There can be a number of conditions and diseases which can cause pain to the elbow joint. Most people associate chronic joint pain with arthritis, but remember to always consult your doctor to determine the correct cause of elbow joint pain. One of the more common causes is bursitis-a painful disease that affects many people each year, which is caused by direct trauma or overuse of joints.

When the bursa is injured, the sac no longer releases the fluid and your joints begin to rub against each other, which causes friction resulting in pain.

What Is Bursitis?
A bursa is a small sac filled with fluid. When functioning normally, the bursa releases fluid which lubricates the joints and allows them to glide smoothly. When the bursa is injured, the sac no longer releases the fluid and your joints begin to rub against each other, which causes friction resulting in pain.

Elbow Joint Pain
Although you cannot feel it, the elbow bursa is located behind your elbow, over the pointed tip. Bursitis to the elbow is referred to as olecranon (oh-LEK-rah-non) bursitis. This is normally a result of repetitive movement or prolonged, excessive pressure to the area. People who perform repetitive activities that stress the elbow joints such as tennis players or construction workers have been commonly known to develop this condition.

High Risk Factors
There are a number of medical conditions which place people at higher risk for bursitis:

• Diabetes
• Alcoholism
• Steroid therapy
• Trauma
• Uremia
• Skin disease

How to Treat Bursitis
There are several methods for the treatment of bursitis pain, ranging from home rest to surgery. Physicians normally start with conservative and least extreme therapy and move on to one of the more aggressive treatment if the problem and pain remain.

R.I.C.E. Therapy: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation therapy is the most common and widely recommended treatment for bursitis pain sufferers. Depending on the situation and the degree of severity of your elbow joint pain, R.I.C.E therapy may or may not be successful.

Steroids: Your doctor can prescribe medications to reduce the pain and swelling. Corticosteroids, which can be directly injected into the affected area, are recommended because they attack the problem and relieve the symptoms faster. However prolong and excessive use of painkillers can have long term side effects.

Joint Therapy/Exercises: Your medical doctor may recommend some form of physical therapy or at home exercise program to strengthen certain muscles groups. There may be a combination treatment of offering a corticosteroid injection with therapy, which may offer immediate pain relief.

Medications: NSAIDs-Anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen may be helpful in relieving bursitis pain.

In some cases, the bursa fluid may have to be aspirated or removed with a needle and syringe.

Antibiotics - In cases of infectious bursitis, fluid is collected for lab analysis and antibiotics will be required to treat the infection. Depending on the severity of your situation, intravenous antibiotics may be necessary.

Alternative Medicine – On the market there are is a wide range of all-natural supplements available such as Celadrin, which has been known to promote and increase joint health and has shown excellent results in clinical studies.

Invasive Treatments:
In some cases, the bursa fluid may have to be aspirated or removed with a needle and syringe. The fluid is then sent to a laboratory for analysis. In some severe or repeat cases of bursitis, surgical drainage and removal of the infected bursa (bursectomy) may be required. In most cases, the joint functions normally after the procedure.

Once the causes of your chronic joint pain are known, the good news is that it can be treated. The first and most important step is getting the proper diagnosis from your physician.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_King

Arthritis is a burden that cover more than one hundred diverse conditions in which osteoarthritis coupled with rheumatoid arthritis are the most common. In the United States forty six million people are afflicted with arthritis, which also include children. Joint pains which can range from severe to mild usually accompany arthritis. Due to Arthritis not being curable, those who suffer from arthritis will need to manage it by trying out different treatments until there is one that will help to control the pain.

Due to the fact that lots of people suffer from arthritis and that varying treatments suit different people, it is far from certain that one particular remedy will be right for you. Arthritis can just happen in a single joint for some patients but there are many who are afflicted with arthritis in many locations and getting the right treatments is difficult. With longer lifespan, more and more people are getting arthritis in their advancing years.

The severe pain from arthritis can be intolerable and together with swelling and other arthritis ailments; it can cause depression.

The severe pain from arthritis can be intolerable and together with swelling and other arthritis ailments; it can cause depression. Besides synthetic drugs that might cause severe side effects, natural form of treatment is more ideal. Arthritis can strike at any time and it doesn’t just cause stiffness and pain but can result in disability. The proper set of treatments is required and patients are in the best position to find out what sort of treatment is right for them in cooperation with their physician.

The conventional forms of treatments are arthritis drugs but there is the possibility of side effects and different people responding differently making dispensing the drugs difficult. The arthritis drugs are Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs and Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs.

Others include corticosteroids or glucocorticoids, which is known as ’steroids’. For those arthritis patients suffering a lot of pain, analgesics or painkillers can help control the pain. Unlike NSAIDs, they do not reduce inflammation but narcotic analgesic drugs aid to relieve severe pain. The conventional drugs help to slow down bone loss and promote its growth in addition to preventing fracture.

Some milder form of arthritis requires only an aspirin or any non-prescription drugs however for more severe forms they will require more than just an aspirin. Synthetic drugs can provide instantaneous relief but there are side effects and some of the patients can experience very severe forms of a stroke or a heart attack. With multiple lawsuits filed, those drugs are withdrawn from the shelves. So those patients and others who do not have the side effects start to look for natural remedies.

Certain natural forms of treatments is useful but it is necessary to find out more before starting the treatment. Some people do benefit from apple cider but other sufferers do not find relief from it. Apple cider does no harm so everybody can give it a try even though you might not get the relief you look for.

Moreover Glucosamine which is a natural occurring substance in the body, can be quite effective as well as easily to find. Other forms of natural cures are ginger which can also be used to flavour food and omega-3 oils. With omega-3 oils, they occur naturally in fish and are highly recommended. However Arthritis patients need to seek the advice of the physician before committing to any form of treatments.

Acupuncture is a beneficial natural form of treatment to provide immediate relief from arthritis pain.

Another way is to seek a professional message therapy, but a downside would be that the relief is only temporary unless consequent sessions are followed. Message therapy can provide the necessary relaxation to your muscle and reinvigorate the body, providing many forms of benefits. On the other hand, acupuncture is a beneficial natural form of treatment to provide immediate relief from arthritis pain. Acupuncture stimulates the nerves in the body to get the desired outcomes.

Warm baths are another way to get relief from arthritis and that can be done before you sleep. As warm water relaxes the whole body and mind, thus giving you a respite from arthritis. Hot and cold patches are also effective through direct application to the affected joints, just like how ice packs can help those people to reduce swelling.

You also can get arthritis relief creams that can be applied to the joints to get immediate relief, as well as sprays to apply on the go so that you can be free from pain. Creams and sprays can be easily placed into the handbag or pocket which makes it easy to retrieve.

It is best to stick to natural forms of arthritis cures as there is no short as well as long term and severe side effects. The pain can be incapacitating and incurable but there are many natural forms of arthritis cures that you can look to.

Source: http://arthritis.top-casino-bonus.net/ways-to-treat-arthritis/