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When you throw an object or do a similar action over and over again, you can overwork the elbow and the structures that support it. When throwing, force is centered on the inner elbow, but other parts of your arm and elbow are also affected. Over time, the muscles around the elbow can weaken, which may result in other injuries, such as torn tendons, cracked bones, or stretched nerves.
When you throw an object over and over, it is possible to overwork the elbow and the muscles around it. Anyone can get these types of injuries, but they are most often linked to throwing balls or objects in certain ways. Common names for these injuries are:
When throwing, the force of the action is centered on the inner elbow. This can cause:
The different throwing injuries of the elbow have similar symptoms, including:
If you have not had these symptoms before or if your pain is sudden and severe, make an appointment to see a doctor. Throwing injuries of the elbow can build up over a long period of time. This means your symptoms may go away for a while, or you might not notice any symptoms until your condition gets worse.
Sometimes, golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow can go away on their own, but you should see a doctor if your condition gets worse or does not get better.
Throwing injuries of the elbow are mostly caused by two things:
To diagnose an injury of the elbow, a doctor will look at your forearm and ask you to move your fingers, hand, wrist, and arm, and ask about your pain. Usually, this is enough to tell if you have pitcher’s elbow, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, or another elbow injury. However, x-rays may be recommended to rule out any other problems.
The first thing to do is rest your arm. Stop any sports or other activities that cause your elbow and arm pain. You can also use the RICE method to reduce pain and swelling. RICE stands for:
You can also change the way you do the activity that caused your injury so that it doesn’t hurt your arm. Your doctor or a physical therapist can give you exercises to stretch your arm and build muscle that will ease the strain on your arm.
With basic treatment, some throwing injuries will heal. Usually, golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow treatment does not involve surgery. If conservative treatment does not relieve your pain, surgery may be recommended.
There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting a throwing injury of the elbow. Some of these include:
MedlinPlus: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007638.htm or https://medlineplus.gov/elbowinjuriesanddisorders.html
KidsHealth: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/safety-baseball.html#
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/A00068.pdf