Elbow Swelling
November 23rd, 2019
Overview
Look For
- Generalised swelling over one or both upper limbs. May be associated with redness, tenderness or warmth.
Look between the olecranon, radial head and lateral epicondyle for a subtle concavity - loss of this is indicative of joint effusion.
Causes of Elbow Swelling
- Trauma - olecranon fracture, radial head dislocation, biceps / triceps rupture, compartment syndrome
- Olecranon bursitis
- Arthritis - osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis, gout, pseudogout, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis
- Infection - cellulitis, abscess
- Vascular - acute ischaemia, DVT, superficial thrombophlebitis
- Fluid overload - cardiac / renal / hepatic failure
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