What to do if your elbow is swollen

Many people have experienced swollen elbows in daily life without knowing the reason. When the elbow is swollen, you must first confirm whether the arm can still move. If the arm cannot move, it is very likely a fracture. If the arm can still move, it is a ligament sprain. When a ligament is sprained, cold compresses should be applied within 24 hours, and hot compresses should be applied after 24 hours.

What to do if your elbow is swollen

Physical therapy

1) Cold and hot compress:

Rinse the injured area with cold water or apply ice to the affected area to stop the bleeding. Then cover with a bandage and apply pressure to prevent swelling. After 24 to 48 hours, the internal bleeding in the injured area has stopped. You can use warm towels or massage to reduce swelling and promote blood absorption. When applying warm compresses, the temperature should not be too high, the time should not be too long, and the massage should not be too heavy, so as not to aggravate exudation, edema or rebleeding.

2) Acupuncture:

Acupuncture treatment is not limited by the duration of injury, so the treatment is more flexible. The doctor will perform acupuncture treatment on different acupoints according to the injured part.

3) Massage and physical therapy:

Generally, treatment should not be given within 24-48 hours after the injury to prevent further swelling or bleeding.

Surgery

If the above methods are effective, surgical treatment can be taken. The doctor will repair the ruptured ligament. However, if the ligament is not completely ruptured, surgical treatment is not recommended.

Symptoms of a ligament strain

Ligament rupture:

It is usually because during activities, movements beyond the range of joint movement are made, resulting in passive traction of the relevant ligaments and causing tearing or complete rupture. Ligament ruptures are often accompanied by sprains and fractures.

Ligament sprain:

Ligament sprain refers to damage to the soft tissues of the limb joints or body (such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, etc.) without fractures, dislocations, skin and flesh damage, etc. The main clinical manifestations are pain and swelling at the injured site and limited joint movement, which often occur in the waist, ankle, knee, shoulder, wrist, elbow and hip.

Ligament contusion:

Generally, it is because the movements during activities are beyond the range of joint movement. The degree of ligament injury is not serious, and redness and swelling will appear.

Ligament tear:

That is, the ligament is partially ruptured and is usually treated conservatively. For ankle ligament tears, surgical treatment may not be better than conservative treatment.