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3 Ways to Finally Get Ahead of Your Elbow Pain This Year
Has your elbow been calling the shots for too long? When every movement is painful or awkward, it’s time to stop suffering. Let's talk about three easy ways to get ahead of the pain and reclaim your peace this year.
Elbow pain can turn simple movements like shaking hands or opening a door into painful ordeals. Worse yet, it can eventually affect your whole arm, even causing weakness in your hands.
At Northeast Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, we know this type of pain can be unbelievably frustrating for our patients. Our elite team of fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons specializes in elbow pain, offering comprehensive support to guide patients back to wellness. Here are three ways we help you do that.
1. Get the right diagnosis
The elbow is possibly the most complex non-weight-bearing joint in the body. Its tendons, ligaments, bones, and nerves interact in a complicated process, one that normally works smoothly.
If your joint isn’t working the way it should, there's an underlying cause. Knowing that cause is essential in stopping the pain.
At Northeast Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, our experienced doctors take the time to examine your elbow, arm, and shoulder carefully. We often use advanced imaging to verify a specific diagnosis and plan your treatment course.
Whether it's tennis elbow, arthritis, nerve compression, or another issue, once we understand the root problem, your treatment plan is far more targeted, which means you can finally get ahead of your elbow pain.
2. Commit to your treatment plan
A diagnosis from our specialists gives you the information you need to get well, but the next step is all about your follow-through. This means following the structured treatment plan we recommend.
We start with a conservative approach. Even stubborn elbow pain often improves dramatically with the right blend of rest, activity adjustments, bracing, and physical therapy.
Some patients may need joint injections or other advanced minimally invasive, nonsurgical therapies for pain relief. We provide a full range of options to ensure you get out of pain quickly as you work on healing from within.
Our experts, including our on-site physical therapists, can guide you through the steps you need to rebuild your forearm muscle strength, which in turn supports your elbow and improves flexibility and reduces irritation. When you have a coordinated plan, not just random attempts to ease the pain, your elbow finally has the chance to heal instead of being irritated repeatedly.
Although many patients respond to conservative care, if your symptoms persist despite a full conservative plan, we can discuss minimally invasive surgical options tailored to your diagnosis.
3. Correct bad habits that keep causing flare-ups
Even after your elbow heals, it's important to take some precautions. Once the pain fades, many people drift back into old habits, including things that contributed to the elbow pain in the first place.
Our physicians and therapists not only help you rebuild elbow strength and correct mechanics, but we also help you pinpoint pain triggers so you can avoid repeated flare-ups. Long-term success means taking steps to correct those issues. It might mean changing your golf swing, using special ergonomic tools at work, altering your racket grip, or wearing a brace.
Elbow pain is physically and mentally draining, but you can start 2026 fresh. Contact the Northeast Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine office nearest you — in Schertz, New Braunfels, Live Oak, and San Antonio, Texas — to book your appointment with our elbow pain experts.