Elbow

Pain in the elbow can arise after an injury (e.g a fall), or develop with no new injury (e.g a flare of arthritis). It can affect muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, bursa, nerves or other tissues in the elbow joints.    

You should see your doctor if you: 

• Have pain that doesn’t show any signs of improvement, within a couple of weeks of self help
• Have pain that has rapidly deteriorated or suddenly worsened despite self help
• Have a history of inflammatory arthritis, immuno-suppression, cancer, Tuberculosis (TB), drug abuse, AIDS or other infection
• Feel unwell, have a fever, or unexplained weight loss
• Are experiencing significant and regular changes to your usual sleeping pattern
• Have a swollen, locked or stuck elbow that is affecting your movement 
• Have severe pain after trauma, such as a fall, collision, or impact to the elbow or arm
• Have significant tingling, numbness and /or weakness in the arms or hands
• Have noticed a loss of grip strength, noticed you are dropping things, struggle with buttons or zips, or have muscle wastage in the hand

If you do not have any of the above, you may be able to effectively self manage your condition

There are several ways you can help yourself including: 

• Taking pain medication
• Keeping active. Find a balance between rest and some activity, try not to overdo things (alter activities that make it worse so they are less painful) 
• Using cold treatment, eg. ice packs, or heat treatment, eg. heat packs