Elbow Injury

The elbow joint consists of the upper arm (= humerus), and the radius and the ulna. An acute injury is generally caused as a result of a fall or overstretching of the elbow. The main symptoms are acute pain, swelling and reduced mobility the elbow. Above all stretching is often not possible and painful. The pain is caused because the tissue around the elbow joint has been damaged. It is sometimes necessary to exclude the possibility of a fracture by X-ray examination.By offering sufficient rest, the complaints generally disappear.

An overuse injury is caused because the burden to which the elbow is exposed is greater than the level of load the elbow can cope with. As a consequence of the overburdening, tension and /or stretching the affected muscles can cause pain.

An overuse injury around the elbow often occurs following high-frequency repetition of the same (incorrect) movement. This occurs particularly in sports like tennis. The attachment of the muscles that tense the wrist become overburdened. These muscles are attached close to the elbow.

(N.B. a golfer’s arm is an overburdening of the attachment of the muscles that flex the wrist). The cause is often incorrect technique and/or wrong choice of material (wrong grip or racket tensioning). For the correct diagnosis, a visit to a sport physiotherapist and/or sport physician is recommended. An overuse injury is characterised by various stages of pain. The pain can occur following exertion, but it is also possible that you may suffer continuous pain. A PSB arm brace can reduce the pain.