Diagnosis of Posterior Elbow Pain
One of the most common diagnoses of posterior elbow pain is trauma. However, this is easy to guess because, in most cases, patients have a clear history of a direct hit or a visible lesion in the posterior aspect of the elbow. However, when this is not the case, doctors would consider one of these diagnoses:
- Olecranon bursitis: The main problem, in this case, is inflammation of the bursa, which can be due to an infection or not. Thus, fever is an essential symptom in making the diagnosis. In case of infection, patients will also have a highly swollen and warm articulation that looks reddened and feel very painful. The final diagnosis should be made by performing a fluid analysis of the bursa liquid. When no infection is causing olecranon bursitis, patients usually refer a history of minor trauma, and the articulation doesn’t have any visible sign of inflammation. Bursa’s aspirations to make the diagnosis can have complications. Thus, this method is reserved for refractory cases.
- Triceps tendinopathy: Similar to the biceps tendon, the triceps tendon can also have problems and usually cause pain at the back of the elbow. Similar to biceps tendinopathies, triceps tendon problems are also common in people with a history of weightlifting, especially after an arduous session of triceps workouts. Doctors would perform a physical exam to make the diagnosis and examine the insertion of the triceps tendon, where most of the tenderness is located. Besides pain, they will also find weakness in resisted elbow extension.
- Posterior impingement: This condition can happen to javelin throwers and other athletes who frequently perform hyperextension of the elbow. It is suspected in young athletes with a locked elbow that can’t be fully extended. When the problem is sustained for a long time, deformity of the olecranon is also visible when the elbow is fully flexed. Posterior elbow pain becomes worse when the patient extends the arm.