You use your elbows for nearly every daily activity involving your arms. When you have elbow pain, it may be difficult to perform simple tasks like brushing your teeth, getting dressed or typing on a keyboard.
At Advent Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we treat a variety of conditions that cause elbow pain. Take a look below at some of the reasons you may need to visit our clinic for elbow pain treatment:
1. Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and other forms of the disease can cause damage to the cartilage in your elbow joint. This causes the bones in the joint to rub against one another, which is painful and limits your range of motion.
2. Tendinitis
Common elbow conditions like tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow are forms of tendinitis. This is an inflammation of the tendons in your elbow caused by overusing the joint. Overuse strains the muscles, which shifts more responsibility for activity to the tendons. When this happens, the tendons can easily stretch and tear, which leads to tendinitis.
3. Bursitis
Small sacs of fluid called the bursae serve as cushions between soft tissue like skin or tendons and the bones in your joints. Certain injuries or pressure on the joints can cause inflammation in the bursae known as bursitis. This condition is painful and can limit your ability to move your elbow.
4. Dislocation
An impact to the arm can cause the ball of the elbow joint to dislocate from the socket. This typically happens as a result of falling with your arms outreached and landing on your hands. It’s more difficult to dislocate the elbow than it is to dislocate the shoulder. When the elbow is dislocated, there is usually some damage to the surrounding soft tissue or bones that requires treatment.
5. Fracture
A blunt impact to the elbow can cause one or more bones in the joint to break. This might include small hairline fractures and total breaks of the bone.
Visit Advent Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids for elbow pain treatment
If you have one of these conditions or some other form of elbow pain, our physical therapists in Grand Rapids can help. We will examine your elbow to determine the cause of your pain and develop a personalized treatment to help you recover. Contact our team today for more information about elbow pain treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.