Elbow osteoarthritis affects the joint between the upper arm and forearm and can cause pain, stiffness and loss of movement.

People often notice difficulty fully bending or straightening the elbow, discomfort with lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling, or pain during work, gym activity or other repetitive upper-limb tasks.

Some people also notice clicking, catching or a feeling that the elbow does not move as smoothly as it used to.

Symptoms and X-ray findings do not always match closely, so treatment is guided by how the elbow is affecting your movement, function and everyday life as well as any imaging findings.

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Read more about elbow osteoarthritis, flare-ups, rehabilitation and wider treatment options.

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When Can an Injection Help?

Injection therapy can be helpful when elbow osteoarthritis is causing pain and joint irritability that are affecting movement, work, exercise or everyday activity.

It may also be useful when pain is making it difficult to progress strengthening and rehabilitation or when a painful flare is significantly limiting normal elbow use.

Your specialist will assess your movement, symptoms, previous treatment and what you would like to get back to before discussing whether an injection could be a useful option for you.

Which Injection Options Are Available?

Corticosteroid Injection

Corticosteroid is an anti-inflammatory treatment.

For elbow osteoarthritis, the injection is placed into the joint with the aim of reducing pain and irritation.

For some people, this makes movement and everyday activity more comfortable and provides a useful opportunity to improve strength and function through rehabilitation.

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Durolane Injection

Durolane is a non-steroid hyaluronic acid treatment used for selected osteoarthritis presentations.

It is given as a single injection into the elbow joint and may be considered where a non-steroid option is preferred or where your specialist feels it is appropriate for your presentation.

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Injection Therapy as Part of Your Treatment

Treatment for elbow osteoarthritis is based on how much pain and stiffness are affecting you and what you would like to be able to do.

Rehabilitation can help maintain or improve movement, strengthen the muscles around the elbow and upper limb and build tolerance for everyday activities, work and exercise.

Pain relief, activity modification and strategies for managing flare-ups can also be useful.

Injection therapy can form part of this wider plan when reducing pain would help you move more comfortably or progress rehabilitation.

If symptoms remain significantly limiting despite appropriate treatment, your specialist can also advise whether an orthopaedic elbow opinion may be helpful.

Do I Need an X-ray Before an Injection?

Not everyone needs new imaging before treatment.

Elbow osteoarthritis can often be suspected from your symptoms and clinical examination. An X-ray can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis, understand the degree of joint change or guide decisions about further treatment.

If you already have imaging, your specialist can review this alongside your symptoms and examination findings.

Specialist Elbow Osteoarthritis Injections in Fareham

Assessment and injection therapy for elbow osteoarthritis are provided at our Fareham clinic by Mike Gillingham, Upper Limb Specialist Physiotherapist.

Mike will assess how osteoarthritis is affecting your elbow and discuss whether corticosteroid injection, Durolane, rehabilitation, imaging or onward referral would be the most useful next step.

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