What Causes Swelling On Elbow And Arms After Leaning For A Long Period?

Posted on Fri, 18 Apr 2014

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

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 Answered on

Tue, 6 May 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Monday I was leaning on my elbow but never felt any pain. But an hour or so later that area of the elbow became swollen. The swelling has been getting worse and now my arm is swollen from my elbow to my wrist. I started taking Ibuprofen Wednesday night and icing it down several times a day. But it is not helping so far. I can't really go to a doctor because I do not have a valid ID. Is there anything else I can do? I don't really have any pain, just discomfort from the swelling.

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (5 hours later)

Brief Answer: ? elbow/olecranon bursitis Detailed Answer: Hi there, Thanks for writing in. If you noticed the symptoms after leaning on your elbow for a prolonged period, most likely the diagnosis might be Elbow/olecranon bursitis. Avoid resting/leaning on the elbow. If you must , keep a cushion under the elbow. At the moment taking a tablet of brufen after food 3 times a day might help. Take an antacid like ranitidine if you are prone to acidity or gastritis, as brufen might cause acidity related symptoms. If it does not get better in 2-3 days, or if swelling is progressive, redness of the area, fever,you have to visit an orthopaedician for ?fluid drainage or to rule out other conditions like septic arthritis, gout etc. Hope this information was helpful to you. Regards, Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (17 hours later)

I thought I would send a couple pictures. I thought maybe Benadryl might help more than Ibuprofen at this point. I don't know if the pictures will help or not.

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (10 hours later)

Brief Answer: Signs of inflammation are present.. Detailed Answer: Benadryl will help only if the swelling is due to an allergy. Thanks for sending the pictures. The pictures are not that clear enough for me to comment. What I can definitely make out is definite redness with swelling in the elbow region, in which case brufen might help. However,If you have fever, can't bend your elbow, or if the area becomes swollen, red or warm ,if there is pain or tenderness, if there are red streaks on the arm or forearm.... all are signs of inflammation and infection, that you definitely need to visit the doctor. If it is infected, just brufen might not help. You might need to get the fluid drained and be started on a course of antibiotics.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar