How to Diagnose Elbow Pain

Elbow pain may be caused by overuse, arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, nerve damage, injury, infection or tumor. Pain may be severe, and you may experience limitation in movement. Your pain may also radiate into the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand. Elbow pain is commonly worse upon movement. Your pain needs to be diagnosed to prevent the risk of permanent bone or joint damage. There are steps you can take to diagnose elbow pain.

Things You'll Need

• Physical examination
• X-ray
• MRI
• Blood test
• Ultrasound

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Instructions

• 1

  Get a physical examination. Your doctor will visually inspect your elbow and feel it to check for instability or deformity. He will also test your range of motion to determine how limited your movement is. Give your doctor a detailed medical history that will assist him in a diagnosis. You may be referred to an orthopedic doctor who specializes in conditions of the bones to diagnose your elbow pain.

• 2

  Get an x-ray. Your doctor will recommend an x-ray of your elbow to check for bone deformities. Your elbow x-rays will be taken from different angles to get a complete view of your elbow.

• 3

  Ask about an MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, may be used to detect masses of the soft tissues, abnormal cartilage and ligament abnormalities. Discuss MRI with your doctor thoroughly because it involves lying in a tubular machine and may cause you to become anxious and claustrophobic. Know what to expect when getting an MRI.

• 4

  Get a blood test. Blood tests such as a complete blood count and sedimentation rate may help diagnosis your elbow pain. These blood tests may indicate an infection or inflammation as the cause of your elbow pain. If your white blood count is elevated it may indicate an infection. If your sedimentation rate is elevated, it may indicate inflammation of a bone or joint.

• 5

  Suggest an ultrasound. Ultrasound imaging may detect certain conditions such as bursitis and help diagnose your elbow pain.