and bones involved in the elbow, it can be difficult to figure out exactly why you have pain in one or both elbows.The elbow is the joint that connects your upper arm to your lower arm. While numerous tendons and muscles help stabilize and protect your elbow, the ulnar collateral ligament and the radial collateral ligament are both especially important parts of your anatomy.
If you injure one of these ligaments or damage the cartilage in your elbow joint, you may experience elbow pain.
This article discusses causes, diagnosis, and treatments for elbow pain.
Anupong Thongchan / EyeEm / Getty Images
Causes of Elbow Pain
Many people will experience pain in one elbow, especially if they’ve injured themselves during an accident or if they’ve overexerted their elbow while playing a sport.Olecranon bursitisis another condition often affecting one elbow.
However, some people may feel pain in both elbows. Several conditions, including but not limited to tendonitis and arthritis, can cause pain in one or both elbows.
Referred pain from the shoulder or neck can also cause elbow pain, without a problem in the elbow itself.
Tendonitis
Tendonitis is a painful condition that happens when your tendons―the tissues that connect your muscles to your bones―become inflamed. While tendonitis can cause aching pains in your elbow or throughout your arm, the condition is often temporary.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis
Unlike tendonitis, arthritis is a chronic condition. However, there are different types of arthritis.Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks your joints. This condition can cause swelling, pain, and stiffness in your elbows.
RA usually affects joints symmetrically, so if one elbow has symptoms, the other does as well. It affects one or both elbows quite often, in 20% to 65% of cases.
There are soft tissues in your elbows that help cushion and protect your bones. These tissues normally work as shock absorbers, allowing your joint to move without the bones painfully rubbing against each other.
If you have RA, thesynovialmembrane swells and thickens. You may have a smaller range of motion in your elbows. You may also feel throbbing, aching, or radiating pains, especially when you wake up in the morning or if you haven’t moved your arms for a long period of time.While there’s no cure for RA, your healthcare provider may prescribe medications.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is another common culprit in chronic elbow pain. It tends to affect the joint on one side first, but the other elbow may also develop it.Unfortunately, osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that, like RA, can’t be cured. However, there are several options to reduce the pain and prevent further injury to the joints.If you have osteoarthritis in your elbows, the soft tissues between your bones have begun to erode. As you age, repeated movement and pressure on your joints can eventually wear away the cartilage in your elbows. Without these soft tissues to pillow your elbow, you may feel like your arm is stiff or aches.While you may not be able to rebuild or replace the lost tissues in your elbow, you can wear elbow braces and do low-impact activities to preserve the remaining cartilage.
Diagnosing Elbow Pain
Your general practitioner or a specialist, such as a rheumatologist, may use several different methods to diagnose the cause of your elbow pain.
Physical Exam
A physical exam can help your healthcare provider understand where and why exactly you are hurting. The healthcare provider may feel and move your elbow, rotating your arm to pinpoint swelling, irritation, or potential injuries. They may ask you to raise your arms, bend your elbow, or clench your fists to observe your range of motion.
Imaging
An X-ray ormagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)can show the condition of the bones in your arm, so these imaging tests are especially helpful when analyzing whether a skeletal issue may be causing your elbow pain.Imaging tests can reveal advanced osteoarthritis or bone fractures.
Lab Tests
After a physical exam, your healthcare provider may decide lab tests will be useful. Blood tests canhelp identify RAor another autoimmune condition, infection, cancer, or other illnesses that may be contributing to your elbow pain.
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Treatment of Elbow Pain
There are several potential treatment options depending on the cause of your elbow pain.
Medications
Over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol (acetaminophen) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, naproxen (Aleve), and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) are common medications used to relieve elbow pain.
A healthcare provider may recommend an opioid drug such as oxycodone or hydrocodone if you have an advanced form of arthritis or a serious elbow injury. Use opioids only as prescribed due to the risk of addiction.
If rheumatoid arthritis is the cause of your elbow pain,treatmentwill usually include immunosuppressants ordisease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Self-Care Strategies
If an injury or overexertion led to your elbow pain, you might need to rest and wear a sports brace for extra support.
Holding a cold or hot compress to your elbow may also be recommended if there is swelling, and people with RA and mild to moderate elbow pain may also apply heat or ice packs to reduce inflammation.
If you have arthritis, your healthcare provider may encourage you to adopt exercise to keep your joints loose and flexible, which can help you move your arms easier in the future. These may include:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Some patients complement their usual medical routine with alternative therapies like acupuncture. While some studies indicate positive outcomes for arthritis patients who get regular acupuncture treatments, especially electro-acupuncture, these therapies are not meant to replace your healthcare provider’s advice or your prescribed medications.Consult with your healthcare provider to determine a medical plan for your specific needs.
If you are experiencing pain, you may wonder when you should consult a healthcare provider. Any pains that disrupt your life are a potential cause for medical concern and may warrant a healthcare provider visit. Otherwise, if your elbow pain doesn’t improve with several days of at-home treatment and rest, you should seek medical advice.If you have an accident or injury that has caused sudden or severe elbow pain, consider visiting your healthcare provider. You may have dislocated or fractured your elbow, and they can determine the severity of your injury.Additionally, if you have already been diagnosed with arthritis but are experiencing new, different, or worsening elbow pains, you may consider visiting your healthcare provider to manage your changing symptoms.
Summary
Pain in one or both elbows can have a number of causes that may require different treatments, including medications, self-care strategies, and alternative therapies. If your elbow pain doesn’t improve with several days of at-home treatment and rest or you’ve had an accident or injury, you should talk to a healthcare provider who can help diagnose and treat your elbow pain.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bhabra G, Wang A, Ebert JR, Edwards P, Zheng M, Zheng MH.Lateral elbow tendinopathy.Orthop J Sports Med. 2016;4(11):2325967116670635. doi:10.1177/2325967116670635Schäfer VS, Recker F, Vossen D, Geffken I, Matuschek E, Hartung W.Prevalence of elbow joint arthritis and enthesitis in rheumatoid arthritis.J Clin Med. 2020;9(5). doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9051590Sanchez-Sotelo J.Elbow rheumatoid elbow: surgical treatment options.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2016;9(2):224-231. doi:10.1007%2Fs12178-016-9328-9Michigan Medicine.Comparing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.Pooley J, Van der Linden D.Clinical and pathological perspectives on elbow arthritis and arthroplasty.Annals of Joint. 2021;6:9-9. doi:10.21037/aoj-19-178Groves C, Chandramohan M, Chew NS, Aslam T, Helliwell PS.Clinical examination, ultrasound and MRI imaging of the painful elbow in psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: which is better, ultrasound or MR, for imaging enthesitis?Rheumatol Ther. 2017;4(1):71-84. doi:10.1007/s40744-017-0053-7MedlinePlus.Rheumatoid factor (RF) test.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).The treatment options for tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Exercise and sports for rheumatoid arthritis.Liu Y-S, Gadau M, Zhang G-X, et al.Acupuncture treatment of lateral elbow pain: a nonrandomized pilot study.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:1-8. doi:10.1155/2016/8182071
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bhabra G, Wang A, Ebert JR, Edwards P, Zheng M, Zheng MH.Lateral elbow tendinopathy.Orthop J Sports Med. 2016;4(11):2325967116670635. doi:10.1177/2325967116670635Schäfer VS, Recker F, Vossen D, Geffken I, Matuschek E, Hartung W.Prevalence of elbow joint arthritis and enthesitis in rheumatoid arthritis.J Clin Med. 2020;9(5). doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9051590Sanchez-Sotelo J.Elbow rheumatoid elbow: surgical treatment options.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2016;9(2):224-231. doi:10.1007%2Fs12178-016-9328-9Michigan Medicine.Comparing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.Pooley J, Van der Linden D.Clinical and pathological perspectives on elbow arthritis and arthroplasty.Annals of Joint. 2021;6:9-9. doi:10.21037/aoj-19-178Groves C, Chandramohan M, Chew NS, Aslam T, Helliwell PS.Clinical examination, ultrasound and MRI imaging of the painful elbow in psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: which is better, ultrasound or MR, for imaging enthesitis?Rheumatol Ther. 2017;4(1):71-84. doi:10.1007/s40744-017-0053-7MedlinePlus.Rheumatoid factor (RF) test.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).The treatment options for tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Exercise and sports for rheumatoid arthritis.Liu Y-S, Gadau M, Zhang G-X, et al.Acupuncture treatment of lateral elbow pain: a nonrandomized pilot study.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:1-8. doi:10.1155/2016/8182071
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bhabra G, Wang A, Ebert JR, Edwards P, Zheng M, Zheng MH.Lateral elbow tendinopathy.Orthop J Sports Med. 2016;4(11):2325967116670635. doi:10.1177/2325967116670635Schäfer VS, Recker F, Vossen D, Geffken I, Matuschek E, Hartung W.Prevalence of elbow joint arthritis and enthesitis in rheumatoid arthritis.J Clin Med. 2020;9(5). doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9051590Sanchez-Sotelo J.Elbow rheumatoid elbow: surgical treatment options.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2016;9(2):224-231. doi:10.1007%2Fs12178-016-9328-9Michigan Medicine.Comparing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.Pooley J, Van der Linden D.Clinical and pathological perspectives on elbow arthritis and arthroplasty.Annals of Joint. 2021;6:9-9. doi:10.21037/aoj-19-178Groves C, Chandramohan M, Chew NS, Aslam T, Helliwell PS.Clinical examination, ultrasound and MRI imaging of the painful elbow in psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: which is better, ultrasound or MR, for imaging enthesitis?Rheumatol Ther. 2017;4(1):71-84. doi:10.1007/s40744-017-0053-7MedlinePlus.Rheumatoid factor (RF) test.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).The treatment options for tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Exercise and sports for rheumatoid arthritis.Liu Y-S, Gadau M, Zhang G-X, et al.Acupuncture treatment of lateral elbow pain: a nonrandomized pilot study.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:1-8. doi:10.1155/2016/8182071
Bhabra G, Wang A, Ebert JR, Edwards P, Zheng M, Zheng MH.Lateral elbow tendinopathy.Orthop J Sports Med. 2016;4(11):2325967116670635. doi:10.1177/2325967116670635
Schäfer VS, Recker F, Vossen D, Geffken I, Matuschek E, Hartung W.Prevalence of elbow joint arthritis and enthesitis in rheumatoid arthritis.J Clin Med. 2020;9(5). doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9051590
Sanchez-Sotelo J.Elbow rheumatoid elbow: surgical treatment options.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2016;9(2):224-231. doi:10.1007%2Fs12178-016-9328-9
Michigan Medicine.Comparing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Pooley J, Van der Linden D.Clinical and pathological perspectives on elbow arthritis and arthroplasty.Annals of Joint. 2021;6:9-9. doi:10.21037/aoj-19-178
Groves C, Chandramohan M, Chew NS, Aslam T, Helliwell PS.Clinical examination, ultrasound and MRI imaging of the painful elbow in psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: which is better, ultrasound or MR, for imaging enthesitis?Rheumatol Ther. 2017;4(1):71-84. doi:10.1007/s40744-017-0053-7
MedlinePlus.Rheumatoid factor (RF) test.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).The treatment options for tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Exercise and sports for rheumatoid arthritis.
Liu Y-S, Gadau M, Zhang G-X, et al.Acupuncture treatment of lateral elbow pain: a nonrandomized pilot study.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:1-8. doi:10.1155/2016/8182071
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