An elbow that hurts, stiffens and locks during movement

In the morning, it is difficult to fully straighten your elbow when reaching into the refrigerator. When pouring water from a kettle, you feel and hear grinding in the elbow.

Sometimes the movement suddenly catches, as if something were stuck inside the joint. This is not ordinary ‘stiffness after sleep’ that will simply go away. These are probably degenerative changes of the elbow joint.

What is actually happening?

The elbow works somewhat like a hinge: bones meet with smooth, cartilage-covered surfaces and move against each other with every bend and straightening. As cartilage wears away, osteophytes—bony growths—begin forming at the joint edges, rather like rust accumulating on an old hinge and stiffening its movement. Sometimes a piece of damaged cartilage or bony growth breaks off and floats inside the joint. Such a fragment, often small, can become wedged in the joint and suddenly block movement.

It is most often the result of many years of overloading, repetitive work with the arm, racket sports, lifting, or inflammatory disease. Sometimes it is accelerated by an old elbow injury, fracture, or dislocation. In some people it appears without an obvious cause.

How can you recognize it?

  • stiffness or restricted movement of the elbow,
  • grinding or ‘crunching’ in the joint during movement,
  • sudden locking of the elbow halfway through a movement, as if something were stuck inside it,
  • elbow pain during movement, loading, or sports.

Why you should not wait

The body does not rebuild worn cartilage, and ongoing friction causes further damage. Over time, more loose bodies accumulate in the joint, causing blockages more often and restricting movement.

Changes detected early can be slowed and function maintained without a complicated procedure. A neglected joint becomes increasingly stiff, and in advanced stages the only solution is replacement with an artificial joint.

How we help

We begin with a consultation and X-ray, which shows how advanced the changes are and whether bony growths or loose cartilage fragments have appeared. It is often necessary to extend the diagnostic work-up with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging to assess the extent of damage or plan further treatment.

For early changes, we begin with non-surgical treatment: rehabilitation, anti-inflammatory medication, and sometimes injections directly into the joint. The aim is to reduce pain and maintain the range of motion.

When this is not enough, for moderate changes we remove osteophytes, loose bodies, and altered synovial membrane arthroscopically through several incisions a few millimeters in size, using a small camera that displays the enlarged inside of the joint on a monitor. In the most advanced cases, the only solution is replacement with an artificial joint that takes over the function of the destroyed surfaces.

There is one goal: an elbow that moves without pain or locking.

Book a consultation

If you recognize these symptoms in yourself, do not wait for the elbow to deteriorate further. Make an appointment for a consultation. We will assess the condition of the joint and tell you whether conservative treatment is sufficient or a procedure will be needed.