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Just curious if anyone has experienced this before. I recently developed acute, sharp pain the in outside of my elbow. The pain ONLY happens when I put pressure on my elbow, like resting it on a table. It only occurs in one spot, near the "point" of my elbow.
Now I do play tennis and a ton of other sports, but I have absolutely no other form of pain. It ONLY happens when I put pressure on my elbow and it goes away instantly when I remove the pressure. It doesn't hurt whatsoever with any other arm function, motion, gripping, etc. I don't think it's tennis elbow, etc.
I'm not sure if anyone has pinched a nerve or had an IV catch a nerve but that is similar to the feeling. Shooting pain that makes me jump a little. The second I lift up my elbow it goes away. It's worse on my right (and dominant) arm but starting a little on my left too.
Sound familiar to anyone? I found one thread on a health forum through google where plenty of people described the exact thing but no one followed up with a potential cause or diagnosis.
is there any swelling? even if there is no detectable swelling it sounds very much like olecranon bursitis...if so it usually requires no specific treatment, except perhaps some rest. if it turns into a chronic problem, then surgery may help.
you should still get checked out though, as it can sometimes be caused by an infection, which may need treatment, and to rule out other possible causes.
Sounds like "tennis elbow" to me. But the pain sounds like nerve damage/pressure reactions. The tissue in your elbow could be swollen putting pressure on the nerves that are around there. But just enough that it needs that hard surface to make you react.
When I had tendon problems the gripping thing was not a problem until it was very severe with pain.
If it continues have your doctor check for lyme disease.
Well the thing is that years ago I used to be a very competitive tennis player playing almost every day. In the last few months I've only played once, and I only played on and off this past year. I think if I was going to get it, it would have happened when I was actually playing LOTS of tennis.
I would think tennis elbow but this is not constant pain, and it's not anywhere near my tendons. It is so centralized at a single point on the tip of my elbow where there are no tendons....I'm talking the area of a penny, actually less. It's ONLY when this gets pressure that it hurts...otherwise I feel completely fine.
The bursitis sounds more likely but I don't see any swelling in it yet. I do tend to sit at my desk at work with my elbows on the desk holding up my head.
You can get "tennis elbow" from other things...but yeh..I think its you being a head holder that may be doing you in. You should really try to get up and move at a desk job like that. Its not too great for your legs to just zone out for awhile either.
doctor to patient "what causes the pain?"
patient to doctor "it only hurts when i do this" <<substitute the pain-inducing action here
doctor to patient "then stop doing that"
if there is no swelling, and there is no unusual redness of the skin over or around the point of the elbow, then its likely to be a very mild bursitis at worst. the bursa can still be mildly inflamed without any obvious swelling (and any swelling can be disguised by the loose skin over the elbow anyway). maybe consider giving the elbow a rest from any intense sport for a few weeks, and try to stop leaning on it at work, but other than that, its unlikely to be anything to be concerned about.
the symptoms you describe are not tennis elbow, which is also known as lateral epicondylitis, which presents entirely differently. neither do they have any similarity to the joint pain which can occur with lyme disease (in fact you don't have "joint pain" at all, as you have describe a normal, pain free range of movement).
You should really try to get up and move at a desk job like that. Its not too great for your legs to just zone out for awhile either.
Well I'm not entirely a desk jockey. I'm an environmental scientist and spend weeks at a time in the field, or in the lab, and some time at my desk doing reports, etc. I had a report due recently so my last few weeks have been spent at my desk...more than usual, which sounds like a likely cause.
Also, I am ridiculously active outside of work hiking, skiing, kayaking, biking, surfing, hunting, running, lifting weights, and playing limited tennis. It more than makes up for any time I spend at my desk.
if there is no swelling, and there is no unusual redness of the skin over or around the point of the elbow, then its likely to be a very mild bursitis at worst. the bursa can still be mildly inflamed without any obvious swelling (and any swelling can be disguised by the loose skin over the elbow anyway). maybe consider giving the elbow a rest from any intense sport for a few weeks, and try to stop leaning on it at work, but other than that, its unlikely to be anything to be concerned about.
the symptoms you describe are not tennis elbow, which is also known as lateral epicondylitis, which presents entirely differently. neither do they have any similarity to the joint pain which can occur with lyme disease (in fact you don't have "joint pain" at all, as you have describe a normal, pain free range of movement
Thanks, sounds pretty reasonable and backs up a lot of what I've been reading.
Just curious if anyone has experienced this before. I recently developed acute, sharp pain the in outside of my elbow. The pain ONLY happens when I put pressure on my elbow, like resting it on a table. It only occurs in one spot, near the "point" of my elbow.
Now I do play tennis and a ton of other sports, but I have absolutely no other form of pain. It ONLY happens when I put pressure on my elbow and it goes away instantly when I remove the pressure. It doesn't hurt whatsoever with any other arm function, motion, gripping, etc. I don't think it's tennis elbow, etc.
I'm not sure if anyone has pinched a nerve or had an IV catch a nerve but that is similar to the feeling. Shooting pain that makes me jump a little. The second I lift up my elbow it goes away. It's worse on my right (and dominant) arm but starting a little on my left too.
Sound familiar to anyone? I found one thread on a health forum through google where plenty of people described the exact thing but no one followed up with a potential cause or diagnosis.
Did you ever resolve this? I found this post because I have EXACTLY the same thing. It started a couple of days ago.
The nerve passes very near that point and some people can have a malformation of the bone that allows direct pressure on the nerve. I know this b/c I have it and was diagnosed by an orthopedic surgeon. The sure cure is to not lean on your elbows period. At times when I have not been very active, it doesn't hurt as much.
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