Elbow Pain

Elbow Pain Treatment at UVM Health

You may not think about your elbow often, but you use it constantly. Your elbow is crucial for bending and twisting your arm, allowing you to perform a range of everyday tasks. When an elbow is injured, irritated or in pain, your day-to-day life can be significantly affected.

At University of Vermont Health, you have access to Vermont and northern New York’s most experienced elbow surgeons and therapists. We care for many people with elbow pain, including the most complex cases in the region.

A rehab specialist checks a patient's elbow.

Why Choose UVM Health?

Our expertise and skill bring you the most advanced treatments available. With every treatment, we aim to help you get back to your usual activities as quickly as possible, pain-free.

As one of the leading orthopedic programs in the region, we offer:

Team approach: Our hand and upper extremity surgeons, advanced practice providers (APPs) and hand therapists work closely to bring you the most effective care. Whether you need nonsurgical treatment or a complex procedure, we can help restore function and relieve pain.
Advanced training: All our hand therapists and surgeons have special certifications and advanced training in hand and upper extremity care. Their sub-specializations in specific areas of care allow us to offer you targeted, effective treatments.
Research emphasis: As part of a health system anchored by an academic medical center, our physician-leaders are active researchers at the forefront of upper extremity orthopedic care, presenting our research at national meetings. We constantly seek to improve our care by tracking outcomes and offering the latest treatments.

Types of Elbow Pain

Many injuries and chronic conditions can cause elbow pain. Often, repetitive hand, wrist or arm movements strain the ligaments and tendons around the elbow joint. Other times, a traumatic injury may damage the structures in your elbow. Common causes of elbow pain include:

Arthritis: The protective covering around your bones (cartilage) wears away, leading to friction and pain.
Brachial plexus injuries: An accident or acute injury damages the network of nerves that starts in the neck and upper chest and extends through the arm and hand.
Golfer’s elbow: Repetitive movements, such as swinging a golf club, cause pain and stiffness in the inside of the elbow.
Tendonitis: The tendons, the thick tissues that connect muscles to bones, become inflamed.
Tennis elbow: The tendons that connect your forearm to your elbow become inflamed and swollen. This is often caused by repetitive movements, such as swinging a tennis racket.
Traumatic injuries: A bone may crack or break (fracture), or the tissues that connect bone to bone (ligaments) may stretch or tear.
Ulnar nerve entrapment (cubital tunnel syndrome): The ulnar nerve, a long nerve running from your shoulder to your wrist, becomes compressed at the elbow joint.

Diagnosing Elbow Pain

Effective treatment starts with identifying the root cause of your elbow pain. We use multiple tests to get a complete picture of what’s happening in your elbow. You may need:

Imaging studies: Tests such as CT scans, MRIs or X-rays give us a closer look at your bones, soft tissues and blood vessels.
Nerve conduction studies: We stimulate specific nerves with small electrical pulses. This measures how quickly an electrical signal moves through your nerves and can help us understand the extent of nerve damage.

Elbow Pain Treatment

Once we understand what’s causing your elbow pain, we create a personalized treatment plan to help you get back to your usual activities. Our team approach includes surgical and nonsurgical care from sports medicine specialists, hand therapists and hand surgeons. Treatment may include:

Activity Modifications for Elbow Pain

Sometimes, elbow pain goes away without any medical intervention. Your doctor may recommend resting the joint and avoiding activities that worsen pain. You may also use ice packs to lessen pain and inflammation.

Injections for Elbow Pain

Our specialists offer corticosteroid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for some patients with elbow pain stemming from tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. This therapy can help speed up healing.

Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy

A certified hand therapist helps you manage elbow pain with specific exercises that increase mobility and strength. The therapist may also use manual techniques to manipulate your joint and encourage blood flow. They may recommend temporarily wearing a brace, splint or support bandage. Find out more about hand and upper extremity therapy.

Elbow Surgery

Our surgeons use minimally invasive arthroscopy to remove damaged tissues or bony growths (bone spurs) or release scar tissue. We also offer a range of advanced procedures, including ligament repair, surgery to treat nerve damage or complex fractures, reconstructive surgery and total elbow replacements.