What Causes Elbow Joint Pain and How Can a Woodstock Chiropractor Offer Relief?
Many people in Georgia feel pain in their elbows, causing enough discomfort to affect their daily activities. Still, not everyone knows what causes elbow joint pain. Woodstock’s trusted chiropractor. Ribley Family Chiropractic, outlines the common causes of elbow pain and how chiropractic care can help.
What Causes Elbow Joint Pain? The Most Common Culprits
So, what causes elbow joint pain for most people? Often, the issue is epicondylitis, which is inflammation in the elbow’s tendons. However, there are several specific conditions that people frequently experience that lead to pain, swelling, and discomfort in the joint. Understanding these is key to finding the right treatment.
Types of Elbow Pain and Their Causes
What causes elbow joint pain? For many people, epicondylitis is the cause. Epicondylitis is inflammation in the elbow’s tendons. Yet, there are specific conditions that people often experience that cause pain, swelling, and discomfort in the joint.
Tennis Elbow
Up to 3% of the country’s adult population suffers from tennis elbow in their dominant arm. You don’t have to be a tennis player to develop the condition though. Anyone who repeatedly makes the same movements with their hands and arms can have tennis elbow. This is a very common answer to what causes elbow joint pain.
This condition develops when you put repetitive stress on your forearm muscles, which causes the elbow tendons on the outside of the joint to swell, degrade, or develop tiny tears. Over time, this degradation can generate irregular scar tissue, making the joint weaker. As a result, most adults with tennis elbow are between the ages of 30 and 55.
Symptoms include a radiating pain from the outside of the elbow that can reach the forearm and wrist. It often becomes difficult to bend and lift the arm, grip small objects, or even shake someone’s hand.
Golfer’s Elbow
Unlike tennis elbow, what causes elbow joint pain in golfer’s elbow is inflammation on the inside of the elbow joint. The condition affects the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow.
If you develop golfer’s elbow from constant repetitive movements (like swinging a golf club, pitching a baseball, or even repetitive hand motions at a computer), your elbow tendons can become inflamed, stiff, and sore. In severe cases, the pain from the inside of the elbow can shoot down to the wrist and may be accompanied by numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers.
Olecranon Bursitis
Another answer to what causes elbow joint pain is bursitis. The olecranon bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac on the pointy tip of your elbow that helps the skin move smoothly over the bone. Bursitis occurs when this sac becomes inflamed or irritated. This can happen from a direct blow to the elbow, prolonged pressure (like leaning on a desk for long periods), infection, or other medical conditions like arthritis. The primary symptom is swelling at the tip of the elbow, which can look like a small ball, along with pain and tenderness.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a well-known answer to what causes elbow joint pain, particularly in older adults. Osteoarthritis, the “wear-and-tear” type, can break down the cartilage in the elbow joint over time, leading to pain, stiffness, and a decreased range of motion. Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, can also attack the lining of the elbow joint, causing painful inflammation and swelling.
Chiropractic Treatment for Elbow Joint Pain
Chiropractic adjustments and treatments are effective for treating elbow joint pain. Chiropractors in Woodstock assess their patients to determine the extent of their conditions and the best methods to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. These professionals will target the cause of the pain and swelling instead of focusing solely on their patients’ symptoms.
Examples of chiropractic treatments for golfer’s and tennis elbow are:
- Graston Therapy: This treatment focuses on the elbow’s muscles and tendons to release inflammation and fascial adhesions. The therapy will reduce swelling and improve the joint’s range of motion.
- Arm Joint Manipulation: Though many people in Woodstock understand that chiropractors can manipulate the spine during adjustments, they might not know they can also adjust the joints in their arms to improve movement and reduce discomfort.
- Kinesio Tape: This therapeutic tape can help support the elbow joint to lessen pain.
Improve Your Joint Paint With Help From One of Woodstock’s Best Chiropractors
Ribley Family Chiropractic has over two decades of experience providing chiropractic care and massage therapy throughout Woodstock, GA. Their specialists understand what causes elbow joint pain, knee pain, and other aches that can affect your daily life. Their doctors and specialists help treat everything from sports injuries to epicondylitis.
Call Ribley Family Chiropractic today to request an appointment.