Like all the other joints in your body, the elbow is likely to be affected by arthritis. However, unlike many joints, the elbows are more likely to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis. This type of arthritis is when the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints. Typically, rheumatoid arthritis occurs in all your joints at the same time, and this means both of your elbows could be affected. This form of arthritis can also cause you to feel several unpleasant sensations in your elbow joint. Here are three common feelings that rheumatoid arthritis can cause in the elbow:
- Swollen
One sensation that rheumatoid arthritis can cause in the elbow is the feeling that your elbow is swollen. When rheumatoid arthritis attacks the joints, its attacks are focused on the lining of the joints. These attacks tend to cause the soft tissue in the joint to become inflamed. Your body responds to this inflammation by sending fluid into the elbow, and this excess fluid is what makes your elbow feel swollen.
- Stiff
Rheumatoid arthritis can make your elbow feel like it’s much stiffer than normal. In part, this stiffness is a natural result of the swelling this condition causes. As fluid builds up in the joint, it restricts the movements of ligaments, muscles and bones in the knee, and these restrictions make the knee feel stiff and hard to move. Also, elbow stiffness from rheumatoid arthritis can be related to your decisions to move this joint less. People usually decide to move their elbow less with this condition in a mistaken belief that less movement will cause less pain. However, a lack of movement actually causes the joint to become stiffer, and it can also lead to more pain.
- Painful
This type of arthritis also tends to make the elbow feel more painful. The swelling that rheumatoid arthritis causes is part of the reason for this feeling, and this is because it increases the irritation of soft tissue in the elbow joint. In turn, this can lead to inflammation and pain. Stiff muscles can also lead to rheumatoid arthritis pain in your elbow. Stiffness is connected to increased pain because stiff muscles can place greater stress on joints, and this increased joint stress can lead to more pain.
Border Therapy Services can help you treat rheumatoid arthritis in your elbows
At Border Therapy Services, we have lots of experience treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. We know what having rheumatoid arthritis in your elbow can feel like, and these feelings are usually not good. We’ll help you get started with your elbow arthritis treatment with one of our free screenings. Then, our team will create a personalized treatment plan for you, and you plan could include therapy methods like:
- Aquatic therapy
- Therapeutic exercises
- Manual therapy
- Functional dry needling
Take the next step to get our help with your elbow arthritis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.