Hell-bow Elbow
February 10, 2014 12:19 PM   Subscribe

I had a severe fall on my elbow in August 2013 and after all the tests, I was told it's a complete burst of the bursa sac/bursitis. Have tried physio/acupuncture/reiki/cortisone shot with no relief (but swelling is down). What can I do to help with the pain???

I play roller derby and took a big fall directly on my elbow in August. I continue to play derby and do other activities but was told to not engage my triceps as this would aggrevate the bursitis. I followed that for a few months (complete rest/no contact) and the swelling went down but, even after the cortisone shot, I have pretty significant pain with any pressure on the elbow (even from coats/sweaters) still. This is a complete rupture of the bursa sack in my elbow (as opposed to just an inflammation). I've tried everything I can think of (as above - reiki/acupuncture/cortisone/physio) and would like to avoid having to take pain meds. I've been told that the only option left is surgery, which I also want to avoid. Any tips???
posted by katie521 to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)
 
Ice and Compression?

Do know that if you're not finding relief from any alternatives, surgery is your last resort. There are plenty of reasons to put off surgery until you can't take it anymore, but you need to determine when that point is and then go for the surgery. If this limits your daily life, it is probably time.

This is likely not something you can put off forever. There is no mechanism to heal and repair this that exists within your biology, so no amount of reiki/acupuncture is going to fix the underlying problem, surgery will.
posted by fontophilic at 12:51 PM on February 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


If it's not healing on its own, surgery may be necessary. If you are asking about relieving pain temporarily, you might also try capsaicin. It is a topical cream. Follow the directions to not get it in your eyes. A work-up from a physical therapist might help.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:03 PM on February 10, 2014


Have you looked into PRP injections?
posted by PorcineWithMe at 1:40 PM on February 10, 2014


A friend of mine got a lot of relief from bad shoulders for an extended period of time by visiting a CryoSauna once a week. It didn't actually cure anything, but it helped him manage the pain.
posted by agog at 1:48 PM on February 10, 2014


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