Overcoming Stubborn Elbow Pain and Tendonitis Without Relying on Daily Painkillers

Elbow pain can make surprisingly simple activities harder than they should be. Picking up a coffee mug, typing on a computer, carrying groceries, or enjoying a favorite sport could suddenly trigger discomfort. 

When the pain persists for weeks or months, reaching for an over-the-counter pain reliever every day can seem like the easiest solution.

However, medication alone doesn’t necessarily address why your elbow continues to hurt. For stubborn elbow pain and tendonitis, identifying the underlying problem and developing a targeted treatment plan may provide a better path toward lasting relief.

Coastal Spine & Sports Medicine, PLLC, in Wilmington, North Carolina, offers custom pain management solutions for individuals with chronic joint pain stemming from tendonitis and other chronic conditions.

Our interventional pain management physician, Francis Pecoraro, MD, DAPMR, SAAPMR, focuses on the least invasive treatment first to make you more comfortable and keep you active. Dr. Pecoraro can also recommend minimally invasive surgery when needed.

Why does elbow tendonitis become chronic?

Two common causes of persistent elbow pain are tennis elbow, which affects the tendons on the outside of your elbow, and golfer’s elbow, which affects the inside of your elbow. Despite their names, you don’t need to play either sport to develop these conditions.

Repetitive gripping, lifting, computer work, manual labor, exercise, and other repeated arm movements can place excessive stress on your forearm muscles and tendons. Over time, this repeated strain may lead to:

• Tendon damage
• Tenderness
• Weakness
• Joint pain

Symptoms linger when the irritated tendon continues to face the same stressors without enough time to recover. That’s why masking discomfort with over-the-counter medications may not be enough to achieve lasting improvement.

Painkillers help, but they’re not the whole solution

Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may temporarily reduce elbow discomfort. However, relying on medication day after day isn’t an ideal long-term strategy for everyone.

NSAIDs may not be appropriate for certain people because of underlying medical conditions, use of other medications, or potential side effects.

Rather than continually treating the symptoms, persistent elbow pain deserves a closer look at its underlying cause.

Start with an accurate diagnosis

Not every painful elbow is the result of tendonitis. Arthritis, nerve irritation, joint problems, injuries, and pain originating elsewhere in your arm can produce similar symptoms.

A medical evaluation helps determine what’s actually causing your discomfort. Dr. Pecoraro may consider where the pain occurs, which movements aggravate it, how long symptoms have lasted, and whether weakness, numbness, swelling, or loss of motion is present.

An accurate diagnosis allows our team to create a treatment plan that focuses on the source of your problem rather than just temporarily reducing pain.

Building elbow strength and restoring joint function

Many cases of tennis and golfer’s elbow are treatable without surgery. Your rehabilitation program may include activity modification along with exercises designed to stretch and progressively strengthen the muscles connected to the affected tendon.

The goal isn’t to stop activity completely. Instead, treatment aims to temporarily reduce movements that repeatedly aggravate your elbow while gradually rebuilding strength in the joint and supporting muscles.

Depending on your condition, physical therapy may be recommended to improve mobility, strength, mechanics, and function. Bracing and other conservative strategies may also help manage your symptoms while your tendon recovers.

Surgery to remove damaged tendons or repair joint structures is usually a last-resort option when nonsurgical solutions aren’t effective. 

What to do when elbow pain won’t go away

If you’ve already tried rest, modifying activities, or over-the-counter medication and your elbow still hurts, it may be time for a more comprehensive evaluation. Persistent pain can interfere with your work, exercise, sleep, hobbies, and independence.

At Coastal Spine & Sports Medicine, our goal is to help you move better through personalized, evidence-based care. 

We evaluate acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain and develop treatment plans focused on relieving your discomfort while restoring function.

You shouldn’t have to take daily painkillers to cope with a stubborn elbow. Contact Coastal Spine & Sports Medicine to schedule a consultation and learn more about your options for lasting relief from elbow pain. You can also book an appointment online.