Elbow Arthritis

The Injury

Arthritis can affect the elbow in the same way that it can affect the weight bearing joints such as the hip and knee. The type of arthritis may be inflammatory or degenerative. Arthritis is a condition wherebye the cartilage surfaces of the joint becomes damaged and deteriorates over time resulting in the loss of the cushioning material between the bones.

Symptoms

Symptoms associated with this condition include elbow pain and stiffness. At Regional Orthopedics the pain and stiffness associated with advanced arthritis can be effectively relieved with a elbow replacement. This procedure involves resection of the deteriorated arthritic surfaces of the joint followed by the bonding of synthetic implants to these surfaces which will allow for the restoration of painless motion. For less advanced cases of arthritis such as mild or moderate cartilage loss symptoms can be managed with non-surgical measures such as oral medications, injectable medications and a physical therapy program.

The Procedure

This procedure typically requires an overnight hospital stay followed by 8 weeks of physical therapy.