Elbow swollen and hot: possible causes and characteristics of treatment

If suddenly the elbow is swollen, then this can be a manifestation of many factors. For example, mechanical damage to the hand is manifested by severe swelling, in addition, an allergic reaction to plants or detergents can also acquire severe manifestations on the skin.

It often happens that the elbow is swollen due to the wear of the tissues, due to the same type of work by hands. There are cases of occupational diseases, when there is a constant friction of the cartilage. In this case, you can hear the crunch of the joint when flexing the limb. Such conditions should be treated with an orthopedist.

What are the prerequisites for the appearance of puffiness?

If the elbow is swollen and it hurts what to do, the following doctors know:

• orthopedist;
• surgeon;
• traumatologist.

They need to be addressed to them. And prerequisites for the development of soreness, as a rule, are:

• Mechanical single-type loads at work or in the gym;
• Infection with parasites and bacteria;
• Wear of tissues with age;
• Internal diseases;
• Lack of microelements in the body;
• Accumulation of fluid in the body or injury after injury.

Puffiness develops after the accumulation of leukocytes in the area of the affected tissue. Inflammatory process can last as long as desired with improper treatment. The initial symptoms of puffiness and rising temperature on the elbow should be compensated with a cold compress. It should be applied until the clinic is visited.

Variants of the causes of inflammation

If the elbow is swollen and hot, then it is possible to foresee the development of the following diseases:

• Developing bursitis can appear for no apparent reason. For a while, a compress of ice or warming, but after a short time, a tumor is again formed.
• The problem of arthrosis worries more than 80% of elderly people. This disease occurs when the joint is mechanically damaged due to prolonged wear.
• Inflammation of the tendon arises from the lifting of heavy objects or sudden movement of the hand. Another disease is called tendinosis or tendonopathy. Often in such cases it can be found that the hand is swollen from the elbow to the hand.
• An unpleasant chronic joint disease is called arthritis. With this kind of inflammation, the tissues around the cartilage undergo changes, the elbow can swell, blush, ache.
• Painful sensations occur as a result of the deposition of salts in the joint of the elbow. This seriously limits the movement of the hand. This disease is called gout.
• The joint fluid sometimes undergoes changes, and calcium pyrophosphate begins to accumulate in it. He blocks the movement of the hand, it starts to ache, swell. The pathology described is called chondrocalcinosis.
• Similar symptoms are formed when the growths appear on the bone tissue in the joint cavity. These changes are called osteophytes.

Inflammation of the joint bag

The area of swelling and redness can reach the size of a chicken egg. The movements of the hand become limited and painful. A thorough analysis of the inflammatory process led researchers to the conclusion that bursitis develops at the junction of bone and joint.

Symptoms of bursitis, by the way, appear often after injuries and cracks. At the same time in the area of the joint bag begins to accumulate liquid, and inside it are formed pyogenic microbes. Often, people affected by this inflammation are engaged in work with difficult physical conditions, as well as all athletes.

A tumor can also appear due to internal hemorrhage into the joint region. The reciprocal response of the body is the inflow of fluid, which delays the skin and disrupts the normal functioning of the elbow. A strong puffiness becomes inflamed, and the tissues turn red. The late symptom is pain when flexing the arm.

Age-related wear of the joint

Such a disease, like arthrosis, develops throughout life, it is characterized by a slow destruction of the joint tissue. There are small cracks, corrosion. Stiffness of movements can last long and painlessly. But the puffiness gradually shows up, and changes occur already in adjoining fabrics.

The area of inflammation can expand, and the tissues lose their elasticity. Pain is a constant companion with developed arthrosis. By the way, it can be noticed that the elbow has already swelled at the age of 30 years. It is during this period in some people that the wear of the joint reaches its peak with daily strength training.

Unpleasant sensations pass in a state of rest, but with the slightest attempt to bend the hand, the symptoms begin to manifest with new force. Osteophytes often become the result of prolonged osteoarthritis. At the advanced stage, a distinct crunch is heard during the elbow bending.

Inflammation of tendons

Tendonitis is the inflammatory process in the place of tendon attachment to the joint. In the people this condition is described by the words "pulled a hand". As a result of this inflammation, you can notice that the elbow is swollen.

The first thing to do with inflammation of tissues is to exclude the infectious cause of the disease. Most tendonitis is chronic. The tendons experience a constant load, resulting in the formation of cracks and tears in the place of attachment.

It is possible to single out this pathology as a professional disease in tennis players. They often find that they have swollen elbow and hot, right after the competition. The patient needs a long recovery period, but most athletes neglect the doctor's recommendations and continue training.

Changes in the joint due to internal problems of the body

Arthritis is another cause of the elbow edema. There are several of its subspecies, and they all have a long period of formation. The reasons may be:

• infection;
• Constant physical activity;
• Supercooling;
• Trauma, stretching;
• Consequences of taking alcohol, smoking.

During this disease, you can notice sudden changes in health - swollen elbow and hurts the skin from any touch to it. This rapid development of edema occurs with the infectious nature of arthritis. The internal accumulation of fluid promotes the multiplication of bacteria, which begin to be destroyed by immunity.

The area of inflammation can reach a large size, if not properly treated. By the way, this state can not be left alone. Normal cold compresses will not relieve the internal infection. To restore health, complex therapy will be required, aimed at destroying the infection and stimulating immunity.

Swelling due to deposition of salts

Failures of internal metabolic processes occur due to chronic diseases. Poor nutrition also affects the joint fluid. Overflow of salt deposits in the joints blocks the mobility of the hand. With age, the disease progresses and the person notices that the elbow is swollen. What to do, the doctor decides in such cases.

People with a passive lifestyle are predisposed to gout. The body stops receiving normal blood flow, metabolic processes slow down, and the salts are deposited inside the joint cavity. Elbow - not the only place of inflammation, the whole body suffers.

From an overabundance of salt inflammation occurs in any joint. The first problematic place is the most loaded limb. The development of gout is affected by the following bad habits:

• alcoholism;
• Frequent smoking;
• An overabundance in food of fatty, acute, salty.

Calcium pyrophosphate as the cause of pain

The accumulation of calcium pyrophosphate in the articular bag causes an inflammatory process, accompanied by the following unpleasant symptoms:

• Redness of tissues;
• Swelling;
• Pain even in a state of rest;
• Blocking the movement of the hand.

Patients in such cases notice that the elbow is swollen after the development of internal diseases. Also, these joint problems are inherited. Predisposition leads to frequent relapses. Disease chondrocalcinosis refers to the ailments of the elderly.

The fading of acute conditions can occur briefly. This is due to residual asymptomatic inflammation inside the tissues of the elbow. For a complete diagnosis, a joint puncture is performed, an X-ray photograph. Additional information is collected by interviewing the patient and external examination of the hand.

Bone growths

It often turns out that the elbow is swollen due to a build-up on the bone, when it prevents the joint from moving. The causes of neoplasms are mechanical injuries of the elbow, immobility of the limb, the formation of a tumor of hard tissue.

If the elbow is swollen, what should I do? First of all, you should start looking for the cause of inflammation, and before applying for a doctor, you should apply a cold compress on your hand. You can use anesthetic ointments, but all these measures can only be used as temporary before a doctor visits. Only a specialist will be able to conduct a survey, make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment.