Elbow Pain Specialist

What causes elbow pain?

Your elbow joint is made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that work together to bend and straighten your elbow. When you damage any of these structures, it can lead to constant elbow pain.

You can develop elbow pain because of trauma to your joint from a fall or auto accident. If you participate in sports, you can be at risk of chronic elbow pain because of direct-contact injuries or overuse of the structures in your joint.

Common causes of persistent elbow pain the team at Alpine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine diagnoses and treats include:

• Bursitis
• Fractures
• Dislocations
• Osteoarthritis
• Tendinopathy (tennis elbow)

You can also suffer elbow pain due to strains and sprains of the muscles and ligaments surrounding your joints.

How is elbow pain diagnosed?

During a diagnostic evaluation of elbow pain, your provider examines your elbow and checks for swelling. They also test your range of motion.

To identify soft-tissue tears, osteoarthritis, or fractures, they may request X-rays or other diagnostic imaging tests.

Based on your evaluation results, your provider creates a treatment plan to relieve your pain and restore the function and range of motion in your elbow joint.

How is elbow pain treated?

Sometimes persistent elbow pain resists relief using over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. 

In those cases, your provider offers minimally invasive procedures that can preserve your joint. They provide advanced regenerative therapies, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem cell therapy.

Injecting PRP and stem cells into your elbow joint stimulates your body’s healing processes. PRP contains growth factors that trigger the healing of the damaged tissue from the inside out. Stem cells can change into any kind of cell, including bone, nerve, and soft tissue, to repair damaged structures in your elbow joint.

For elbow pain from chronic tendinopathy, Alpine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine performs the minimally invasive TENEX procedure. During the procedure, your provider uses ultrasound imaging to identify the damaged tissue.

After administering a local anesthetic to numb the area, they apply the TENEX tool, which uses precise ultrasonic energy to break down and remove the damaged tissue and stimulate your body’s natural healing response. 

If you’ve suffered severe damage or a deformity due to osteoarthritis or a fracture, the team may recommend surgery to repair or replace the joint. Following surgery, you can benefit from physical therapy to strengthen the muscles that support your joint.

To find out more about the treatment of elbow pain, call the office Alpine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine today or request a consultation online.