The Elbow

Your biceps muscle is in the front of your arm. It bends your elbow and twists your forearm to turn your palm upward. The biceps tendon connects the biceps muscle to your radius bone, which is one of the forearm bones. People frequently develop biceps tendonitis (inflammation around the tendon) or tendonosis (problems with the health of the tendon).

Elbow fractures may result from a fall, a direct impact to the elbow, or a twisting injury to the arm. Sprains, strains or dislocations may occur at the same time as a fracture.

Reduced motion of the elbow and elbow pain in general can make it difficult to perform even simple tasks. With a stiff elbow, it may be difficult to bend or straighten your elbow, turn your palm up (to wash your face), or turn the palm down.

Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that allows a surgeon to look inside a joint using a small cut with instruments the width of a pencil. Most people are aware of knee and shoulder arthroscopy, but the elbow joint has many conditions that can be treated with this procedure as well.

The olecranon is the pointy bone at the tip of the elbow. The bursa is the thin sac of fluid that lies between this boney tip and the skin. It helps the skin slide over the bone smoothly. Normally, this sac has only a tiny bit of fluid inside of it and lays flat. However, the bursa can become irritated or inflamed and fill with extra fluid. When this happens, a painful swelling develops at the back of the elbow. This swelling is olecranon bursitis.

Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as “tennis elbow,” is a painful condition involving the tendons that attach to the bone on the outside (lateral) part of the elbow.