Elbow Bursitis or Olecranon Bursitis: Pain, Swelling, and Inflammation of the Olecranon Bursa
Injury due to impact or compression of the elbow.
Elbow Bursitis also known as Olecranon Bursitis Elbow is caused by an injury to the Olecranon Bursa of the elbow The elbow injury can be either acute or a chronic. Damage to the bursa results in elbow pain, swelling, inflammation and decreased elbow function. As an acute injury, trauma to the elbow occurs as a result of direct impact to the Olecranon process of the ulna. As a chronic injury, the trauma occurs over a period of time commonly due to repetitive compressive forces on the bursa, characterizing the condition as a repetitive stress injury. Elbow bursitis can also be caused by infection, or gout or rheumatoid arthritis, and even kidney dialysis.
What is Bursitis?
What is Bursa or Bursae?
Bursa-Bursae (plural), is a small synovial membrane lined sac of synovial fluid between muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments surrounding a joint, in this case, the elbow joint. Bursae act as friction reducers between the bones of joint to provide smooth joint movement. When the bursa becomes damaged, inflammation occurs, synovial fluid production increases, and the sacs swell with fluid causing pain and swelling behind the elbow.
Treatment without Assessment is just plain foolish.
An Elbow Bursitis Pain Assessment will help us to gather information to create an appropriate and effective Olecranon Bursitis Treatment Plan.
The medical history will tell us if there was impact or compression.
History of an acute injury should hopefully be traceable to a specific event, and how the impact to the bursa occurred. Factors contributing to chronic elbow compression as gradual onset of injury might be defined when reviewing activities of daily living.
Elbow Bursitis Personal Story
Be mindful of signs of infection.
In addition to the report of posterior elbow pain, pay particular attention to statements of chills and excessive hot or cold sweating as possible signs of infection. Attention should be paid to statements of kidney dialysis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, or systemic infection to rule out those causes.
A long history of illness can have far reaching effects.
Consideration should be given to a long history of injury or illness, as the bursitis can cause damage to bursa lining and cause calcium deposits to form. Queries pertinent to Pain Scale prior to going to sleep, upon waking, during self-palpation, and upon movement will assist in the determination of the affect upon the activities of daily living.
There should be obvious visual signs of an injury.
Observation of the elbow should indicate swelling and redness on the back of the elbow regardless of whether the condition is systemic, acute or chronic, but cuts or scrapes on the lump itself are possible signs of infection.
Feel for tenderness, temperature, and tone.
Palpation with light pressure reveals tenderness of the affected area but does not equate with the level of bursa inflammation. Make a note of tissue tone to detect internal bursa pressure. A lower palpated temperature of the affected area will help you get an idea if the condition is chronic and elevated temperature in other areas may be a sign of infection.
Do not forget to check how movement is affected and how movement affects pain.
Posterior elbow pressure is experienced upon elbow flexion as the tissues are pulled taught with increased pain at the end of active or passive range of motion. As the tissues are bunched together during active or passive elbow extension, increased pain is also felt near the end range. Reduced range of motion should b observed at either end range.
Treatment may include pressure reduction via fluid drain.
Treatment of Elbow Bursitis should include a visit to the doctor’s office. The doctor might recommend an elbow x-ray to locate a possible foreign body or bone spur in the elbow. The doctor might also reduce pressure in the swollen bursa by draining excess fluid with a needle and syringe. This procedure will also determine if infection is present. The doctor might also recommend and perform a steroid injection to reduce inflammation.
NOT the Correct Way to Drain the Olecranon Bursa
Antibiotics might be needed for infection and surgery might be required in serious cases.
The doctor might also prescribe antibiotics or other anti-inflammatory medication to speed recovery. In extreme cases of infection, a surgical procedure might be indicated to remove infected bursa or remove a foreign body, or eliminate a bone spur that might be present in the elbow.
Take it easy, don’t make things worse by aggravating the condition.
Rest as well as activity modification will help to reduce inflammation as well. If the condition was the result of chronic compression, activity modification is critical to avoid reoccurrence. The use of ice therapy (Hydrotherapy) for Elbow Bursitis will also help in pain and inflammation reduction but should be applied with care, as there are contraindications to consider with the application of Hydrotherapy. The careful application of Clinical Massage Therapy of the forearm extensors and upper arm triceps will help to take pressure off of the elbow joint as well.
