Elbow sprain

Sprains of the ligaments that surround the elbow joint can occur when the arm is bent or rotated abruptly or forcefully, which can cause the ligaments to become injured.

Sprains of the elbow can happen to anyone of any age, and although they are most usually seen as the result of a sports injury, elbow sprains can also happen to people who are not athletes.

The upper arm bone, known as the humerus, as well as the bones that make up the forearm, known as the radius and ulna, are connected to the joints in the elbow via the ligaments that are located in the elbow.

Ligaments that have been pulled or torn can cause excruciating pain and restrict your range of motion in your elbow.

The vast majority of sprains are treatable at home and will eventually heal. If any of the following apply to you, you should seek immediate medical attention:

• Your discomfort is becoming more severe;
  
• You’ve noticed that the swelling in your elbow or hand is either new or has gotten worse;
• You are unable to flex your arm in any way;
• You have fever;
• The skin on your elbow is really red;
• You have tingling, weakness, or numbness in your elbow, hand, or fingers;
• You have trouble moving your elbow, hand, or fingers.

If after two weeks you are still experiencing the same level of discomfort, you should make an appointment with your primary care physician or phone the nurse advice line immediately.

Most prevalent causes

Most elbow sprains are caused by:

• Unintentional twisting of the arm during sports;
• Traumatic injury to the elbow from an accident or fall;
• Overstretching the elbow during exercise, which puts stress on the elbow tendons;
• Not warming up and stretching before doing sports or exercises;
• Having had an elbow sprain in the past makes you more likely to get another one.

Anatomy of the elbow

The elbow is a hinge joint made up of three bones: the humerus, the radius, and the ulna. The humerus, or upper arm bone, connects the shoulder to the elbow and makes up the top part of the hinge joint.

The radius and the ulna are the two bones that make up the arm’s lower half. These connect the elbow to the wrist and make up the hinge joint’s lower part.

There is a fluid called synovial fluid inside the joint capsule that surrounds the elbow joint.

Ligaments are a group of fibrous tissues that connect one bone to another. Ligaments support and protect the elbow joint, and they can stretch to allow for normal range of motion.

When the elbow is turned or twisted beyond its normal range of motion, the ligament is also stretched beyond its normal limit, which causes a sprain. If the sprain is bad enough, the fibers of the ligament can be torn.

The elbow has three joints:

• The ulnohumeral joint is where the ulna and humerus meet.;
• The radiohumeral joint is where the radius and humerus meet;
• The proximal radioulnar joint is where the radius and ulna meet.

Several soft tissues, such as cartilage, tendons, ligaments, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and bursae, hold the elbow in place.

The elbow joint is capable of performing the following movements:

• Flexion
• Extension
• Pronation
  
• Supination

 Diagnostic

Common signs of an elbow sprain are pain, swelling, tenderness, and bruising around the elbow, limited movement of the elbow, pain at the elbow joint when stretching, and a popping sound when moving the elbow.

Your doctor will look at your elbow and ask how it got hurt to figure out if you have a sprained elbow.

X-rays and ultrasounds are often and, in some cases, CT scans and MRIs will be needed to figure out how badly the ligaments have been damaged or if they have been torn.

 Elbow sprains are classified in three grades:

Noninvasive treatments

As soon as your elbow hurts, you should try some non-invasive treatments that usually help both the pain and the functionality of your elbow.

The R.I.C.E. method is a good way to treat a sprained elbow:

Anti-inflammatory drugs that can be bought over the counter can be used to help control pain and swelling when needed.

Physical therapy can also play a big role on your recovery. Practice hand exercises that will strengthen the muscles in your forearms. To improve muscle strength, different types of physical therapy can be used, such as massage, ultrasound, and muscle stimulation.

If you got hurt while playing sports and want to get back to it, you should follow a rehabilitation plan to strengthen the elbow area to avoid getting hurt again.

Surgery

If an elbow sprain, overuse, or injury has done a lot of damage to your ligaments, your doctor may suggest elbow ligament reconstruction surgery.

Most sprains don’t need surgery, but if your elbow sprain is bad enough, it might be the best option to safeguard your elbow stability long term.

Advanced, minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques can be used to fix damage to soft tissue or, if necessary, to fix or rebuild a ligament.

Surgery Recovery

When you have ligament reconstruction surgery because of a severe elbow sprain, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to get better, depending on how bad your injury was and what kind of surgery you had.

Rest is very important fora quick recovery after surgery.

When your doctor thinks you’re ready, you’ll start physical therapy and a pain management program to get back as much strength and function as possible while getting rid of or reducing your pain.

Patients who have less pain tend to do better and get back to normal function and mobility faster.

Prevention

There are things you can do to lower your risk of elbow injury, such as:

• Working out regularly to build muscle strength;
• Eating a healthy diet with a good variety of healthy foods;
• Make sure the equipment you use for sports is in good shape;
• Always warm up your muscles and stretch them before doing exercises or sports.