The Most Common Treatments for Elbow Pain and Better Choices Available Today

For the rare occasion when you overdo it, heat and ice can provide temporary relief from elbow pain. Ice, applied for about 20 minutes at a time, is best when there’s swelling or bruising involved to reduce inflammation. Heat is ideal for stiffness and for those years-old injuries that flare up before it rains or when you spend the weekend doing heavy chores.

If moving your arm provokes your elbow pain, you may have to rest it for a while. Immobilizing it in a sling keeps it still and stable.

An elbow brace can restrict movement of the elbow joint somewhat, without the complete immobilization of a sling. If you work with an athletic trainer, they may suggest kinesiology taping techniques before working out or competing.

Many of the people we see here at Core Medical & Wellness come to us with overuse or repetitive use injuries of the elbow. Luckily, if caught early, this is one type of elbow pain we can fix with relatively easy solutions, such as:

• Adjusting seat and/or desk height for better positioning
• Improving lifting techniques or lifting less weight
• Using a different computer keyboard or mouse and mousepad

Even if your elbow pain doesn’t stem from work, you can create modifications to your daily living to eliminate discomfort, like:

• Changing how you perform certain chores (sweeping, vacuuming, raking, etc.)
• Taking care when picking up young children
• Getting a stand for your mobile devices so you’re not holding them for hours
• Using push carts or cross-body bags when running errands

Sometimes it takes a physical therapist to teach you new ways of moving or to give you exercises to build strength around the elbow joint. Similarly, an athletic trainer or coach can show you better form to avoid injuries, especially with sports like tennis, golf, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, weight lifting, and other activities that are hard on the elbow.

A TENS unit sends small amounts of electricity to your elbow joint via strategically placed electrodes. The current that’s administered disrupts nerve signals to your brain and stops pain. It’s a good temporary or now-and-then fix, but you don’t want to be masking pain long term, as that’s the body’s way of telling you something’s wrong. You can buy TENS units at the drugstore or get fancier models at the doctor’s office.

Speaking of masking pain, that’s mostly what drugs do. They may be okay in a pinch for short-term use, but even non-prescription anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and naproxen can be dangerous. They can raise blood pressure, put you at risk of stomach ulcers, and increase the likelihood of cardiovascular events. Prescription painkillers cause constipation and dangerous sedation, and they can result in addiction too.

Steroid injections can stop pain for a few weeks to a few months. However, they aren’t recommended for ongoing use, and now it’s thought that even one shot can be dangerous.

Surgery should only be an absolute last resort for elbow pain that cannot be resolved any other way. Usually, this is reserved for traumatic injuries involving bone breaks and complete soft tissue tears. There are many downsides to surgery, from anesthesia risks to post-op blood clots to long recovery periods.