Bend and straighten, bend, and straighten. That’s what your elbows
do hundreds of times a day. Don’t forget pronation, when the arm
rotates so the hand faces down, or supination, as if you placed your palm
down on a flat surface.
Your elbow performs these repetitive tasks over and over, and you don’t
think about it. That is, until something is wrong with your elbow, and
you can’t function the way you should.
Think of the elbow as a junction, where two bones of your forearm come
together with another bone of your upper arm, the humerus. On the forearm,
there’s the radius, located on the thumb side of your arm, and the
ulna on the other, pinky-finger side. They’re joined by the usual
group of muscles, tendons, and ligaments to allow your elbow to work its
versatile magic.
If you’ve had damage to your elbow joint or surrounding soft tissue,
you may experience pain that interferes with how you live your active life.
Assessing Your Elbows
Here at the Orthopedic Institute at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center,
your orthopedic surgeon will begin with your medical history, to obtain
a comprehensive background on you and your current complaint. Then your
doctor will perform a physical examination that might include these basic
tests that assess different functions:
Palpation
Range of motion test
Stability test
Sensory test
Nerves test
X-ray
Computerized tomography or CT scan
Ultrasound
Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI
Elbow Symptoms and Conditions We Treat
Arthritis
Bone and joint infections
Bursitis
Cubital tunnel syndrome
Dislocation
Elbow fracture
Elbow instability
Elbow pain
Elbow replacement
Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
Humerus fracture
Joint instability
Ligament injury or sprain of the elbow
Osteoarthritis
Osteonecrosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sports injuries
Tendinitis
Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Nonsurgical Treatments for Elbow Conditions
From athletes, to aspiring athletes, to people who just want to regain
elbow mobility, our orthopedic surgeons welcome the opportunity to help
you feel better and function better. Before recommending surgery, your
physician may suggest:
Ice or cryotherapy
Rest or modification of activities
Splinting or immobilization: These restrict movement that allows you to heal faster.
Over-the-counter pain relievers: Those most often used include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),
such as naproxen or ibuprofen. Acetaminophen can ease pain but not inflammation.
Corticosteroids: These may be injected into the knee joint to provide temporary pain relief
and reduce swelling, but these are not always successful. Injections are
usually limited to four times annually.
Platelet-rich plasma: This injection is made from your blood cells called platelets, that contain
growth factors to help injured tissue heal faster. The blood is taken
from your arm.
Physical therapy: Committing to a program and following directions may increase elbow range
of motion and flexibility and diminish pain.
What’s Causing Elbow Discomfort?
You’ve come to see our orthopedic surgeons because maybe you’re
experiencing any of the following caused by injury or overuse, or maybe
by age-related changes:
Inability to move the way you used to move
Inflammation
Pain
Stiffness
Swelling
Weakness
Elbow Surgeries Performed
Arthroscopy
Bone spur removal
Bursitis
Elbow replacement
Fracture repair
Synovectomy
Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) repair
Minimally Invasive Surgery
If your surgeon performs a minimally invasive procedure, that means less
of the tissue in the elbow will be cut, using smaller incisions that disturb
less of that tissue. Your surgeon will determine if you are a suitable
candidate for this type of procedure, which provides you these advantages:
Shorter recovery time
Less postoperative pain
Less trauma to the tissues around your joint
Less scarring and less blood loss
Quicker rehabilitation
Whatever your needs, you can trust your elbow care to the expert orthopedic
surgeons at the Orthopedic Institute at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.
After Your Surgery
Our surgical team is dedicated to helping you get back to normal faster
after elbow surgery, and to ensuring your post-operative experience goes smoothly.
The care team is here for you before, during, and after your procedure,
to answer any questions you may have, no matter how detailed. We’re
committed to your success, and to your return to being the active person
you’ve always been.
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