WTH....I am ticked

[kimandkathess]

Ok, I am uploading two pictures. One of my left elbow and one of my right.
Sunday afternoon I went to the ER and the dr diagnosed me within 5 minutes and told me my swollen hand and wrist were tendonitis. I mentioned my elbow and he said it looked normal.
Today I woke up with a numb index (pointer) finger some arm numbess as well and it wont go away...It is now 6:30pm

Im trying to figure out if i should go back to the dr...

The first picture is my right (in my opinion swollen) elbow
The second picture is my left elbow...which is normal.

What do you all think?

[434Teresa]

cant tell

[eisforpants]

It looks a little swollen, but not sure if it would be something to go to the Dr. for. If they gave you any meds, try them for a couple days and if you still don't have any relief then maybe call your Dr at that point.

[cdadabo]

It looks swollen to me, but I'm with eisforpants...if they gave you any meds stick with those for a few days. if you don't get any relief from that point, go back to the doctor and see what he/she says then. But, if the pain gets worse I wouldn't mess around, I would call the doctor asap then.

[CW&M Mom]

Is any part pink or red? It's hard to tell via the pics...but with the numbness my first thought is something like cellulitis....which should never be ignored.

[rbunnymom]

It sounds like you need to see your regular doctor to follow-up on what the ER doctor said.

[abond0017]

You should RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) any part of your arm/hand that you think is swollen (but of course not your whole arm at once). Also, take the meds that the doc gave you. After doing that for 24 hrs I think you should see/feel some improvement, but if you don't then maybe a trip back to the doc will be a good idea. I know tennis elbow...a tendinitis...can cause symptoms from the hand to elbow. I also know that swelling at the elbow can compress the ulnar nerve and cause tingling or numbness in your pinky and 4th finger and maybe more. Though, even if the Dr. was wrong about it being tendinitis, RICEing should still help. In many types of injuries, it's the swelling is what causes a lot of the symptoms/pain...so it will be beneficial to get the swelling down no matter what the cause.

Hope it gets better. I was having pain/swelling problems in my ankle that I swore might be tendinitis and the doc told me it was something else that wasn't even in the exact area that hurt. I didn't find out what the real cause was and luckily it hasn't bothered me recently (other than a constant popping that has never been there before). I think sometimes it is just really hard for them to tell what is going on in cases like these cause pain and swelling without an acute injury can be caused by so many things.

[lovemygirls]

Maybe some Bursitis?

Bursae are thin, slippery sacs located throughout the body that act as cushions between bones and soft tissues. They contain a small amount of lubricating fluid that allows the skin to move freely over the underlying bone.
The olecranon bursa lies between the loose skin and the pointy bone at the back of the elbow called the olecranon.
Normally, the olecranon bursa is flat. If it becomes irritated or inflamed, more fluid will accumulate in the bursa and bursitis will develop.

In elbow bursitis, the bursa fills with fluid, causing pain and limiting movement.

Reproduced and modified from The Body Almanac. (c) American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2003.

Cause

Elbow bursitis can occur for a number of reasons.

• Trauma: A hard blow to the tip of the elbow can cause the bursa to produce excess fluid and swell.
• Prolonged pressure: Leaning on the tip of the elbow for long periods of time on hard surfaces, such as a tabletop, may cause the bursa to swell. Typically, this type of bursitis develops over several months.People in certain occupations are especially vulnerable, particularly plumbers or heating and air conditioning technicians who have to crawl on their knees in tight spaces and lean on their elbows.
• Infection: If an injury at the tip of the elbow breaks the skin, such as an insect bite, scrape, or puncture wound, bacteria may get inside the bursa sac and cause an infection. The infected bursa produces fluid, redness, swelling, and pain. If the infection goes untreated, the fluid may turn to pus.Occasionally, the bursa sac may become infected without an obvious injury to the skin.
• Medical conditions: Certain conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout, are associated with elbow bursitis.

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Symptoms
Swelling is often the first symptom. The skin on the back of the elbow is loose, which means that a small amount of swelling may not be noticed right away.

In many cases, the first sign of bursitis is swelling at the elbow.

As the swelling continues, the bursa begins to stretch, which causes pain. The pain often worsens with direct pressure on the elbow or with bending the elbow. The swelling may grow large enough to restrict elbow motion.
If the bursitis is infected, the skin becomes red and warm. If the infection is not treated right away, it may spread to other parts of the arm or move into the bloodstream. This can cause serious illness. Occasionally, an infected bursa will open spontaneously and drain pus.
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Doctor Examination and Tests
After discussing your symptoms and medical history, your doctor will examine your arm and elbow.
Your doctor may recommend an x-ray to look for a foreign body or a bone spur. Bone spurs are often found on the tip of the elbow bone in patients who have had repeated instances of elbow bursitis. Your doctor may choose to take a small sample of bursa fluid with a needle to diagnose whether the bursitis is caused by infection or gout. Blood tests are not usually helpful.
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Treatment
Nonsurgical Treatment

If your doctor suspects that bursitis is due to an infection, he or she may recommend aspirating (removing the fluid from) the bursa with a needle. This is commonly performed as an office procedure. Fluid removal helps relieve symptoms and gives your doctor a sample that can be looked at in a laboratory to identify if any bacteria are growing. This also lets your doctor know if a specific antibiotic is needed to fight the infection.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics before the exact type of infection is identified. This is done to prevent the infection from progressing. The antibiotic that your doctor prescribes at this point will treat a number of possible infections.

If the bursitis is not from an infection, it is treated with a number of options.

• Elbow pads. An elbow pad may be used to cushion your elbow.
• Activity changes. Avoid activities that cause direct pressure to your swollen elbow.
• Medications. Oral medications such as ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories may be used to reduce swelling and relieve your symptoms.

If swelling and pain do not respond to these measures after 3 to 4 weeks, your doctor may recommend removing fluid from the bursa and injecting a corticosteroid medication into the bursa. The steroid medication is an anti-inflammatory drug that is stronger than the medication that can be taken by mouth. Corticosteroid injections usually work well to relieve pain and swelling. However, symptoms can return.

Your doctor may remove fluid from the swollen bursa to check for infection, or to prepare the bursa for a corticosteroid injection.

Reproduced with permission from JF Sarwark, ed: Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care, ed 4. Rosemont, IL, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2010.