The unique structure of the elbow joint provides motor activity of the arm.
But at the same time, due to constant increased loads, this articular joint is prone to injuries, one of the most common of which is a bruise.
Despite the apparent safety of such damage, improperly rendered first aid and further treatment can lead to dangerous complications leading to impaired joint function.
Elbow injury: types and diagnosis
Obtaining a bruise of the elbow cannot be attributed to the specific damage characteristic of a certain age category. Similar damage is experienced by both babies and a patient of a rather advanced age. But, while in young people the potential for restoration of bone, ligamentous and muscle structures is quite large, in the age category of citizens, any trauma can result in a significant problem.
Most often, a person gets an elbow bruise due to a fall, jolts, direct injury or compression of the joint. Such troubles arise due to inattention or non-observance of safety measures in everyday life, sports or when performing production tasks.
Upon receipt of a bruise, mechanical damage to the soft structures of the elbow occurs:
• muscle tissue;
• skin integument;
• tendons or ligaments;
• articular capsule or bags.
With any such injuries, physiological changes in the tissues occur, accompanied by the synthesis of certain enzymes and mediators, which provoke the development of inflammatory reactions, swelling and soreness.
A bruise of the elbow can provoke a variety of joint pathologies in the form of:
1. Hemarthrosis, accompanied by characteristic bursting pain caused by significant swelling due to damage to blood vessels and accumulation of blood in the joint. In this case, the motor abilities of the elbow are violated, which cannot be unbent in full amplitude, as well as bent.
2. Hematomas, which are popularly called "bruises" in the people. A similar phenomenon is associated with the rupture of small vessels of soft tissues and the appearance of peculiar bruising.
3. Bursitis, which is characterized by the accumulation of fluid in injured and inflamed periarticular bags. In this case, edema is observed at the location of the damaged bursa.
4. Tendinnitis - damage to the tendons or ligaments in the joint, accompanied by sharp pain when trying to make certain movements and provoking instability of the elbow.
5. Synovitis associated with the accumulation of fluid directly in the joint cavity.
The most dangerous consequence of an elbow bruise is a fracture or crack in the epicondyle of the humerus. Such damage is often disguised as a normal bruise and is difficult to diagnose by visual methods.
Elbow Injury: First Aid
When receiving an elbow bruise, accompanied by characteristic symptoms in the form of significant pain, swelling and problems with motor abilities, it is very important to provide competent assistance in a timely manner.
First of all, a damaged arm must be provided with immobilization. You can immobilize your hand with the help of special orthoses or garters. A similar garter can be made independently from an ordinary scarf. The arm is fixed in a comfortable and least painful position. Trying to independently change the position of the limb is undesirable. In the presence of fragments in the elbow, there is a high probability of blockade of the joints and the appearance of new injuries.
You can reduce the painful symptoms by applying ice compresses. For this purpose, you can use both ice, which is wrapped in a cloth, and a heating pad filled with chilled liquid. If at hand there were no such things for a compress, you can use any frozen products. It is necessary to withstand an ice compress on the joint for no more than 15 minutes. During the day, you can repeat such procedures several times. It is strictly forbidden to use heat or warming ointments immediately after getting a bruise.
In addition, to prevent the appearance of puffiness, it is recommended to keep the hand in a raised state. Garter or pillows placed under the damaged joint will also help.
If there is very severe pain, you can take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
The use of tightening dressings prior to diagnosis is prohibited. After receiving a bruise of the elbow, it is advisable to contact a traumatologist in order to, having passed the examination, find out the possible consequences of bruising the elbow.
Elbow bruise: medications and devices
The choice of therapeutic measures after receiving an elbow injury is carried out by a physician only after a diagnosis, which usually includes an external examination, x-ray examinations.
Treatment, first of all, is aimed at eliminating painful sensations, after which it is supplemented with methods that contribute to the elimination of inflammatory reactions and the restoration of damaged tissues.
To combat pain, doctors prescribe patients to take non-steroid group drugs in the form of Ibuprofen, Diclofenac. Such drugs contribute, in addition to reducing soreness, the elimination of inflammatory reactions, swelling and local hyperemia.
With severe enough pain, doctors can recommend the use of corticosteroid drugs. Quite often, such drugs are injected directly into the joint, which allows you to urgently eliminate pain.
If there is a significant accumulation of fluid, puncture may be necessary. During this procedure, the doctor, using the length of the needle, actually pumps out the accumulated exudate. This allows you to relieve increased pressure in the joint and alleviate the condition of the patient.
Puncture is usually accompanied by washing the joint with antiseptic drugs or the introduction of hormonal drugs into it.
The resulting material from the joint cavity during a puncture is necessarily examined to determine the origin of the pathology.
After elimination of significant painful and inflammatory reactions, therapy is supplemented by:
1. Anti-edematous and anti-inflammatory drugs, which include all the same NSAIDs.
2. Muscle relaxants to eliminate muscle cramps due to their relaxation at the level of neurogenic reactions.
3. Vascular drugs that improve local blood flow and help eliminate inflammation and resorption of hematomas.
4. Complex drugs containing vitamins B, which improve the conductivity of nerve signals and help restore functionality.
Before eliminating the negative symptoms, the patient is recommended to keep the damaged arm in an elevated state and to avoid motor loads. For this purpose, specific orthoses are used. If necessary, the doctor can apply a brace or even a plaster cast on the damaged joint.
During this period, you can use various warming ointments, which in their composition may contain painkillers, irritants and anti-inflammatory components.
With an elbow injury, you can use:
1. Fastum gel, Diclofenacgel, Bystrumgel, Indovazin, Ketanol, which are funds that help cope with pain and inflammatory manifestations.
2. Ointments with the presence of bees, snakes, hot peppers in the poison, which, due to irritation of the receptors, improve local blood flow and contribute to pain relief.
During the recovery period, therapy is necessarily supplemented with physiotherapeutic procedures.
With an elbow injury, it is advisable to conduct:
• electrophoresis;
• magnetotherapy;
• wave or laser therapy;
• warming up with mud or ozokerite, paraffin.
To restore the motor functions of the limb, it is recommended that massage procedures and therapeutic exercises.
Elbow bruise: folk remedies
It is possible to supplement the main treatment of elbow bruise with alternative methods that bring real results.
Compresses
Applying warm compresses to the elbow is allowed only after the elimination of severe inflammation. For the preparation of healing compresses are used:
1. Cabbage leaves, which before applying to the joint must be washed and slightly crushed until juice appears.
2. Birch leaves used for compresses, both dry and fresh. Such raw materials are poured into the sleeves, which must be put on hand.
3. Leaves of plantain, which, when applied to the elbow, eliminate inflammatory and painful reactions.
4. Dry ingredients in the form of heated sand, salt, dry mustard, with which warming procedures are carried out.
Healing baths
With a bruise of the elbow conduct healing baths of a local nature. To do this, it will be enough to prepare a container in which you can lower your hand so that the healing fluid covers the bruised elbow. The temperature during the procedure should be maintained at 38-39 degrees. Therefore, you will have to periodically add heated water to the bath. The duration of such procedures should not exceed 20 minutes.
For the preparation of medicinal compositions for holding baths, you can use various ingredients in the form of:
• flowers of buttercups, which are pre-brewed in boiling water and insist;
• coniferous raw materials such as needles, cones, young shoots;
• foliage of birch with twigs;
• sea salt, to which you can add aromatic oils of fir;
• turpentine, requiring strict adherence to the instructions for use;
• bischofite, which improves joint nutrition.
Such baths are preferably carried out before bedtime, after which compresses, lotions or rubbing can be applied to the injured elbow.
Lotions and rubbing
To rub a bruised elbow, traditional healers recommend:
• tincture or ointment from propolis, which is prepared using vodka and, accordingly, vegetable oil;
• fat badger or bear, which contribute to the improvement of local metabolic processes and warm the joint;
• alcohol tinctures containing anti-inflammatory herbs in the form of nettles, celandine, birch buds.
• pepper tincture, which helps to improve local blood flow and accelerate tissue repair.
Regardless of the chosen method of treatment for a bruised elbow, it is necessary, as pain and edema are eliminated, to carry out a set of therapeutic exercises that will help to avoid joint contractures and help restore the motor abilities of the arm.
