Five Facts About Elbow Injuries

Unless you’ve recently taken a hit to your funny bone, you probably haven’t been thinking too much about your elbow. However, elbow injuries might not be as rare as you think.

If you’re worried that you might have injured your elbow, stop putting strain on it immediately and get in contact with an elbow specialist. Melbourne orthopaedic surgeon Mr Soong Chua is an expert in the field with extensive experience helping patients recover from conditions such as a distal biceps tendon tear, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, elbow arthritis, and ulnar nerve compression.

However, Soong Chua believes that taking proactive steps to avoid injury is the best strategy for maximising your mobility and freedom. In this article, you’ll find 5 informative facts about elbow injuries and tips on how to avoid them.

1. The elbow is more complex than you might think

Like all parts of the body, the elbow is amazingly complicated! It’s a sophisticated network of bones and muscles. Three bones (the humerus, the radius, and the ulna) make up the interconnected joint. These are the problem spots for pain caused by arthritis.

2. It’s not just about the bones

There are a number of crucial muscles and ligaments that facilitate a full range of elbow motion. The key ones are the triceps, the biceps, the extensor muscles, and importantly, the common extensor tendon. This tendon is one of the most common problem spots–elbow injuries are often caused by issues with tendons, rather than bones.

3. Tennis elbow isn’t just caused by tennis

Case in point is tennis elbow, a common condition caused by sore and damaged tendons around the joint. While it often appears in tennis players, you could have never stepped foot on a court in your life and suffer from the condition. It’s caused by long-term damage from repetitive use–often from other sports such as squash and weightlifting, but also from activities such as carpentry and raking. Essentially, anything repetitive can be risky! It’s important to warm up and give yourself frequent stretching and rest time

4. Athletes and children are the most common demographics to experience elbow injuries

We’ve chatted about athletes being prone to elbow injuries, but there’s another group who are particularly vulnerable: children. There’s one culprit that stands out above all the others in causing elbow injuries in kids. It’s the trampoline. Trampolining is such a common cause of children’s elbow injuries that the American Academy of Pediatrics even warned against them. We don’t want to be party poopers, but it’s important to make sure that your kids are taking it easy while bouncing.

5. Surgery can be a gamechanger

The majority of elbow injuries can be treated with non-surgical care such as physio, injections, or braces. However, sometimes these strategies just don’t work. In the event that serious symptoms are persisting for over 6 months, Soong Chua might recommend surgical procedures. These can be transformative. For example, patients with severe tennis elbow who undergo surgery report an 85-90% success rate in regaining range of motion.

Elbow surgeon Melbourne

Even if you’re careful, injuries happen. Soong Chua is an expert orthopaedic surgeon who has helped hundreds of patients manage complex elbow injuries. If you need to talk to a specialist about persistent elbow pain, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Soong Chua’s team today.