What Causes Severe Elbow Pain While Having Osteoarthritis?

Posted on Tue, 27 Dec 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 Answered on

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : experiencing bad pain in elbow. history of osteoarthritis but these symptoms are far worse than before. cannot take nsaids due to taking Plavix. motion limited to about 45 degrees with a lot of pain if I try to move more than that. prevents sleep. also pain in wrist. played tennis recently but episode started with delay of 24 hours. could I have injury other than arthritis with such delayed onset of symptoms? so far have tried ice and Tylenol.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Gopal (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Arthritic Swelling in Elbow

Detailed Answer:
Hi I am Dr Gopal Goel orthopedic Surgeon.
You have severe pain in the elbow with limitation of movements and pain in the wrists also .Increase in movement beyond 45 degrees causes pain
With this much description and no X Ray It is very difficult to arrive at a precise diagnosis, However I feel that there might be arthritic swelling in the elbow increased by playing tennis, causing this pain, limitation of movement and pain in the wrist also.
I would suggest you start on tramadol , elbow support and hot fomentation. Get a fresh X ray to see if any new bony changes have occurred . Give rest to elbow with crepe bandage for a few days.
I hope to have answered your question. Please feel free to ask any further question.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar