Elbow Injuries
When injuring your elbow, you are likely to experience mobility issues as well as elbow pain. Don't expect your elbow to heal on its own. You need to rely on an experienced, talented team of sports pain relief specialists in NYC for treatment, whether the damage was caused by an accident or a repetitive motion disorder.
Your elbow is made up of many small, interconnected parts that come into play in your life every single day. Your elbow joint is made up of ligaments, cartilage, bone, and fluid, all of which are vulnerable to damage and overuse. If you're like most people, you take your elbows for granted. However, elbow tendon injury treatment is not limited to athletes and physically active workers.
Elbow Injuries NYC — SPIN Sports Pain Specialists
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What Are the Most Common Elbow Injuries?
One of the most common ways to injure your elbow is from playing certain sports — especially golf, tennis, and baseball. Tennis and golf injuries are common:
Tennis elbow injuries cause lateral epicondylitis, which is characterized by tiny tears in the ligament that links your forearm muscles to the bone on the outside of your elbow. It's a muscle strain injury caused by repetitive motion. Tennis elbow pain usually results in weakness, making it difficult to hold a cup or turn a doorknob.
Tennis elbow treatment is not limited to athletes. Occupations that may lead to an injury require you to contract your forearm and raise your arm over your head repeatedly.
Tennis elbow can be caused by the following jobs:
- Painters
- Plumbers
- Cooks
- Construction workers
- Computer operators
Golf elbow is similar to tennis elbow, except it occurs in the middle of your elbow, making it a medial epicondylitis disorder. Tennis players can develop a golfer's elbow as well since they clench their fingers when holding the racquet.
A golf elbow is caused by repeated stress on your fingers, which travels up to your elbows. And like in tennis elbow, other sports and activities can lead to the need for golfer's elbow treatment.
Sports that can cause golf elbow include:
- Weightlifting
- Football, archery, baseball and other throwing sports
- Racquet sports, especially when your equipment is too heavy and requires a tighter grip
- Jobs that require raking, painting, chopping wood or hammering
Elbow Injury Symptoms
Elbow injuries can be serious and minor. The symptoms typically include:
Pain
Swelling
Tingling
Numbness
Weakness
Decreased range of motion
A "tight sensation" in the area of your elbow
If you have any of the symptoms listed above, you may have an injury that requires medical attention. An injured elbow has the potential for serious complications. If you only experience mild swelling and no bruising or loss of feeling, it is strongly advised that you consult a doctor before seeking emergency medical care.
Immediate medical attention is recommended when:
Diagnosing an Elbow Injury in New York
Treatment highly depends on the type and severity of the condition. Different types of injuries require different treatments. Do not attempt any treatment without first consulting a elbow pain specialist.
Unless a bone is protruding through your skin, proper diagnostics require you to effectively explain your elbow pain before your sports injury doctor can develop a proper elbow tendon injury treatment plan. He needs to know when the pain first started, how often it appears, what makes it hurt worse, and what gives you elbow pain relief.
Additional tests that help confirm the injury include:
Arthrography
Arthrography is a test that allows your doctor to see soft tissue damage to your tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. To detect disease, the test may involve injecting contrast dye into your bloodstream or directly into your elbow joint. Once the contrast is in your body, the medical team reads the results using fluoroscopic x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) scans.
Bone x-rays
Bone x-rays need a tiny dose of ionizing radiation to make images of your bones. Called radiography, the process is effective for diagnosing fractures from falls and accidents, as well as a dislocated elbow. Radiography is the quickest technique for your sports doctor at sports medicine clinic Midtown NYC to assess injuries, elbow breaks, stress fractures, and elbow joint abnormalities that may have led to your injury.
Elbow Tendon Injury Treatment
When you injure your elbow, you usually injure the tendons and ligaments. When you have a tear or a pulled tendon in your elbow, it might take up to two or three months to heal.
And that's only after a rigorous round of self-care elbow tendon injury treatment techniques that include:
- Rest and avoid the sport or activity that caused the elbow injury
- Icing the elbow for 10-minute intervals several times a day
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen
- Range-of-motion exercises to alleviate repetitive motion disorder pain
- Strengthening exercises to build muscle in supporting areas like your shoulder and forearm to prevent future elbow damage
More aggressive treatment may be warranted after a couple of months with little or no pain relief. Treatment for an injured elbow may include a cast or taping to immobilize the joint as it heals.
Other treatments may involve:
- Steroid injections
- Electrotherapy
- Distal bicep surgery
- Elbow arthroplasty
- Elbow replacement
Ready to find relief from your elbow injury?
Dr. Melepura's Midtown Manhattan clinic offers same-day appointments for evaluation and treatment.
Real Stories from our Patients
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD
Double Board-Certified Pain Specialist
Meet Dr. Febin Melepura — Your Elbow Injury Specialist in NYC
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD is a double board-certified interventional pain management specialist and the founder of the Sports Pain Institute of New York. He completed his residency and fellowship training at New York Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers.
He holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine, and has treated more than 7,500 patients and performed over 5,250 procedures throughout his career. He has been named a Top Pain Management Doctor in New York and one of America's Top Doctors™ by Castle Connolly.
Dr. Melepura's approach to elbow injuries is rooted in precision: identify the exact source, treat it with a targeted injection, and get you back to your daily life as quickly as possible.
Ready to Book an Appointment?
Same-day appointments available. Call (212) 621-7746 or book online.
What Our Elbow Injury Patients Say
"Able to make an appointment to see Dr. Melepura on short notice… attentive to my concerns… Jazmin was also very kind and helpful."
"Excellent hospitality, listener and explainer… highly recommend the doctor and the place."
"Dr. Melepura is the best! He worked with me to find the optimal solution to my shoulder pain while I was preparing for a fight!"
"Lovely, bright and modern… doctor and staff were kind… felt my concerns were heard."
"Helpful and friendly staff who gladly follows up with you if and when needed. Dr Melepura was very helpful and professional as well as provided me with excellent information and feedback."
"Dr Febin is fantastic! Highly recommend him and his practice the Spin clinic. The doctor is a good listener, kind, attentive and gave me great advice. "
"Dr.Melepura was very efficient and interpersonal, felt like he was understanding the problems I was having and explained the processes to take to rehabilitate. I would recommend."
"I felt listened to and truly understood by Dr. Melepura. Started PT the very next day. They were very friendly and I didn't feel rushed at all. Already recommended them to my friends who have or continue to play through pain."