The elbow is the joint that allows us to position, orient and stabilize the hand near and far away from us. With it we reach things far away and we also reach our own body; its function is fundamental and irreplaceable to be able to lead a normal life, including from the most basic things such as grooming, dressing or eating, to practicing the most demanding sport.
Therefore, knowing the main injuries that we can develop during sports activity will help us to prevent them and enjoy the good health of our elbows.
If you have pain or loss of mobility in the elbow and forearm, cramps and tingling in the hands, consult an elbow specialist. He or she will help you understand what’s going on and help you recover, and prevent your injury from becoming chronic or developing additional complications.
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Table of Contents
Epicondylitis
Epicondylitis, also called tennis elbow, is a degenerative disease of the proximal tendon of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, a muscle on the outside of the elbow that allows us to straighten the wrist and stabilize it when we use our hand.
This disease is very common and presents with pain on the outside of the elbow when we use our extensor muscles, even when doing simple things like shaking hands, or picking up a jug or bottle or opening a door in the most severe cases. When it appears, it can last for many months before resolving and can prevent us from playing sports.
To avoid it, not only must we have strong and healthy wrist extensor muscles, but we must protect them with stretching exercises of the extensor muscles before the activity and avoid repetitive overloads without periods of rest of the musculature.
Finally, in racquet sports, where its appearance is very frequent, it is essential to be careful when choosing the grip and weight of our racquet, paying special attention to the periods in which we change a racquet we are used to for a different one.
If you want to know more about this injury, we have prepared a monograph that you can consult on our website or through our Instagram profile @drforuria.
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Epitrocleitis
Epitrocleitis, also called golfer’s elbow, is a disease very similar to epicondylitis, but affects the common flexor tendon on the inner side of the elbow, where the flexor muscles of our forearm are anchored.
The pain appears in the part of the elbow closest to our body when we grab things, push with our fingertips, or forcefully rotate the forearm to put the palm of our hand towards the ground.
It appears in people who practice sports in which we have to hold on with our hands to support heavy weights or our own body, such as climbing or artistic gymnastics, or in sports with repeated impacts that push our hand backwards, such as golf.
It is also typical of people who manipulate objects repetitively, especially if they are heavy. Although it is less frequent than epicondylitis, it is more resistant to treatment. To prevent it, we will use the same advice we have given for its big sister, applied to our forearm flexor musculature.
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Bursitis
Elbow bursitis is the most frequent of all, appearing between the skin and the olecranon bone (which forms the prominent tip of the elbow when we flex it) in the form of a pocket of fluid of a size that varies from day to day. It appears after repeatedly leaning on the elbows, especially if we support our weight and make friction movements between the skin and the bone when moving our body.
It is usually painless and the color of the skin is very similar to normal. If the skin is red and shiny and painful, the origin may be infectious and medical attention should be sought. Protecting our elbows with pads or elbow pads will help prevent it. Normally it goes away by itself with time, but it can be prolonged, being annoying when we lean on it.
In general it is not recommended to puncture it to evacuate the liquid, since most of them fill up again in a few days, and this puncture puts it at risk of infection.
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Ulnar neuropathy
The ulnar nerve is the most frequently trapped nerve at the elbow, and the second most frequently trapped nerve in the whole body. Athletes with highly developed triceps muscles are more at risk of suffering this injury, which manifests itself in the form of numbness of the fifth finger, half of the fourth and the contiguous part of the palm and the back of the hand.
It may not cause discomfort beyond the aforementioned tingling, but if it continues to progress it can eventually affect the strength of the muscles of the hand, and may become permanent if action is not taken promptly. In addition to compression in relation to the triceps, spending a lot of time with the elbow flexed (for example, with the arm under the pillow when sleeping) or continuously leaning on the back and inside of the forearms (on a chair or on the floor), can also end up producing this treacherous injury.
Postural control and knowing the warning signs (numbness of the fourth and fifth fingers) are fundamental factors to avoid or detect this problem early. Due to the potential complications it may entail, it is recommended to visit an elbow specialist in case of these symptoms, even if there is no pain associated with the injury.
If you want to know more about this injury, Dr. Foruria has monographs on the subject that you can consult on his website or through his Instagram profile @drforuria.
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Triceps snapping
It is characterized by the appearance of a painful snapping in the inner aspect of the elbow with joint extension, especially if it is against some resistance (when doing push-ups, or any triceps training). The snapping may be subtle or audible.
It is produced by the presence of an overdeveloped triceps muscle belly, which ends up dislocating around the epitrochlea of the humerus (the prominent bone of the inner side of the elbow), often together with the ulnar nerve, which may cause tingling or cramping sensations towards the forearm or the fifth finger.
This problem is typical of young males with a large triceps development, the presence of a local anatomical muscle variant, and/or an individual predisposition, so its prevention is difficult beyond avoiding having an overdeveloped triceps, which may be in conflict with sporting interests. Imaging tests are usually normal (MRI, ultrasound, X-ray), so the diagnosis must be made with physical examination by an experienced elbow specialist.