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Is It Serious If Elbows Pain And Have Difficulty In Straighting After A Fall?
I fell on my elbow at a dance class. I landed pretty hard on it and I think it might have been in a weird position. I immediately grabbed my elbow because of the pain but after a minute or so I was back up dancing again. Its been about two hours and my arm is very sore. I have a hard time straightening it all the way and its painful to bend it towards me or behind my head. It also hurts when I put pressure on it. I feel most of the pain in the inner muscular part of my elbow. Its not swollen or bruised at this moment. I've taken antiinflammatories and applied ice and heat. Is it something serious to be considered about? I'm mainly concerned that I have a hard time straightenening it completely.
Mon, 6 Jan 2014
Hi, thanks for writing to HCM.
An xray of the injured part is necessary to rule out any bony injury (fracture) that might be causing limitation of your movement (difficulty in straightening the arm).
The initial management of your condition is as follows -
- Protect the injured area from further injury by using a support or splint
- Rest the injured joint . Avoid activity for the first 48 to 72 hours.
- Ice packing the painful area for the first 48 to 72 hours after the injury. Apply ice wrapped in a damp towel to the injured area for 15 to 20 minutes every two to three hours during the day
- Use an elastic compression bandage around the injured area to limit any swelling and movement that could damage it further. It should be wrapped snugly around the affected area but not so tightly that it restricts blood flow.
- Keep the injured area raised and supported on a pillow to help reduce swelling.
- Take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to help relieve pain
- Gentle massaging of the painful area with a pain killer cream will help
If your symptoms are not resolving with the above measures, consult an orthopedic surgeon for further management.
Hope this information is helpful. Good day
An xray of the injured part is necessary to rule out any bony injury (fracture) that might be causing limitation of your movement (difficulty in straightening the arm).
The initial management of your condition is as follows -
- Protect the injured area from further injury by using a support or splint
- Rest the injured joint . Avoid activity for the first 48 to 72 hours.
- Ice packing the painful area for the first 48 to 72 hours after the injury. Apply ice wrapped in a damp towel to the injured area for 15 to 20 minutes every two to three hours during the day
- Use an elastic compression bandage around the injured area to limit any swelling and movement that could damage it further. It should be wrapped snugly around the affected area but not so tightly that it restricts blood flow.
- Keep the injured area raised and supported on a pillow to help reduce swelling.
- Take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to help relieve pain
- Gentle massaging of the painful area with a pain killer cream will help
If your symptoms are not resolving with the above measures, consult an orthopedic surgeon for further management.
Hope this information is helpful. Good day
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Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
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