Painless swelling on outside of elbow

[jaydee]

As the title suggests, after working biceps I'm getting painless swelling on the outside of the elbow.

It occurs within about 4 hours of the workout.

Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks

 

[dper726]

Could be bursitis

Honestly with weight lifting it isn't surprising what could go wrong with joints in general.

 

[AlphaDC]

Painless and swelling aren't used to describe many conditions. Repetitive elbow flexion causes the swelling. Bursitis is a possibility, but is painful, especially with applied pressure. If the swelling is truely not painful, wrap it up and continue on. If wrapping it does not relieve it, you may need to get it aspirated.

 

[Dr JIM]

Could be bursitis

Honestly with weight lifting it isn't surprising what could go wrong with joints in general.

Have you taken a fall or sustained any direct impact to the involved area?
Is it red or discolored?
Does it hurt with axial loading, such as during pushups?
Do you have a history of arthritis?
Have you injured that elbow previously?

If NOT it's likely Olecranon bursitis.
The treatment is quite simple, just wrap the elbow using an ACE bandage to decompress it.

 

[AlphaDC]

The treatment is quite simple, just wrap the elbow using an ACE bandage to decompress it.

What ACE wrapping technique do you use that allows decompression of the elbow?

 

[Dr JIM]

What ACE wrapping technique do you use that allows decompression of the elbow?

Technique?

Wrap an ACE snugly AROUND the elbow joint.

It should be tight enough to decompress the swelling but not so tight it causes finger numbness from decreased circulation.

 

[AlphaDC]

Dr JIM, I was just caught up with using an elastic bandage to wrap an area and decompression.

 

[insaiyan93]

Sounds odd. I'd definitely just give that ACE tip a try and see how it works