The Elbow

An animal bite to the hand is very common and can cause pain and other problems, especially when it becomes infected. Early and proper treatment is the key to prevent problems from an animal bite.

Splints and casts are supports that are used to protect injured bones and soft tissues. An arm cast completely encircles the limb with a hard, rigid outer shell. A splint provides rigid support along just a portion of the limb, with soft or open areas in between.

The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that come from the spinal cord in the neck and travel down the arm. These nerves control the muscles of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, as well as provide feeling in the arm.

A cortisone shot can be used to treat some problems in the arm and hand. These can include trigger fingers, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tennis elbow and rotator cuff tendonitis. These injections usually contain a numbing medicine.

Your biceps muscle is in the front of your arm. It bends your elbow and twists your forearm to turn your palm upward. The biceps tendon connects the biceps muscle to your radius bone, which is one of the forearm bones. People frequently develop biceps tendonitis (inflammation around the tendon) or tendonosis (problems with the health of the tendon).

Elbow fractures may result from a fall, a direct impact to the elbow, or a twisting injury to the arm. Sprains, strains or dislocations may occur at the same time as a fracture.

Reduced motion of the elbow and elbow pain in general can make it difficult to perform even simple tasks. With a stiff elbow, it may be difficult to bend or straighten your elbow, turn your palm up (to wash your face), or turn the palm down.

Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that allows a surgeon to look inside a joint using a small cut with instruments the width of a pencil. Most people are aware of knee and shoulder arthroscopy, but the elbow joint has many conditions that can be treated with this procedure as well.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that typically involves widespread pain. This diagnosis can have many different manifestations. The condition is generally considered to be centered around a heightened sensitivity of the nervous system, especially in the brain.

Movement in the hand and fingers is controlled by a system of muscles and tendons located in the forearm, wrist and hand. Tendons connect muscles to bone. When a muscle contracts, or tightens, the muscles power the tendons to move our bones. The ability to bend our fingers to make a fist is controlled by the flexor tendon.