One of the unpleasant injuries that significantly impairs a person’s performance and quality of life is a sprain of the elbow joint.
Moreover, you should know that stretching, as such, does not occur; a rupture or complete separation of the ligament occurs. Since the connective tissue fibers of ligaments do not stretch well, the collagen fibers of which they are composed are torn, partially or completely, due to excessive stress.
A sprain of the elbow joint can be a separate pathology or be combined with a rupture of the capsule and a dislocation in the elbow joint or a fracture.
The main cause of sprains in the elbow joint is exceeding the permissible limit for their stretching. Typically, such injuries occur due to the so-called hyperextension, that is, hyperextension of the arm at the elbow beyond normal limits.
Sprains are at risk for people who have made a significant physical effort or turned their hand incorrectly, for example, when lifting something heavy. Also at risk are athletes involved in contact sports (wrestling, sambo, judo), as well as those where there is a high probability of falls.
The first sign of injury is pain. At the time of spraining, the pain can be severe, especially if, in addition to spraining, there is a dislocation in the elbow joint. In some cases, during competition, in the heat of the fight, pain may not be felt at first. But later it manifests itself, and becomes stronger the more significant the ligament tear is. When you press on the area of the injured ligament, the pain intensifies.
Swelling of the soft tissues when the ligaments in the elbow joint are sprained can be almost invisible or clearly pronounced, depending on how severely the ligaments are torn. The swelling may appear almost immediately after the injury or form within several hours after it.
Another sign of stretching is subcutaneous hemorrhages. Since there are a significant number of blood vessels in the ligaments, when the fibers break, they are also damaged. As a result, hemorrhage forms near the stretch site. Typically, bruising occurs with a moderate sprain or with a complete tear of the ligament and rupture of the elbow joint capsule.
Limited mobility in the elbow joint is a consequence of the signs of sprain described above. Due to the increase in swelling of the soft tissues and pain, straightening the arm at the elbow becomes painful and unpleasant.
If after an injury there is severe pain, swelling, hematoma, and it becomes almost impossible to move the arm, most likely there has been a complete tear of the ligament, a dislocation in the elbow joint, or a fracture.
Treating a sprained ligament in the elbow joint should begin with first aid. Correctly provided prehospital care can significantly reduce recovery time after injury. It is good if there is a medical worker present at sports competitions who can provide first aid. But often sprains and dislocations occur far from medical facilities. Therefore, in order to do everything correctly and not cause harm, it is necessary to observe two basic principles of first aid for injuries: immobilization and cold. Even if not only a sprain occurs, but also a dislocation with rupture of the joint capsule, such help will be correct.
Cold is used to reduce swelling, stop internal bleeding and relieve pain. It is best to apply ice wrapped in a scarf or towel to the injury site. But you can also use other cold items that are available. Ice is especially effective in the first 10-15 minutes after injury. But even later it can be applied for 15-20 minutes, with breaks of several hours.
The second point is to perform immobilization, that is, immobilize the hand using available means. It is not always possible to apply a splint, so a scarf or elastic bandage is used that is wrapped around the injured area. It is advisable to hang the arm in front of the chest, in a slightly elevated position, of course, if it can be bent.
Bandage for fixing the elbow joint
After first aid has been provided, it is advisable to see a traumatologist who would establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment. In many cases, after examination and x-ray examination, this is not difficult to do. Even if the injury is minor, you should not ignore seeking medical help. After all, without proper and timely treatment, complications may arise, or recovery time may be delayed.
Treatment for elbow sprains is usually conservative. Surgery may be necessary if there is a complete tear of the ligament, rupture of the elbow joint capsule, fracture, or a large hematoma. In other cases, treatment consists of further immobilization of the elbow joint and creating conditions for rapid regeneration of connective tissue.
Treatment for elbow sprain also includes the use of medications. Most often these are analgesics that are administered intramuscularly or taken orally. Ointments and gels containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are applied to the sprained area. Such drugs, which contain main active ingredients such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, indomethacin, relieve pain well and reduce inflammation. 5-7 days after the sprain, warming ointments and physiotherapeutic procedures with dry heat can be used.
In order to avoid stiffness in the elbow joint and contractures, it is important to begin physical therapy exercises immediately after the pain disappears. If the sprain is complex, combined with a dislocation or fracture, you need to do this under the guidance of a physical therapy instructor. The load should be increased gradually, doing this regularly, until the functions in the elbow joint are completely restored.
The elbow joint of every powerlifting or bodybuilding athlete is the most vulnerable point. The main specificity of training and exercises of this sport is a set of strength exercises, which puts a huge load on the musculoskeletal system of the elbow joints.
There are several exercises in powerlifting that place enormous stress on the elbow and shoulder joints. Such exercises include deadlifts, bench presses and squats.
In bodybuilding, elbow injuries most often occur due to exercises performed repeatedly. Then the bones are forced to move along a trajectory that is unnatural for them. Such exercises include the French press in a lying position on a bench or standing from behind your head; spreading your arms with dumbbells to the sides or doing push-ups on the uneven bars with a deep amplitude can also be fraught.
Professionals should not think that such an injury can only happen to beginners. Beginners may simply, out of ignorance, incorrectly calculate the weight load, perform the required exercises incorrectly, or simply perform the movements too abruptly. The cause of injury in experienced athletes is most often an overestimation of their own capabilities, and they may also forget that ligaments become weaker with age. Professionals simply overload the elbow joints, which causes injury.
The human elbow joint anatomically has a complex structure, which makes its structure both strong and weak. The elbow joint is where the ulna and radius bones connect to the humerus. There are no blood vessels in the cartilage of the elbow joint, which may explain the slower nutrition of the tendon tissue, which occurs using synovial fluid. That is why, regularly lifting large loads at each workout, injury is caused to the elbow joint, and continuing to exert loads will lead to more severe diseases, for example, arthritis.
It is worth noting that the occurrence of an injury to the elbow joint does not occur instantly; the progression of the disease is quite slow and can sometimes take up to several years. Symptoms that precede the disease include the appearance of pain in the elbow area, which becomes more and more noticeable over time, and the range of motion of the elbow joint when performing various types of exercises decreases over time.
If we take, for example, professional athletes such as weightlifters, the most common diseases they suffer from are epicondylitis and tendonitis. When the first disease occurs, the pain is quite strong, especially when the hand clenches into a fist or squeezes an object. Pain occurs due to the inflammatory process in the elbow joint, which is accompanied by reduced metabolic processes. There is no swelling, no redness, and no changes in the appearance of the joint. Such diseases are most common in athletes over 35 years of age.
Tendenitis is an inflammation of tendon tissue that occurs as a result of overload during training. When palpating, pain is felt, which recedes when the joint is at rest. There is increased temperature, swelling and slight redness, and the joint crunches when moving.
It is not always possible to diagnose the disease at its very peak, because the injury is very difficult to recognize. Most often it is determined with maximum physical effort by an indirect mechanism of damage. The symptoms are extremely similar to a regular bruise, but the swelling is more localized, pain occurs on the sides of the joint and hemorrhage appears under the skin. Damage to the collateral ligament, especially when it is partially torn, is determined only after the joint has been fully extended. The greatest manifestation of the injury is instability of the joint and complicated movements.
Sports elbow injury and treatment
Elbow joint injuries often occur when engaging in sports such as bodybuilding and powerlifting. The predisposition to this type of injury can be explained by the specific nature of these sports. Both powerlifting and bodybuilding are based on a set of exercises that overload the musculoskeletal system of the elbow joint.
The following three main indicators in exercises can assess the skill of powerlifters:
- squats with a barbell on the shoulders;
- lifting the barbell from the bench while in a horizontal position, lying on your back;
- barbell pull “from the floor”.
These exercises are equally dangerous, because the main load of their execution is concentrated on the shoulder joints and elbows.
As for bodybuilding, elbow injury can occur due to regular and prolonged exercise that is performed in an unnatural trajectory. These include:
- bench press in a standing position, from behind the head;
- French press, which is performed in a lying position;
- versatile wide arm spreads, including the use of heavy dumbbells;
— push-ups with deep amplitude, which are performed on uneven bars.
In such situations, not only beginners, but also experienced athletes can suffer. Among beginners, the cause of elbow injury most often lies in sudden movements, unreasonable weight loads and ignorance of the basic rules of exercise safety. Professional, experienced athletes pay with injury for ignoring changes in the elbow joints associated with age.
Symptoms and diagnosis of elbow joint injury
The elbow joint has a complex anatomical structure, which makes it both strong and vulnerable at the same time. This joint looks like a complex connection between the radius and ulna of the forearm and the bone of the upper arm. Since there are no blood vessels in cartilage, the nutrition of the joint tissue slows down and continues to occur only due to synovial fluid. Therefore, long-term training that accompanies lifting heavy weights has a destructive effect on the safety of the elbow joints. In most cases, the consequences are disastrous, and in the absence of proper treatment, they can develop a severe form of arthritis.
As a rule, problems associated with the elbow joints do not arise overnight; they accumulate over years. Strength athletes need to pay attention to the first signs, which are pain and a slight decrease in the working amplitude of the joint during training.
Among many strength workers, epicondylitis and tendinitis are among the occupational diseases of the elbow. Cases such as epicondylitis are accompanied by severe and progressive pain, increasing with the slightest attempt to clench the hand into a fist.
With epicondylitis, the cause of acute pain is nothing more than inflammation of the ligamentous mechanism of the elbow. It occurs due to a decrease in metabolic processes. In the case of this disease, the joint does not undergo swelling or redness, but retains its usual appearance. Often, epicondylitis occurs in athletes who have crossed the thirty-five year age mark.
Elbow tendinitis is accompanied by a process such as inflammation of the tendon tissue. The cause of the disease is training overload. All sorts of pain sensations arise due to active movements, which athletes perform using the injured tendon. Painful discomfort is also caused by palpating the tendons. In the area of the damaged tendon, an increased body temperature is observed; the slightest movement of the joint is accompanied by an unpleasant crunching sound inside.
Damage to the capsular ligamentous apparatus.
It is quite difficult to diagnose this injury in the acute period. The possibility of rupture of the capsule and ligaments is justified by indirect damage and a significant degree of physical effort. Symptoms of injury can be compared with symptoms of bruises, but the location of swelling, the presence of subcutaneous hemorrhages and pain also deserve attention. Diagnosis of damaged collateral ligaments is possible only if the joint is fully extended. Impaired mobility and joint instability are common complications of damage to the capsular-ligamentous apparatus.
Rest of the elbow joint is the most important factor in the treatment of an injured elbow. Doctors recommend temporarily immobilizing the elbow by applying a plaster splint to it. A drug such as Ibuprofen relieves joint inflammation. Ibuprofen belongs to the group of non-steroidal drugs and has antipyretic and analgesic properties. It is produced both in the form of tablets and in the form of ointments and gels, which are rubbed into the sore joint several times a day. Nurofen, containing codeine and ibuprofen, has similar pharmacological properties.
If positive results are delayed during treatment, it is customary to inject antibiotics and corticosteroids into the inflamed tendons. Shock wave therapy and laser therapy are advanced forms of treatment for such injuries.
Doctors, however, do not recommend complete cessation of physical activity in the area of the elbow joints. Exercises with minimal impact will promote rapid recovery of the elbow joints.
If you have had an elbow injury in the past, adjust your exercise routine and practice while wearing a preventative elbow brace. It will serve as effective compression support for the joints.
Don't forget that a smart approach to training and gradually increasing loads will help you avoid similar injuries in the future.
An integral part of the treatment is preventing the destruction of cartilage and helping to accelerate its regeneration. This problem can be solved by using sports supplements such as methylsulfonylmethane, chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. The effect of use will become noticeable no earlier than after 1-2 months and will persist for 2-3 months from the moment you stop taking the drug. Doctors prescribe such drugs in long and repeated courses, sometimes even for several years.
Elbow sprains and ruptures are two stages of the same injury that often occur in athletes. Ligaments are dense connective tissue bands that hold the elbow bones in an anatomically correct position and control the range of its movements. Normally, they are low-elastic, so sudden movements or falls cause the fibers to break. Treatment methods for injury and rehabilitation time depend on the severity of the injury and accompanying symptoms.
The main types of injuries to the elbow ligaments are their sprain and rupture. The mechanism of these injuries is identical, but the difference is in the number of fibers that have retained their integrity.
When diagnosing, it is customary to use the following definitions:
An elbow sprain is the first degree of ligament rupture. These structures are not able to lengthen like muscles, so increased load on them is immediately accompanied by tearing of the fibers. A complete tear of the ligament can occur at its center or at its attachment to the bone. In the second case, there is a risk of a bone fragment being torn off, which is called an avulsion fracture.
You can sprain your elbow ligaments while playing sports or at home. The main cause of this injury is exceeding the range of motion of the joint or giving it an unnatural position (if you fall on your elbow). It can also occur with less intense, but prolonged loads on the ligaments, after which they do not have time to recover.
Elbow sprains and tears are common sports injuries. Depending on their location, doctors distinguish several varieties:
The risk of injury increases with age, as well as with poor diet and bad habits. If the ligaments do not receive enough nutrients, they become less strong and elastic, so the fibers can tear with little impact.
Immediately at the moment of sprain or rupture of the ligaments, the patient feels pain. After a few hours it intensifies, and extensive swelling of the injured area appears. Symptoms may vary depending on the location of the ligament, as well as the severity of the damage.
Based on the severity of injuries to the ligamentous apparatus of the elbow joint, there are 3 main degrees:
The main symptoms of rupture and sprain are pain and inflammation. These injuries must be distinguished from injuries to tendons and muscle fibers, which present with a similar clinical picture.
During diagnosis, it is important to determine the degree of sprain and determine the functionality of the ligament. It is also necessary to check the integrity of the joint bones, muscles and tendons. For this, a set of instrumental studies is prescribed:
If necessary, the patient is referred to an MRI or CT scan. These diagnostic methods will accurately determine the number of damaged fibers and the severity of the injury. However, with minor pain and preservation of elbow mobility, you can limit yourself to ultrasound and radiography.
First aid after injury is measures aimed at fixing the limb, reducing pain and stopping bleeding. Self-medication is dangerous, especially if the ligament is completely torn or a large number of its fibers are damaged. However, there are several first aid methods that will be useful:
Even with a mild sprain, you should seek medical help. Ligaments heal slowly, and if you do not pay attention to treating the injury, they may lose elasticity.
Treatment of injury is mainly conservative. In the first few days, it is important to fix the elbow in a half-bent and slightly raised position so that fluid does not accumulate in the subcutaneous tissues. You can also apply ice and cold compresses.
In the future, the doctor may recommend wearing a rigid removable splint. It is worn for a day, but is periodically removed to develop muscles and ligaments. Unlike a plaster cast, it can also be used for open wounds in the elbow area.
The main treatment regimen is the use of drugs for external use in the form of ointment, cream or gel.
They are selected according to indications and may contain different active ingredients. To treat sprains, the following groups of medications are prescribed:
The operation is performed only in case of complete rupture of the ligament, as well as when it is separated from the bone. Surgery occurs under local anesthesia, and the recovery period can take several months. Healing takes place under a tight bandage.
Recovery can take from 10-15 days to 3-6 months.
The main goal of all activities is to strengthen the ligaments and maintain their elasticity. In addition to drug treatment, the following types of procedures will be useful:
Gymnastics can be performed at home as soon as the acute pain passes and the swelling subsides. The main exercises are movements of the limb in the elbow joint (flexion, extension and rotation). Then you can begin to strengthen the ligaments - lean on your hands and gradually transfer weight to them.
Additionally, it is worth taking a course of massage and physiotherapy. These activities will allow you to relax your muscles, improve blood circulation and tissue nutrition. At home, you can gently massage the muscles of the shoulder and forearm, and make paraffin applications. The course is long; in general, rehabilitation may take from 1 to 6 months.
Elbow sprains and ruptures are injuries of varying severity. They are accompanied by pain, inflammation and swelling of tissues.
Treatment at home is possible only after diagnosing the injury and subject to maintaining the anatomical integrity of the structures.
For recovery, medicinal ointments, physical exercise, massage and physiotherapy are prescribed.
A set of effective exercises for restoring elbow ligaments after sprain
In everyday life, a person makes many movements with his hands, so most injuries occur in the upper limbs. So, the likelihood of getting a bruise to the elbow joint is especially high. Symptoms of the disease can be “intertwined” with signs of the consequences of an injury, for example, a dislocation. But how to recognize what exactly happened in the joint? To determine this, a specialist will need to analyze step by step the mechanism of injury and its symptoms.
The elbow joint has a complex structure. This articulation unites the humerus, radius, and ulna. Its structure is also made up of cartilage and a joint capsule. The outside of the joint is covered by a fibrous membrane reinforced by ligaments - a capsule. It contains an arterial network of eight vascular branches and tendons of adjacent muscles. There are also 3 nerves in the elbow area. The volume of active movements in the elbow joints and the physical load placed on the arms during the day are sufficient to explain the frequency of various injuries.
When an injury occurs, only a single structural element of the elbow may be affected, or the damage may be more extensive. The degree of tissue damage always depends on the direction and strength of external influence.
One type of injury to the upper limb is a contusion of the elbow joint. What happens with this type of mechanical action? An elbow bruise is an injury in which soft tissue (muscles, blood vessels, skin) is damaged due to a blow, compression or push. Due to strong external forces, the ligaments, tendons, capsule, nerves, cartilage and/or bones that make up the joint may also be damaged.
The consequences of a bruise are the following pathological changes:
Most often, the elbow is injured when it accidentally hits a hard object (wall, corner of a cabinet) or falls. You can also get damaged while working at work or in an accident. Situations in which a person is injured most often arise suddenly and occur rapidly.
Each degree of injury has its own symptoms. With a slight impact in the elbow joint, the integrity of the capsule, cartilage, bones and ligaments is preserved. However, due to the superficial location of the nerve trunks, a person, at the moment of a collision of the hand with a hard surface or during compression of the elbow, feels an intense, sharp pain of a piercing nature. It is localized not only in the joint area, but radiates throughout the entire arm - from the shoulder to the little finger. The pain is short-term and disappears immediately if the joint tissue is not damaged.
A severe bruise is manifested by the following symptoms:
The main difference between a bruise and a dislocation, fracture, rupture: the severity of signs of injury gradually increases, the joint completely loses mobility not immediately after the injury, but as the size of the edema and hematoma increases.
When performing magnetic resonance imaging, specialists will see an enlarged capsule or synovial bursa, displacement of the fat pad, damage to cartilage, bones, ligaments, muscle tendons, and narrowing of the interarticular space. X-rays may show deformation of the contours of the joint and intra-articular cavity.
Later, the pain may increase and spread to the entire arm. New symptoms appear in the shoulder and fingers: numbness, tingling, crawling sensation. Movement restrictions in the cyst arise: it is difficult for the patient to clench the hand into a fist. This happens when the ulnar nerve is ,
After an injury, swelling increases if fluid, blood or pus accumulates in the joint or periarticular area. Redness of the skin also occurs, and the local temperature rises. The arm at the elbow has difficulty bending and unbending. This is how bursitis, synovitis, and hemarthrosis are formed.
Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures include joint puncture. If there is excess liquid in the cavity, it is sucked out using a syringe. The joint cavity is washed with novocaine.
Complex consequences of a bruise include fracture, dislocation, ligament and tendon ruptures, and post-traumatic arthrosis. In this case, the joint completely loses its functionality, increases in size, and becomes deformed. Muscle tendon ruptures can manifest as subcutaneous lumps near the elbow. Complex consequences are eliminated using medications, physiotherapeutic and surgical methods.
Post-traumatic arthrosis is considered an insidious disease. Its symptoms develop gradually as the destruction of cartilage occurs over a long period. Initially, the affected person experiences discomfort, intermittent moderate pain, movements of the elbow are accompanied by crunching and clicking. Symptoms gradually intensify, and later bone deformation may appear. Often, a characteristic clinical picture develops several years after the injury.
A bruise without a contusion occurs with increased permeability of the walls of blood vessels, their fragility and reduced elasticity. The integrity of the vascular wall can be affected by increases in blood pressure, arrhythmia, and excessive stress on the cardiovascular system. This can lead to the formation of subcutaneous hemorrhage.
The following pathological conditions can also cause bruises:
Soreness, swelling of the tissues of the elbow, limited mobility of the joint occurs with arthritis, arthrosis, severe allergies, infectious lesions, and hypothermia.
The listed symptoms occur in many diseases, so it is necessary to consult a specialist who will prescribe a full examination to clarify the diagnosis. You cannot treat the consequences of an injury on your own; it is dangerous to your health.
For a minor hand injury, it is recommended to immediately apply a cold compress or ice wrapped in a cotton napkin to the damaged area for 15 minutes. The procedure is repeated several times a day for 36 hours. From the first day, you need to carefully stretch your fingers and make active movements with them. This prevents the appearance of edema and hemarthrosis.
If the bruise appears some time after the injury, the bruise site is treated with BruiseOff ointment. Applying indomethacin ointment in the form of a compress is also effective. At home, after consultation with the doctor, you can use folk remedies: apply external rubs, creams, salt baths.
Drug therapy for bruised elbow joint includes the following groups of drugs:
After relieving acute pain, swelling and inflammation, begin therapeutic exercises and thermal procedures (UHF, warming compresses). Special exercises begin to work out the joints of the hand in order to restore the mobility of the joints and prevent the formation of adhesions and contractures.
What to do if the injury was severe or the symptoms began to increase some time after the injury? You need to immediately apply a bandage to prevent movement in the affected joint, apply cold, take painkillers and seek medical help from a traumatologist. The doctor will examine the patient and give a referral for an x-ray examination. If it is necessary to clarify the diagnosis, the specialist will recommend an ultrasound or tomography. After receiving the examination results, the doctor will prescribe adequate therapy.
Having received a bruise to the elbow joint, you should immediately contact a traumatologist, especially since the symptoms often resemble another type of injury. This will help avoid serious complications. After the examination, the doctor will prescribe the necessary drug therapy and suggest effective gymnastics exercises to develop the elbow. Timely treatment will preserve the normal functionality of the joint.
Inflammation of the elbow joint leads to a sharp decrease in a person’s performance. Mostly young and middle-aged people face this problem. In most cases, inflammation develops in the right elbow, since the working arm of right-handed people is injured.
To understand what can become inflamed in a joint, you need to know its structure.
Compared to other joints, the elbow is more complex, because it connects the 3 bone ends of the ulna, radius and humerus. It can only perform flexion-extension because it is limited by trochlear contact surfaces.
The joint is protected from above by a thin capsule, which is supported by ligaments and tendons. A special fluid is always produced inside the joint capsule to lubricate the moving parts (bone heads). In addition, it delivers nutrients.
The bones end in the periosteum. It protects and periodically renews tissues; useful components from the synovial fluid pass through it. The photo of the structure of the elbow joint can be seen below.
Depending on which part of the elbow joint is involved in the inflammatory process, the following diseases are distinguished:
Elbow arthritis has 3 different forms:
Typically, the last 2 forms are asymptomatic for a long time, so the disease goes undetected for a long time. Gradually, patients begin to feel mild nagging pain and stiffness after being at rest for a long time.
Psoriatic arthritis is characterized by the following signs: plaque formation and peeling of the skin around the elbow.
In each individual case, the inflammatory process can begin for various reasons, and they can be purely individual.
Although there are common factors that provoke the development of inflammation:
A separate group consists of the causes of the disease. Tuberculosis, measles, gonorrhea, and trauma can all contribute to the development of elbow arthritis.
Symptoms of arthritis depend on the affected area. Signs of bursitis:
With bursitis, fluid is released and penetrates the joint capsule, and this makes any movement of the arm difficult. Symptoms also include muscle resistance during movement and tendons that work poorly.
The following symptoms are typical for epicondylitis:
Treatment is carried out after diagnosis. A surgeon or traumatologist makes a diagnosis based on the data obtained during the examination. The doctor may order additional tests: x-rays, analysis of intra-articular fluid, blood and biochemical tests for protein.
Treatment is always carried out comprehensively. To begin with, the elbow is fixed with a bandage made from a headscarf, bandages, and an elbow pad. This ensures maximum rest for the diseased areas.
If, after studying the joint fluid, pathogenic microflora is detected, then antibiotics are used for oral administration or as intramuscular injections.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are effective for relieving attacks of pain and for relieving inflammation and swelling. Such substances are included in ointments for external use, tablets for oral administration and injections for intramuscular administration.
Applications with bischofite help relieve inflammation, and at night you can apply a compress with Vishnevsky ointment to the joint area.
Injections with hormones can also be used; they are injected directly into the joint. They will dull pain well when other drugs and methods no longer work.
Treatment of inflammation is also carried out using physiotherapeutic methods and massage. The exception is acute purulent processes.
The following methods are used:
The sanatorium complex recommends baths and wraps with biologically active ingredients.
Operations are indicated exclusively for purulent nature of the disease.
Treatment at home using traditional methods before visiting a doctor will help muffle the pain and reduce the size of the lump on the elbow. You can treat a sore elbow in different ways:
The elbow joint is an important joint that provides mobility to the arm and is most susceptible to various types of damage. An elbow bruise is not considered a complex injury, but it can mask a fracture or dislocation, and also lead to complications that will lead to impairment of its functions in the future. Therefore, it is important to be able to determine the severity of the injury and provide appropriate first aid.
A bruise of the elbow joint is a fairly common injury in which closed mechanical damage to soft tissues is observed without significant disruption of their structure. It can affect not only the skin and subcutaneous tissue, but also the lining of the bone, articular cartilage and bursa, blood vessels and ligaments.
Depending on the severity, all bruises are classified as follows:
A bruise of the elbow joint can range from 1 to 3 degrees of severity. This injury is not only painful, but also dangerous, since it can damage the joint, which can lead to serious complications.
Children and athletes are most susceptible to injuries to the elbow joints: during active movement, the likelihood of falling increases. In this case, the person instinctively puts his hands forward, and they take the blow, reinforced by the weight of the body. The cause can also be a blow from a blunt object or prolonged mechanical pressure.
This injury has clear symptoms that begin to appear immediately after injury:
Light bruises that affect only soft tissue quickly heal on their own and do not require contact with a specialist.
Damage to any joint, including the elbow, cannot be treated on your own.
If a hematoma appears at the site of the impact, the victim experiences severe pain and cannot move his arm freely; it is necessary to provide him with first aid and take him to a medical facility.
To alleviate the condition of the victim, immediately after receiving an injury you need to do the following:
If the pain intensity remains the same, this indicates serious damage to the joint.
If you have an elbow injury, you should not try to bend or straighten the injured arm, massage the injury site, or try to warm it with ointments or compresses.
This will only accelerate the inflammatory process and may cause pain in the damaged area after recovery.
After providing first aid, it is necessary to send the victim to a traumatologist or surgeon. They will perform an examination and x-rays to determine the exact extent of the injury and prescribe treatment.
Treatment of a severe elbow injury is carried out in several stages. First, the injured limb is immobilized using a splint. At the same time, the patient is prescribed drug therapy in the form of anti-inflammatory drugs: they are needed to stop pathological processes in damaged tissues and reduce swelling. For severe pain, the doctor may also prescribe anesthetics.
For the first 2-3 days, cold compresses are applied to the bruise site. Do this 3-4 times a day, each procedure lasts 30-40 minutes. When the swelling subsides a little, anti-inflammatory ointments begin to be applied to the sore spot, if there are no open wounds on the skin.
In case of a bruised elbow, physical treatment is also carried out: thermal procedures, laser and magnetic therapy. They are especially necessary in the presence of complications, as they allow you to localize the damage and quickly restore joint mobility. Massage the shoulder and forearm regularly; it stimulates blood circulation in the fixed arm.
Massaging the joint itself is strictly prohibited; this can provoke ossification—the growth of bone tissue.
To reduce the risk of complications and speed up the recovery process, the patient needs to regularly engage in therapeutic exercises. First, while the elbow joint is immobilized, the exercises are performed only with the hand, then the adjacent joints are included in the process and, after removing the splint, the elbow joint. You need to work out the injured arm slowly and carefully, gradually increasing the amplitude and intensity of movements.
If the bruise is accompanied by hemorrhage into the joint capsule, an additional puncture is performed to extract fluid using a thick needle. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and is therefore painless; discomfort may occur after the anesthetic wears off.
Elementary but very useful exercises for the elbow joint
When the elbow joint is bruised, the following complications may occur:
The development of complications in most cases can be avoided by providing first aid in a timely manner and consulting a doctor. Self-treatment of severe bruises is dangerous and can lead to irreparable consequences.
In the treatment of bruises of the elbow joint, timely and correct treatment plays a key role. Even minor damage with the formation of a small bruise should be treated with attention: joints are very sensitive to injuries and may, as a result, partially lose mobility. To avoid this, it is enough to immediately immobilize the affected limb and consult a doctor.
What could be the consequences of a bruised elbow and what should you do?