Is this your symptom?
- Pain in the elbow
- Includes minor muscle strains from hard work or sports (overuse)
- If pain was caused by an injury, see Elbow Injury care guide
Causes of Elbow Pain
- Muscle Overuse(strained muscles). Elbow pains are often from hard muscle work or sports. Examples are too much throwing or tennis. This type of pain can last from hours up to 7 days.
- Trapped Nerves. The nerves in the neck or arm can become trapped or squeezed where they pass through narrow spaces in the arm. This causes pain, numbness or tingling. Nerves trapped in the neck can cause severe pain and loss of movement in the shoulder, elbow and arm.
- Joint Inflammation. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout. Some, like gout, may affect just one joint. Others affect many joints at the same time. Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear on the joints. It can cause pain, stiffness and loss of movement. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the same joint(s) on both sides of the body. Early treatment may help prevent long-term damage to those joints.
- Septic Arthritis (serious) is a bacterial infection of the joint space. Main symptoms are fever and severe pain when you move the joint. You may not be able to move the joint at all. Seek care right away.
- Tendinitis is inflammation of tendons where they attach to the bone. This causes tenderness in the area and pain when the limb is moved or used. It's caused by overuse. Often needs a long period of rest from the activity that caused it. A steroid shot may be needed to reduce the pain.
- Bursitis. Many joints are covered by fluid-filled sacs called bursae. They help the joint move smoothly. These bursae can get inflamed or infected, causing pain and swelling. The area may look red and feel warm to touch. See your doctor right away if you have these symptoms.
Pain Scale
- Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from any normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
- Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
- Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.
When to Call for Elbow Pain
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
|
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
|
Self Care at Home
|
Call 911 Now
- You have any of these symptoms:
- chest pain or discomfort
- feel weak, dizzy, or faint
- pain in the jaw, neck or back
- trouble breathing
- nausea or vomiting
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Fever and a swollen, painful elbow
- Loss of blood flow to any part of the arm (looks pale)
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Severe pain when arm is touched or moved
- Loss of feeling lasts more than 1 hour
- Bright red area on skin with lines tracking out from the area
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Rash or area of blisters on the arm
- Pain gets worse over several days
- Can't move the elbow normally
- Swollen elbow
- You have a cast that :
- is too tight or too loose
- feels uncomfortable
- has gotten wet
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Elbow pain lasts more than 7 days
- Elbow pain happens often
- Elbow pain keeps you from working or other activities
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Caused by overuse
- Mild elbow pain
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
