Elbow Joint Pain and the Joints It Affects

There are three main joints in which elbow joint pain can occur.  This can cause a lot of discomfort.  The capituulum [see diagram below] is one part of the upper arm bone or humerus is particularly likely to be the cause of a lot of pain.

The causes of elbow joint pain are numerous.  Generally however, most pain is felt after performing strenuous activity in which these three main elbow joints are subjected to heavy or over use.

What Is the Main Cause of Elbow Joint Pain?

Arthritis is a common cause of pain in the elbow and can affect many people regardless of age, although generally arthritis is more prevalent in older people.  If the elbow joints have been subjected to a lot of wear and tear than the likelihood of elbow joint pain being caused by this condition is increased.  It’s not uncommon for people suffering from pain in the triceps or biceps to also complain of pain in the elbow joint and blame arthritis although it’s more likely than to be a tendon or ligament problem.

Moving one’s wrists might also call the elbow joint pain.  The reason for this is because the elbow joint is affected by any movements of the arm.

Tennis Elbow

Most of us at some stage in our lives have experienced what we commonly call tennis elbow.  The main causes of this condition are sports injuries and overuse of the forearm.  It is one of the most common conditions for which people visit doctors and pain clinics.  Interestingly, it is more common in middle-aged women than men of the same age.  Tennis elbow can be very painful form of elbow joint pain.

Symptoms of Elbow Joint Pain

Clinical findings show that most pain in the elbow joints appears as burning sensation which radiates down the forearm.  The pain is especially noticed when there is any movement of the wrist.  As well, pain can also be felt in the ring and middle fingers.  In these cases, it is advisable to avoid gripping things and even shaking hands with the affected hand.

Elbow joint pain can be a serious and debilitating condition mainly because there are so few times that we don’t use our arms and therefore our elbows.Very often rest is the best way of treating elbow joint pain however, if pain persists it is always advisable to seek medical advice.