Your Elbow Does a Lot More Than Bend

What Could Be Causing Your Elbow Pain?

Common elbow problems may include:

Tennis elbow

Golfer’s elbow

Tendon injuries or tendinopathy

Ligament injuries

Bursitis

Muscle injuries

Ulnar nerve irritation or entrapment

Joint inflammation or fluid

Certain sports or repetitive-use injuries

And you don’t have to play tennis or golf to develop tennis or golfer’s elbow. Repetitive gripping, lifting, twisting, or other everyday activities can place stress on the same tendons.

Moving Joints May Benefit From Moving Imaging

One advantage of musculoskeletal ultrasound is that the examination doesn’t always have to be performed with your elbow perfectly still.

Your elbow is meant to move. And sometimes symptoms appear only during a particular movement or position.

MSK ultrasound provides real-time imaging, which means we can evaluate many of the structures around the elbow while the joint moves. When appropriate, you may be asked to bend or straighten your elbow, rotate your forearm, or reproduce the movement that causes your symptoms.

That dynamic view can provide information that a still image alone may not show.

MSK ultrasound is safe, noninvasive, and uses no radiation.

Before He Ever Picks Up the Probe

At the Center for Orthopedic Ultrasound, every examination begins before the ultrasound probe is ever picked up.

We start by listening. Where exactly does your elbow hurt? Which movement brings on the pain? Does it hurt when you grip something, lift an object, straighten your arm, or rotate your forearm? Did the pain begin suddenly, or has it gradually become worse?

Michael Jablon, an expert in musculoskeletal ultrasound, begins with a focused history and a careful physical and positional examination, looking for the movements that reproduce your symptoms and the clues your body provides. This is referred to as the Jablon Protocol. Only then does he pick up the probe, using what he has learned to guide the ultrasound examination.

Finding the Source of the Pain

“Elbow pain” describes where you hurt – but it doesn’t necessarily tell you what is hurting.

Michael Jablon, an expert in musculoskeletal ultrasound, begins with a focused history and a careful physical and positional examination, looking for the movements that reproduce your symptoms and the clues your body provides. This is referred to as the Jablon Protocol. Only then does he pick up the probe, using what he has learned to guide the ultrasound examination.

By combining your history, physical examination, and real-time MSK ultrasound imaging, we can help identify which structures may be contributing to your symptoms and provide useful information to help guide the next step in your care.

If elbow pain isn’t going away, it may be time to take a closer look.

Center for Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

Orthopedic Ultrasound Inc.

949.229.7377