Elbow Pain and Injury Care

Elbow pain can come from ten­don prob­lems like ten­nis elbow, a pinched nerve, arthri­tis, or an injury. Most elbow con­di­tions improve with rest, ther­a­py, brac­ing, or injec­tions, and some need surgery. An upper extrem­i­ty spe­cial­ist can find the cause of elbow pain, numb­ness, or stiff­ness and guide treat­ment from the first vis­it through full recovery.

At Duly, your elbow care comes from spe­cial­ized hand and upper extrem­i­ty sur­geons, sports med­i­cine physi­cians, and cer­ti­fied hand ther­a­pists work­ing as one team. You get on-site imag­ing, cus­tom splints and brac­ing, a full range of treat­ments, and surgery options that fit your life, includ­ing same-day out­pa­tient pro­ce­dures at our award-win­ning surgery centers.

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Do I need to see a doc­tor for elbow pain?

See a doc­tor if elbow pain lasts more than a few days, keeps com­ing back, or makes grip­ping, lift­ing, or straight­en­ing your arm hard. Elbow prob­lems can start sud­den­ly with a fall or build slow­ly from repet­i­tive grip­ping, lift­ing, sports, or a pinched nerve.

A note on emer­gen­cies: if your elbow looks deformed after a fall, you can­not bend or straight­en it, or you have a deep cut near the joint, go to the near­est emer­gency room or call 911. For urgent injuries that are not emer­gen­cies, our ortho­pe­dic imme­di­ate care can often see you the same day.

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What does my care jour­ney look like?

Elbow care at Duly fol­lows a clear path, and every step is tai­lored to you. Here is what to expect from your first appoint­ment through recovery

What con­di­tions do you treat?

We treat the full range of elbow con­di­tions, from ten­nis elbow and pinched nerves to frac­tures and arthri­tis. Here are the most com­mon, grouped by how they usu­al­ly show up.

What are the treat­ment options for elbow pain?

Most peo­ple feel bet­ter with­out surgery. When surgery makes sense, our sur­geons offer advanced options, often done the same day.

Why choose Duly for care?

Because exper­tise and access mat­ter. Our elbow care is built around get­ting you back to work, sports, and every­day lift­ing, close to home.

Care for every stage is under one roof: upper extrem­i­ty surgery, sports med­i­cine, hand ther­a­py, phys­i­cal ther­a­py, imag­ing, cast­ing, and injec­tions, coor­di­nat­ed by one team across the Chica­go suburbs.

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Who will treat my elbow?

You’ll start with an Ortho hand & upper extrem­i­ty spe­cial­ist. Depend­ing on your con­di­tion, you may see a nclude phys­i­cal or occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­pist, ortho sur­geon, or a pain man­age­ment provider, and they work togeth­er on your plan.

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Where can I get elbow care?

We offer care across the Chica­go sub­urbs, with on-site imag­ing and phys­i­cal ther­a­py at many loca­tions and out­pa­tient surgery at our Ambu­la­to­ry Sur­gi­cal Cen­ters.

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Fre­quent­ly asked ques­tions about elbow care

Why does the out­side of my elbow hurt when I grip or lift?

Pain on the out­er elbow with grip­ping, lift­ing, or twist­ing is the clas­sic sign of ten­nis elbow, an irri­ta­tion of the ten­dons that anchor your fore­arm mus­cles. Despite the name, most peo­ple who get it have nev­er picked up a rac­quet; typ­ing, tools, and repet­i­tive lift­ing are more com­mon caus­es. Most cas­es improve with activ­i­ty changes, brac­ing, and ther­a­py, with­out surgery.

Why does my arm tin­gle when I bend my elbow?

Tin­gling in your ring and lit­tle fin­gers that gets worse with a bent elbow, like when hold­ing a phone or sleep­ing with your arm curled, usu­al­ly points to cubital tun­nel syn­drome. The nerve that runs behind your inner elbow, the one behind the fun­ny bone feel­ing, is being com­pressed. Splint­ing and activ­i­ty changes help many peo­ple, and a spe­cial­ist can test how the nerve is working.

Do I need a brace for ten­nis elbow?

A coun­ter­force brace, a strap worn just below the elbow, takes ten­sion off the irri­tat­ed ten­don and helps many peo­ple stay active with less pain. It works best com­bined with activ­i­ty changes and strength­en­ing exer­cis­es rather than on its own. A spe­cial­ist or hand ther­a­pist can fit one and show you how to wear it correctly.

Will I need elbow surgery?

Most elbow con­di­tions do not need surgery. Many peo­ple feel bet­ter with rest, brac­ing, ther­a­py, med­ica­tion, or injec­tions. Surgery is usu­al­ly con­sid­ered when a nerve is at risk, a ten­don or lig­a­ment is torn, an injury needs repair, or non-sur­gi­cal care has not worked over sev­er­al months. A spe­cial­ist can tell you where your elbow stands after an exam.

Ready to straight­en things out?

Whether it is a nag­ging ten­nis elbow, tin­gling fin­gers, or an injury, our elbow care team will help you grip, lift, and reach with­out think­ing about it.

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