Painful Elbow
By James D. Spearman, MD

With the beginning of baseball season, coaches and trainers are sure to see an increase in elbow pain. Overuse injuries of the elbow can involve the bone (especially in growing athletes), ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The ulnar nerve can also become involved as it crosses the elbow behind the humerus.

Symptoms include pain in the elbow, swelling, tingling into the fingers, and loss of motion with decreased strength.

TREATMENT INVOLVES:
1) Decrease in activity
2) Strengthening of the flexor muscles
3) A graduated retraining program.

Surgery is rarely indicated, but if necessary, is sure to ruin your season. Other painful conditions of the elbow including bone chips, synovitis, (inflammation of the soft tissue lining the joint), and ligament injuries must first be diagnosed correctly in order to be treated correctly. If you have elbow pain, see your coach or trainer - don't try to play through the pain.