Elbow Injuries - What you need to know

Damage to the elbow may happen due to wear and tear from sport activities, or physical traumas like fractures causing ligament injuries to the elbow. In some of these cases, the damage might be severe enough to affect one's daily mobility and quality of life, and does not heal on its own. In these cases, elbow surgeries might be necessary to minimize the disruptions to daily activities.

In this article, we share with you what you need to know about Knee Replacements.

Table of contents:

1. Understanding the Elbow

2. How Elbow Injuries occur

3. When is Elbow Surgery required?

4. Conclusion

Understanding the Elbow

The elbow is a hinge joint comprised of 3 bones - humerus, radius and ulna. Ligaments hold the bones together to provide stability to the joint. There are tendons that attach the muscles to the bones around the elbow, and together help to provide force to move the bones and perform activities.

When any of the components are damaged i.e. muscles, tendons and including the nerves (e.g. ulnar nerve) which are affiliated with them, the patient experiences pain.

Additionally, the surfaces of the elbow joint are covered by a smooth elastic soft tissue called cartilage.

The cartilage allows the joint surfaces to glide smoothly and painlessly against each other. Damage to that cartilage is called osteoarthritis of the elbow joint, or elbow arthritis.

How Elbow Injuries occur

Elbow injuries may occur due to:

• Physical trauma like fractures

• Overuse of the elbow through repetitive motions

• Wear and Tear

Repetitive motions such as bending and straightening can lead to strain on the elbow. This may be part of sports injuries, from work or even hobbies.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Elbow Injuries

Patients with elbow injuries can present with symptoms like:

• Ache at the elbow (either inside or outside, in severe cases a burning pain)

• Weaker grip

• Swelling and pain

• Limited elbow range of motion

Tennis elbow and golfer elbow are two of the most common forms of elbow injuries, and is not necessarily only experienced in people who play sports.

This can sometimes be severe enough to affect one's daily mobility and quality of life, such as simple activities like mopping the floor, or carrying items. The pain may also radiate to one's lower or upper arm, or both. The diagnosis of elbow injuries is made after a thorough clinical assessment of the elbow joint. X-rays and MRI scans may also be done to confirm the diagnosis.

When is Elbow surgery required?

Most elbow pain tend to go away on its own after a few days after the inflammation subsides. However if the pain persists, or it's significant enough to affect your daily activities, you might want to consider contacting a orthopaedic clinic like us, where we have highly experienced orthopaedic surgeons ready to help you.

A thorough diagnosis of elbow pain and condition will be carried out. Patients with mild symptoms may be treated non-surgically with a course of rehabilitation. However, patients with severe symptoms such as persistent pain may be candidates for surgical treatment, in the form of knee replacement surgery.

In some patients with elbow fractures, elbow surgery is required to repair the fracture to the correct alignment. Patients with elbow arthritis, bursitis and tennis elbow may also need surgery in order to relieve their condition and elbow pain.

What are the different types of elbow surgeries available?

Different types of surgeries exist for different elbow injuries. They include:

• Synovectomy

The synovium is a membrane lining the elbow joint, lubricating it during movement. In patients with elbow arthritis, the synovium becomes inflamed and causes pain during movement. This surgical procedure involves the removal of the synovium at the elbow joint.

The rehabilitation process after the surgery is generally supervised by a physiotherapist, and consists of progressive range of motion exercises, muscle strengthening exercises, and functional therapy. The whole rehabilitation process may last to 8-12 weeks following the procedure.

• Arthroscopic Debridement

Arthroscopic debridement is a minimally invasive technique of visualizing the inside of a joint, allowing the elbow surgeon to diagnose and treat many problems of the elbow through a series of very small incisions. Because the incisions used with arthroscopy are smaller and disrupt less soft tissue than conventional open surgery, pain, swelling and stiffness are minimized, and recovery is often faster.

The rehabilitation process after the surgery is generally supervised by a physiotherapist, and consists of progressive range of motion exercises, muscle strengthening exercises, and functional therapy. The whole rehabilitation process may last to 6-8 weeks following the procedure.

• Total Elbow Arthroplasty or Replacement

Patients with damaged humerus and or ulna are replaced with artificial components. These implants do not last for many years, and so are not recommended for younger patients. A 3-4 day stay in hospital is usually required after the surgery.

The rehabilitation process after the surgery is generally supervised by a physiotherapist, and consists of progressive range of motion exercises, muscle strengthening exercises, and functional therapy. The whole rehabilitation process may last to 3-6 months following the procedure.

What happens before the surgery?

Typically 12 hours before the surgery, you would be asked to stop eating and drinking. This is to prevent regurgitation of food when general anesthesia is administered before the surgery. At the clinic, anesthesia will be administered.

What happens after the surgery?

Your elbow will be wrapped with a splint or cast after surgery, and you may experience pain from the surgical site from time to time, in which your doctor will administer painkillers for. Beside resting, a rehabilitation (or physical therapy) program will also be necessary for swift recovery of the elbow. Full recovery typically takes around 4 to 6 months, in which your physical therapist will update you on your progress after every session.

Conclusion

Most elbow pain will go away on its own, but if it is severe enough to affect your daily activities, seek medical care from an orthopaedic surgeon like us, and we'll help you to diagnose and recommend the right treatment for your elbow condition and other orthopaedic conditions to relieve any painful symptoms. At Orthohandpartners, we are ready to provide with you the quality care you require.