Elbow Arthritis

Elbow arthritis is a progressive degenerative condition in which cartilage lining the surface of the elbow joint begins wearing away. While arthritis can happen at any joint it is fairly uncommon in the elbow because it usually affects weight bearing joints.

Symptoms

1. Pain
2. Stiffness of elbow joint
3. Severe loss of range of motion
4. A “grating” feeling as the bones rub together in an unnatural way
5. A “locking” feeling if pieces of cartilage have broken off and are now floating loose in the joint
6. Swelling (in later stages of arthritis)
7. Numbness or tingling in the pinky and ring fingers of the affected side (in later stages of arthritis)

Cause

1. A new direct injury to the cartilage in the elbow joint
2. History of an old injury such as a fracture, dislocation, or damage to the ligaments making the joint unstable.
3. Overuse of the elbow joint 
4. Inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
5. Normal wearing with age and activity
6. Altering normal joint mechanics causing unnatural wear on the joint

Risk factors

1. Surgery from past injury to elbow
2. Loss of joint cartilage
3. Weak ligaments in the elbow joint
4. Profession or hobby causing overuse of elbow
5. Men have a higher prevalence than women
6. Individuals over 50 are more likely to develop elbow arthritis

Prevention

1. Avoid injury to the elbow joint
2. If an injury does occur, recognize and treat the injury right away
3. Maintain muscular strength around the elbow
4. Emphasize proper technique in joint mechanics

Diagnosis

1. Physician exam alone can usually determine if there is arthritis of the joint
2. X-rays may be done to look for arthritic changes

Treatment

• Treatment depends on stage of arthritic changes, prior history, patient needs/wants, and patient overall medical condition
• Non-surgical treatment:
  1. Most early stage elbow arthritis is treated conservatively
  2. Activity modification
  3. Fixing joint mechanics and technique
  4. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications
  5. Physical therapy
  6. Corticosteroid injection
  7. Viscosupplementation (hyaltuonic acid injection)

• Surgical treatment:
  1. Later stage elbow arthritis treated surgically
  2. Arthroscopic sugery- to clean up, smooth joint surfaces, and remove any loose fragments
  3. Joint replacement- if the cartilage is completely worn away and the patient is in a great deal of pain/loss of range of motion
  4. Cartilage or bone graft- currently experimental, although more research is being done on this topic.