Elbow osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage surface of the elbow is worn or damaged. This can happen due to a previous injury such as a dislocation or fracture of the elbow. Most often, however, it is the result of normal wear and tear of the joint cartilage.
Causes
Primary (Rare)
- Excessive sport
- Racket sport (table tennis, tennis, squash, badminton)
- Manual work.
Caused by repetitive movements causing microtrauma to the elbow joint (hairdressers, painters, construction workers)
Posttraumatic.
- Any trauma to the elbow joint could lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
- Joint surfaces can become incongruous as a result of trauma.
- Patients tend to report pain and crepitus associated with flexion and extension or rotational movements of the forearm
Symptoms
- Rigidity
- Pain
- Joint blockage
- Joint instability
- Joint swelling
- It is triggered and increased by movement and ceases or decreases when the joint is at rest.
- Discomfort less in the morning, then increases during the day and isat its greatest in the evening.
Differential diagnosis
- Sprain / tear of the ligament
- Lateral epicondyle tendinopathy (tennis elbow)
- Medial epicondyle tendinopathy (golf elbow)
- Ulnar neuropathy
- Undiagnosed fracture
- Referred pain in the cervical spine
Radiography
Reference
1. Biswas D, Wysocki RW, Cohen MS. Primary and Posttraumatic arthritis of the elbow. Arthritis. 2013;2013:1–6
