Elbow Pain

Conditions

Elbow Injury physiotherapist in Dublin

The causes of elbow pain can vary from tendinopathies to the common ones you might have heard of such as golfer or tennis elbow.

Elbow issues can often be incredibly stubborn. The approach sometimes is too conservative with the misunderstanding around pain and what’s okay and what’s not okay but if you’re suffering with elbow pain to the point where it’s difficult to shake hands or carry a bag it can be incredibly frustrating for people because it impacts their daily life so much.

Here at the clinic the approach is very proactive where you are involved in helping yourself once you understand what’s going on. You will get a bespoke exercise plan created just for you with your end goal in mind.

Usually elbow pain stops people from being active whether it’s working, going to the gym or playing their sport. We think of what you want to be able to do and give you a plan to get you there with us doing some of the work and you knowing exactly what you need to do when you aren’t here in clinic.

Any questions on elbow please feel free to drop us a line or book in for an appointment.

Frequently asked question

Elbow Injury FAQ's

I hurt my elbow and now my hand/fingers are numb, why?

It is common for pain to refer from one sit to another. Much like how lower back pain can be felt in the legs the same can happen in your arms. There are nerves that start in your neck and go down your arms to your fingers. These nerves pass around the elbow and an injury here can mean that along with your pain you may also get pins and needles or numbness in your hands. This is no reason to panic. It does not mean the nerve has been damaged. It may just mean that somewhere further up your arm there is swelling or muscle tightness which is pressing on the nerve and affecting the feeling in your hands/fingers. This should get better with well thought out physiotherapy.

I’ve been told I have golf/tennis elbow but how can this happen if I don’t play golf/tennis?

Golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow are just the common names given to lateral and medial tendinopathies in the elbow. Tendinopathies are generally “overuse” injuries. This is why pain at the elbow is commonly named golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow because athlete’s in these sports tend to get these injuries more often than the general public.

I’ve been to the physio and my elbow pain isn’t going away, why?

Sometimes physios can undertreat elbow injuries and are too conservative with rehab. A tolerable level of pain with rehab has actually been shown to have better results than pain free rehab. That being said elbow injuries can be stubborn and are often slow for the pain to settle. It is important that you have a goal in mind that isn’t just “no pain”. If you’re still having pain in your elbow and you’re doing everything your physio says you might need to take stock of what has improved i.e. are you back doing more in work or going to the gym again?