Elbow Injuries & Treatment

Anyone suffering from elbow pain knows how it changes their life. Even simple daily activities bring on excruciating pain and limited motion. Based on a consultation, we can determine if elbow surgery is the next step in treatment. While each case is unique, it sometimes helps to know that there are lots of fellow sufferers out there who have been through very successful elbow surgery.

Repairing a damaged, painful elbow is very common and returns the pain sufferer to a busy and active life in a relatively short time.

Here are some common sources of elbow pain. Treatment will be determined after a thorough consultation by Dr. Manning and his staff:

• Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow) is a degeneration of the tendons that bend the wrist toward the palm of the hand. Any repetition of this movement can cause medial epicondylitis.
• Bursitis afflicts some people, resulting in elbow pain. The bursa are small fluid-filled sacs inside joints that act like shock absorbers. They can cause pain and restrict movement if infected or inflamed. Surgical treatment entails removal of the bursa, usually an outpatient procedure.
• Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis elbow) is another common source of elbow pain, the result of repetitive overuse of the joint. Not only tennis players develop the condition. This is usually caused by repetitive trauma or aging.

Dr. James Manning received his M.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle. His internship and residency were completed in general surgery and orthopaedic surgery with additional training in arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine. This combination of education and experience provide him with the skills and insight to treat elbow pain resulting from trauma and normal aging of the joint and tendons.

Dr. Manning’s staff will provide a detailed description of what the patient should do the night before the surgery, usually an avoidance of food and drink after midnight. Tell the staff about any over-the-counter and prescription medication being taken, including vitamins and herbal supplements, and any known allergies. Post-operative and follow-up information will be provided before the patient goes home after surgery.

While many conditions can be treated successfully with medication, injury, infection, and deterioration could make elbow surgery necessary and desirable. Surgery takes only a couple of hours and the recovery phase is relatively short. Even more extensive surgery takes a few hours, an overnight stay in the hospital, and a few weeks of physical therapy to return the elbow and its owner to good health.

Call Dr. Manning at (702) 228-7355 today to schedule your consultation. With the advances in elbow surgery in the past several years, no one should suffer pain that interferes with daily life and robs him of sleep.