Why Are My Elbows Always Sore?

Your elbow pain used to be a few twinges here and there. Now it’s increased to the point where lifting your coffee cup is hard. You may also experience numbness or a burning sensation. What’s going on? It’s time to seek specialized help from a doctor who treats musculoskeletal conditions. 

Your primary care physician may have referred you to Outreach Manual Physical Therapy PC in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Mohamed Hablas, DPT, can help you regain lost range of motion, strength, and flexibility in your elbow joint, explain why your pain has occurred, and help you avoid it in the future. 

The following are common reasons for chronic elbow pain. 

Tendonitis 

Overusing  your elbow joint is the most common reason for chronic elbow pain. If you play tennis or golf, you may have tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. You’ve damaged tendons around your elbow from constant use. You may experience pain in the elbow that runs down into your forearm. 

Tendons are thick cords of tissue that link your muscles to your elbow bone. If you have tendonitis in your elbow, the tendons are swollen and irritated and may even be torn.  

However, tennis and golfer’s elbow injuries aren’t limited to people who play those sports. Anyone using their elbows to make repetitive motions over time is at risk for this overuse injury. If your work involves bending or twisting your elbow, like a plumber, painter, carpenter, or warehouse worker, you’re more likely to experience one of these injuries. 

Bursitis 

You have small pouches of fluid in your joints, providing a cushion against your bones. They’re called bursa. Just as you can injure tendons from overuse, your bursa is also along for the ride, and you can irritate them from repetitive motions. 

You need to give your elbow joint a period of rest to help heal these overuse injuries. Once the inflammation subsides from resting the joint, physical therapy helps relieve both tendonitis and bursitis. 

Trapped nerves: Cubital tunnel syndrome

You’ve probably heard of carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes pain in your wrist and arm from an irritated nerve. You can have a parallel problem with your elbow. 

You may develop cubital tunnel syndrome from repeatedly bending your elbow for your job or during sports play. Pain results from your ulnar nerve getting compressed as it moves through your elbow and passes through a space called the cubital tunnel. 

Arthritis

Although not as common as overuse injuries, you can get arthritis in your elbow after years of wear and tear on the joint from repetitive movements. If you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis in your elbow joint, physical therapy can help you regain range of motion so that you can function independently. 

Physical therapy for elbow pain helps you develop stronger muscles around your elbow to help protect it, increasing your range of motion and enabling you to perform typical daily tasks. 

Call Outreach Manual Physical Therapy PC or book an appointment online to relieve your musculoskeletal pain today.