Elbows are not the most loved or respected joints. Nobody ever says “My, what attractive elbows you have.” Yet, without them we’d only be able to carry things at arm’s length. In fact most sports, and even feeding ourselves, would be impossible.

If you’ve injured your elbow, or developed golfer’s or tennis elbow you’ll know how frustrating it is when they hurt.

• Golfer’s /Tennis elbow – Usually these injuries are caused by repetitive pulling on the tendons that attach to the elbow joint. They are a form of tendonitis and are often referred to as epicondylitis.The area gets inflamed, and it is hard to rest our elbows, so it can be very hard to stop the inflammation.

  Sometimes the injury is prevented from healing by problems with muscles or joints in the shoulder or upper back (this is particularly true in tennis and golf players as they don’t just use their elbow when they play!)

  So essentially, any work or sporting activity where the wrist has to be flexed and extended again and again can make you susceptible to this type of injury.

• Osteoarthritis – It’s also possible to have arthritis in the elbow, which can be incredibly frustrating for sports men and women. Bear in mind that even if the arthritis has been diagnosed by x-ray it might not be the actual cause of the pain.Osteoarthritis might sound like a sport-ending diagnosis, but get it assessed by a professional to make sure the diagnosis is correct. For more information about osteoarthritis click here – we’ve given it it’s own page!
• Strains – Other causes of elbow pain can come from falling on the elbow or having the elbow pulled suddenly. This sort of injury is commonly seen in dog and horse owners. A lot of force can be put through the elbow when a dog yanks the lead to grab a bit of left-over sandwich that has been dropped on the pavement.
• Nerve pain – Nerves in the neck or arm can casue pain in the elbow and hand too.