Elbow Care

UMass Memorial Medical Center is home to the only subspecialty-trained orthopedic surgeons in Central Massachusetts who focus on elbow problems. Our specialists have the experience you need for any elbow condition, from simple to the most complex.

Elbow Injury Treatment in Central Massachusetts

Elbow injuries are especially common in athletes who do a lot of overhead throwing or who make a similar type of motion in their sport. This includes pitchers, tennis and volleyball players and swimmers.

Through an advanced surgical procedure called ligament reconstruction, athletes with elbow injuries that once would have ended their careers can today return to playing at a high, pre-injury level.

Elbow Conditions We Treat

UMass Memorial Medical Center treats a full range of other problems that involve the elbow, including:

• Elbow tendinitis (swelling and inflammation of the tendon), including tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow
• Elbow bursitis (inflammation or irritation of the small fluid-filled sacs that act as cushions between tendons, bones and skin)
• Arthritis (pain and inflammation of the elbow joint)
• Osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis, where cartilage in your joints wears down over time)
• Rheumatoid arthritis (painful swelling in the lining of the joints)
• Psoriatic arthritis (pain or swelling of joints of those with chronic skin condition, psoriasis)
• Traumatic elbow injuries including fractures

Elbow Treatment Options

Patients can access a complete range of surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for elbow injuries at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

If you do need elbow surgery, you should know that most of our elbow surgeries are performed minimally invasively using arthroscopy, so patients experience less blood loss, smaller incisions, faster recovery and less pain. We also offer:

• Elbow surgery including ligament repair and reconstruction, elbow replacement surgery (arthroplasty), and fracture repair
• Elbow braces and straps to provide support for such conditions as tennis elbow
• Physical and occupational therapy to help patients regain function and ability after an injury and/or surgery

Physical Therapy in Central Massachusetts

After an injury, you may need physical therapy to regain full strength and function. Your orthopedic specialist will work closely with your physical therapist to prepare a personalized physical rehabilitation treatment program that’s right for you.