Elbow Arthritis

What is elbow arthritis and how did you get it?

Osteoarthritis of the elbow occurs when the cartilage surfaces of the elbow are damaged or become worn.  Cartilage acts as a smooth bearing and cushion for the joints.  One common place that people often see cartilage is at the smooth, white end of chicken bones.  Osteoarthritis usually affects the weight bearing joints, such as the hip and knee, but can affect other joints including the hand, shoulder, and elbow.  Elbow arthritis can happen because of a previous injury, such as an elbow dislocation or fracture, or due to wear and tear.

How Do you diagnose elbow arthritis?

And elbow specialist, such as myself, can usually diagnose osteoarthritis of the elbow based on the patient’s history, physical, and standard x-rays.  Sometimes, advanced imaging such as a CT scan or MRI is useful for surgical planning.

Am I at risk for elbow arthritis?

As mentioned above, most people with elbow arthritis have a history of an injury to the elbow.  The risk for elbow arthritis increases if the injury resulted in loss of joint cartilage or required surgery.  An injury to the ligaments can result in an unstable elbow.  This instability can cause abnormal motion of the elbow joint, resulting in increased wear of the cartilage.

In some patients, however, elbow arthritis results from no known injury.  The wear and tear can be from work or outside activities that lead to high demand on the elbow.  Osteoarthritis of the elbow is also noted to have a genetic component.  If you have arthritis in any other joint or have family members that have osteoarthritis then you may be at risk for elbow arthritis.

What are the symptoms of elbow arthritis?

The most common symptoms of elbow arthritis are pain and loss of range-of-motion of the elbow.  Other symptoms can include the feeling of “locking” that can be caused by a loose piece of cartilage or bone in the joint.  Joint swelling may also occur.

I have elbow arthritis, what are my treatment options?

The treatment of elbow arthritis depends on the severity of the disease and what each patient desires to return to after treatment.  I treat all initial cases of elbow arthritis without surgery.  My nonsurgical treatment is normally a combination of anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy to improve range-of-motion.  I will also use steroid injections to relieve some of the pain associated with arthritis.
When nonsurgical treatment is not enough to relieve the pain and elbow stiffness, I may offer surgical treatment.  The majority of elbow arthritis can be treated surgically with minimally invasive, arthroscopic elbow surgery.  This normally involves removing bone spurs, smoothing out irregular surfaces, and releasing the tight soft tissue through small poke holes in the skin.  Elbow arthroscopy has been shown to provide good symptom improvement.  Elbow arthroscopy is performed as an outpatient.

What if my elbow does not improve with elbow arthroscopy?

If elbow arthroscopy fails to improve your elbow stiffness and pain, you may be a candidate for an open procedure to further clean out your elbow joint.  On some occasions, however, a “cleanup” of the elbow will not improve symptoms and I may offer an elbow replacement.  An elbow replacement is only suitable for older patients, however.