Dear Doc,
I’m not yet middle-age but I find I’m having curious pains in my elbows.
I’m fairly active and I have two young children, I do a little kitchen gardening, and as an admin assistant I sometimes sit at a desk and do a lot of typing.
All of this means I use my elbows a lot – picking up or lifting the little ones, typing – so I linked that to the pain. But what really is causing it? Could I be developing arthritis? I don’t feel pain like that anywhere else on my body.- D. Cummins Dear D. Cummins,
There are several causes of pain in your elbow but based on your symptoms it is possible that you are suffering from a condition called “tennis elbow”. This is a tendonitis or inflammation of the tendon that moves over the side of the elbow. It is usually the result from overuse. The exact medical terminology is lateral epicondylitis. However, I cannot say with accuracy as you do present a variety of conditions, and the exact location will have to be determined by physical examination. On the contrary, there is medial epicondylitis which also affects the elbow but on the inner side.
In some instances, in addition to inflammation there may be small tears in the tendons (muscles) that join the forearm muscles to the elbow. It is considered an overuse injury. It is a good idea to be examined and appropriately assessed to rule out other causes and the need for any medical intervention. It would be a good idea to rest the area until you seek medical consultation.
