Elbow pain: some information
Description
Injuries in general, such as recreational activities, work-related tasks, work or projects around the home and falls, but especially sports injuries, are the most common cause of
elbow pain. Since most blows to the elbow are not strong enough to fracture it, it is usually the
ligaments and the tendons that become injured. The injuries usually involve a tear in the annular ligament, which wraps around the radius bone to the humerus and takes all the strain when the lower arm turns, as in twisting a screwdriver, turning a key or hitting a massive topspin lob. Elbow pain can also involve tendons, such as in the case of tennis and golfer’s elbow. In
tennis elbow, the injury involves the extensor tendons that move the wrist up, while in golfer’s elbow it involves the
flexor tendons that move the wrist down. Elbow and
hand pain are often misdiagnosed as
carpal tunnel syndrome, which involves the entrapment of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist into the hand.
How does elbow pain develop?
Ligaments of the elbow Eighty percent of
chronic elbow pain is due to a sprain of the
annular ligament, whose job it is to attach the radius bone to the
ulnar bone. Because of the tremendous demands placed on the fingers and hands to perform repetitive tasks, the annular ligament is stressed every day
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