How to Treat Elbow Injuries, According to Physical Therapists

Elbow injuries are common, whether they arise from repetitive movements like throwing a ball or simply from everyday tasks like lifting groceries. Your elbows are very mobile joints: They flex, extend, and rotate. And while this helps you do much of what you do every day, it can make your elbows more susceptible to occasional strains or injuries. 

There are many effective treatments for elbow injuries. Our preferred method: exercise therapy. Exercise therapy plays a crucial role in healing, restoring mobility, and building strength around your elbow to support long-term health. “Strengthening the tissue around your elbows helps keep them stable so they can move through their full range of motion with control,” explains Renee Bullis, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. “This can help prevent elbow injuries, and also brings blood flow and important nutrients to the area to help with tissue irritation.” 

Read on for more about common elbow injuries and get expert-backed tips on how to treat and prevent them, including therapeutic exercises recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists.

Elbow Anatomy 

Your elbow is the joint where your upper arm bone (humerus) meets your lower arm bones (radius and ulna). This mobile joint helps you perform four important movements: 

• Extension. Straightening your arm (e.g., moving your hand away from your body). 

• Flexion. Bending your arm (e.g., bringing your hand toward your body). 

• Supination. Turning the palm of your hand upward.

• Pronation. Turning your palm downward. 

Your elbow is supported by several ligaments, tendons, and muscles, including your biceps, triceps, and forearms. 

“Some of the attachment points that help you grip an object, like a glass of water, attach all the way up to your elbow,” says Dr. Bullis. To maintain functional elbows, and to prevent pain and injury, it’s important to maintain range of motion and strength in all these tissues. If you already have an elbow injury, conservative home treatments — especially stretching and strengthening exercises — can go a long way in helping you heal.

Common Elbow Injuries

As with any injury, elbow injuries can happen over time (overuse injuries) or suddenly (traumatic injuries). Elbow pain may also originate in the joint itself, or the tissue around your elbow. Here are some of the most common elbow injuries. 

• Golfer’s elbow, which is characterized by inner elbow pain. This commonly stems from repetitive use of your elbow’s flexor tendon, which attaches certain muscles of the forearm to the bony prominence on the inside of your elbow. Golfer’s elbow can happen if you frequently do activities like swing a golf club, throw a baseball, or use tools such as a hammer or screwdriver for long periods of time. 

• Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis (or lateral elbow pain). This involves pain on the outside of your elbow and typically stems from overuse or repetitive wrist and arm motions, such as frequently playing racquet sports, painting, typing on a computer, or lifting heavy objects. If your body isn’t prepared for these repetitive motions, this can lead to inflammation or small tears in the tendons that attach to the bony prominence on the outside of your elbow. 

• Elbow sprain. An elbow sprain occurs when the ligaments surrounding your elbow joint are stretched or torn. This can be due to a sudden impact, fall, overextending your arm, or activities that involve quick or forceful arm movements. Or it can be related to overuse, like throwing a baseball repeatedly.  

• Elbow arthritis. Elbow arthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in the joint changes over time, leading to inflammation in your elbow. This may contribute to pain and swelling in the area. 

• Elbow bursitis. Also known as olecranon bursitis, elbow bursitis occurs when the bursa — a small fluid-filled sac that cushions the tip of your elbow — becomes inflamed, causing swelling, pain, and redness. It’s commonly caused by repetitive pressure or trauma to your elbow, such as leaning on hard surfaces or a direct blow to the area. Or it can be related to medical conditions like arthritis. 

• Cubital tunnel syndrome. Repetitive activities involving bending or extending your elbow can compress the ulnar nerve, the major nerve that runs from your neck down your arm, passing through your elbow (near the "funny bone") and into your hand. It controls sensations in your ring and little fingers and muscle movements in your hand. Cubital tunnel syndrome may cause numbness and tingling in your ring and pinky fingers.

Elbow Injury Treatment Options 

In most cases, elbow injuries get better on their own over time. But there’s a lot you can do at home to manage elbow pain and help speed up healing. 

• Physical therapy. Physical therapy can help you recover from elbow injuries by reducing pain, improving strength, and restoring range of motion through targeted exercises and techniques. It promotes healing, prevents stiffness, and strengthens the surrounding muscles, which can provide better support for the joint and reduce the risk of future injuries. “It’s really important to strengthen your muscles to regain full range of motion while avoiding extra irritation,” explains Dr. Bullis. “And a PT can help you with that.” You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health to access a PT via telehealth/video visit.

• Gentle movement. “It may not feel good to move when you’re hurt, but gentle movement is one of the best ways to bring healing nutrients to a painful area,” says Dr. Bullis. By simply moving your elbow — perhaps nudging into some discomfort — you can help maintain your joint’s range of motion so your elbow doesn’t get too stiff and contribute to further pain.

• Ice. If you recently hurt your elbow, applying an ice pack can help reduce swelling and inflammation contributing to pain. 

• Heat. If your elbow is stiff due to arthritis or tendonitis, or if your injury happened more than a few days ago, Dr. Bullis says applying heat to the sore area may feel better than ice. 

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be helpful for elbow pain. It’s important to make sure that you are safely able to take these medications, based on your medical history.

• Activity modifications. While gentle movement is key in the healing process, you want to temporarily avoid or modify activities that cause an unreasonable uptick in pain (especially if the movement caused your injury in the first place). For example, if your elbow injury occurred when you were throwing a baseball, try to take a short break from that and focus on other ways to stay active and move your elbow.

Physical Therapy Tips to Prevent Elbow Injuries 

If you’ve recently recovered from an elbow injury or want to prevent one in the future, some simple steps can help. Try the following practices to keep your elbows healthy and functional.   

• Stretching. One of the best ways to prevent elbow injuries is by stretching — and not just the tissues near your elbow. Stretching your whole body ensures proper range of motion and mobility, which can prevent all sorts of injuries. “For example, if you lack range of motion in your shoulder, you could be trying to make up for it in your elbow, which leads to extra stress on that joint,” says Dr. Bullis. 

• Strengthening. All the tissue around your elbow helps support this important joint. Muscle-building activities, whether PT exercises or resistance training, can ensure these tissues can withstand force when you apply load to your joints. To prevent elbow injuries, Dr. Bullis recommends focusing on your wrist, shoulder, and upper back muscles.

• Warming up. Before you do any activity that involves your elbows, such as playing basketball, tennis, golf, or baseball, make sure to do a proper warm-up. Stretching can help expand your range of motion, preventing strain with movement. 

• Ease into new activities. For those recovering from an injury or trying a new activity for the first time, slow and steady is the name of the game. Listen to your body in the process, and slow down as needed. Pain doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stop altogether. “But if any pain comes up, it may be a signal from your body that you need to scale back or slow down to prevent further irritation," suggests Dr. Bullis. The key is to find your movement sweet spot — the point where you’re challenging yourself without doing more than your body is prepared for. 

• Mix it up. Your body loves variety and different movements. If you’re performing a repetitive activity, like painting a room, try to take regular breaks and incorporate other movements. For example, plan to walk around for a few minutes or take a water break every half hour. This can help prevent irritation and strain on your elbows. 

PT Tip: Don’t Ignore Your Shoulders

Addressing your elbow itself can help prevent elbow injuries, but don’t neglect your shoulders, which help ensure good elbow mobility. Dr. Bullis recommends any PT exercise that strengthens your shoulder blades, such as a straight-arm pulldown. “Front-loaded positions like planks are also good for elbow stability and shoulder strength,” she says.

How Hinge Health Can Help You 

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you.

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References

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2. Alaia, M. J., Jost, P. W., Andrews , J. R., Dugas, J. R., & Cain Jr. , E. L. (2021, August). Elbow Injuries in the Throwing Athlete. AAOS — OrthoInfo. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/elbow-injuries-in-the-throwing-athlete/

3. Liman, M. N. P., Avva, U., Ashurst, J. V., & Butarbutar, J. C. (2021). Elbow Trauma. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542228/

4. Lin, K. M., Ellenbecker, T. S., & Safran, M. R. (2022). Rehabilitation and return to sport following elbow injuries. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 4(3). doi:10.1016/j.asmr.2022.01.012

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