Elbow Pain refers to any pain felt below the middle of the upper arm, and above the wrist. The elbow is the primary joint at which your arm bends forward and back, as well as the point at which it rotates the wrist. It is the point of attachment of many muscles that generate power, as well as muscles which offer fine control of the fingers and the wrist. For this reason, elbow pain is common in professions with involved or comprehensive upper limb movements, and may be felt by one in three people over the course of their lives (Kim & Jang, 2023)..
The elbow is made up of the humerus, the upper bone of the arm, as well as the lower bones of the arm called the radius and the ulna. These three bones all interlock at the elbow joint, and are held in place by ligaments that bridge the joint, as well as by the overlying muscles. The elbow needs to be very flexible in order to accommodate dextrous movements of the upper limb, as well as stable and solid enough that force can be generated using the arm to push, pull, and rotate objects in the world. For this reason, while the elbow is a stable but dynamic joint, medial and lateral elbow tendinopathies frequently coexist with dysfunction in adjacent joints, with one multicentre study reporting significant associations between elbow tendinopathy and prior wrist or shoulder injury (Vinolo‑Gil et al., 2024).
The elbow is also covered in muscles that move both the elbow and the wrist, as well as the hand. The muscles that control the fine movements of the fingers all originate from the elbow, before travelling down through the forearm and through the carpal tunnel before attaching to the fingers and producing precise, controlled action. For this reason, pain in the elbow can result in clumsiness, weakness, or pain in the hand. This can be confronting to people who rely on their dexterity to navigate the world.
The elbow is most commonly injured through acute trauma such as a fall or a bad knock. It is common for a strike or blow to the elbow to cause swelling, stiffness, pain, and a loss of function. Such impacts may occur during the course of sporting or work-related activities, where elbow overuse injuries in youth athletes occur at rates up to 28% depending on sport and training load (Kraan et al., 2019), or may just as easily be the result of domestic clumsiness or age, where progressive elbow pain is a common presentation in primary care, especially among older adults with occupational exposure to repetitive upper‑limb tasks (Descatha et al., 2016). Conversely, the elbow can also experience injury as a result of long-term changes such as wear-down of the joint surfaces or progressive weakness in the muscles overlying it, as is the course in ageing.
Managing discomfort means understanding its causes, how it changes throughout the day, what makes it better or worse, and how long you’ve been experiencing it. Your initial assessment will explore all of these factors and set the foundation for reducing pain and improving movement. Treatment is tailored to your needs, focusing on easing discomfort, restoring pain-free mobility, and creating a plan that helps lower the risk of future flare-ups.
At Atlas Physio, we provide education, structured management, and ongoing monitoring of your progress both in the clinic and at home. To keep care accessible, we are open seven days a week with evening appointments available, bulk billing is offered for eligible clients, and there is no gap for WorkCover or TAC clients. Reach out today to arrange your assessment and take the first step toward living more comfortably and confidently, supported by care that is practical, reliable, and designed to deliver lasting results.
REFERENCES
Descatha, A., Despréaux, T., Calfee, R. P., Evanoff, B., & Saint‑Lary, O. (2016). Progressive elbow pain. BMJ, 353, i1391.
Kim, H., & Jang, T. (2023). Epidemiology and Etiology of Elbow Pain Based on the Healthcare Bigdata Hub in Korea: A Longitudinal Observational Study. Ewha medical journal, 46(4), e12
Kraan, R. B. J., de Nobel, D., Maas, M., & Kuijer, P. P. F. M. (2019). Incidence, prevalence, and risk factors for elbow and shoulder overuse injuries in youth athletes: A systematic review. Translational Sports Medicine, 2(3), 154–162
Vinolo‑Gil, M. J., García‑Campanario, I., Estebanez‑Pérez, M. J., Rodríguez‑Huguet, M., Linares‑Gago, M., & Martin‑Vega, F. J. (2024). Lateral and medial elbow tendinopathy and previous injuries to adjacent joints: A multicenter observational study. Healthcare, 12(17), 1758.