Elbow Pain Treatment

In short: Beyond Stem Cells offers non-surgical elbow pain treatment at its Littleton, Colorado clinic, serving patients across the Denver metro. Treatments include PRP and regenerative cell therapy for tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, elbow osteoarthritis, distal biceps tendon tears and ulnar collateral ligament injuries. Injections are image-guided. Most procedures are outpatient with same-day discharge. Improvement typically begins within a few weeks, continuing over 3 to 6 months. Care is provided by licensed Colorado physicians. Free consultation: (833) 720-7836.

Where we are

Beyond Stem Cells Medical Spa is at 5912 S Cody St, Suite 201, Littleton, CO 80123 — roughly 25 minutes from central Denver, and about 15 minutes from the Denver Tech Center. We see patients from across the Denver metro, including Centennial, Englewood, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood and Denver.

Open Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MST.

Also called the hinge joint, the joint of the elbow allows you to twist and bend your arms. It is located where the humerus (the long bone) meets the bones in the forearm. At the end of your humerus, there are two bony parts- the lateral (outside of the arm) and the medial (inside) epicondyle. The strong elbow cords keep the joint in place while tendons attach bones to the muscles.

However, you may experience elbow pain in or around the joint due to overuse, inflamed, or strained soft tissues. Elbow pain may be caused by activities that require repetitive arm, wrist, or hand movements. Common conditions that may result in mild to severe elbow pain are:

Golfer’s elbow or medial epicondylitis is a type of elbow tendinitis resulting in inflamed and painful tendons that connect to the elbow’s forearm. The pain is felt inside the elbow in the bony bump and radiates to the forearm. It is caused by the overuse of the muscle in the forearm, which most often results from repetitive flexing, swinging, and gripping. The risk of developing this condition is high in people indulging in racket sports, golf, heavy-weight training, and occupations that require forceful movements, like carpentry, plumbing, and construction.

Symptoms usually develop gradually and over months. However, some common signs of a golfer’s elbow include the following:

  • Elbow stiffness
  • Pain when you make a fist
  • Weakness in your hands and wrist
  • Tingling sensation in the ring, and little fingers
  • Hand numbness
  • Difficulty in grasping objects

This elbow pain condition affects less than one percent of the population and mainly occurs in older people between 40 and 60.

Post-traumatic elbow arthritis is an osteoarthritis type that is caused by an injury to the elbow, like an elbow bone dislocation or fracture. The damage caused by an injury can further lead to arthritis in the affected elbow joint. Unlike other types of arthritis, this one affects young individuals more than older adults. Symptoms of post-traumatic elbow arthritis may include pain, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling of the elbow joint.

Injuries that can cause post-traumatic elbow arthritis are:

  • Sports injuries
  • Slip and falls
  • Car accidents

Injuries to the bones wear down the cartilage in the elbow joints faster, especially when you have an injury again on the same joint. The condition is diagnosed through a physical examination along with imaging tests. Physical examination includes a comparison of the joint to its motion range, while imaging tests include an X-ray of the damaged elbow joint, MRI, and CT scan.

You may experience severe elbow pain due to a distal biceps tendon partial tear. The condition characteristics are similar to the complete disruption, such as:

  • Elbow flexion weakness
  • Forearm supination
  • Acute pain

However, the only distinctive aspect of this elbow condition is that the bicep tendons are palpable in the partial tear. Partial tears damage the soft tissue but don’t break off the tendon.

The distal biceps tendon partial tears are caused because of a sudden injury. Injuries at the elbow usually occur when forcing the elbow against resistance, such as lifting heavy objects or loads without realizing how heavy it is. This often causes strain on the biceps and tendons when you try to keep your arms bent as you struggle to lift the weight. It puts stress on the biceps and causes partial tears.

The risk of developing partial tears is higher in men above 30 years and people who smoke or use steroid medication.

The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury occurs because of the wear & tear of the elbow ligaments. The UCL is inside the elbow, attached to the upper arm bone (humerus) and the forearm bone (ulna). It has three bands: front, back, and across. Though a UCL tear may rarely prevent you from running, lifting weights, exercising, or other non-throwing activities, it may lower your ability to participate in games that require repetitive actions and throwing.

This condition is common among baseball pitchers and athletes who frequently engage in overarm movement. UCL can cause inflammation or complete tears of the ligaments. Symptoms of UCL are:

  • Weakness or clumsiness in the hand grip
  • Elbow stiffness and pain
  • Loss of elbow or arm function
  • Tingling sensation or numbness in the fingers
  • Bruising
  • Swelling

Medically termed lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow is a condition characterized by elbow tendon pain. It occurs in the forearm muscle attached to the bony part outside the elbow. The condition can cause potential tearing, inflammation, and degeneration.

Tennis elbow is a condition caused by repetitive wrist and arm movements such as:

  • Playing sports like tennis, fencing, racquetball, golf, baseball, and squash.
  • Weight-lifting
  • Engaging in occupations that demand repetitive arm movements and gripping actions like typing, gardening, landscaping, carpentry, knitting, and painting.

The pain from the tennis elbow may radiate into the wrist and forearm from the outside of the elbow. Furthermore, weakness and pain may make it hard for people with tennis elbow to:

  • Grip objects
  • Shake hands
  • Hold a cup of tea

Statistics show that nearly two percent of the US population has tennis elbow.

Though arthritis is a severe health condition, osteoarthritis of the elbow is rare. It affects 2 to 3 percent of people but is most commonly reported in men. The condition occurs when the elbow’s cartilage becomes damaged and worn out, primarily if you have had an elbow injury in the past, like a fracture or dislocated elbow. Nonetheless, it may also occur because of the age or years of activity resulting in normal joint cartilage wear and tear.

The risk of developing osteoarthritis of the elbow increases when:

  • You need surgery to repair or reconstruct an injured elbow joint
  • The joint cartilage is lost
  • The cartilage joint surface can not be reconstructed or repaired
  • You suffer from an injury to the ligaments, which reduces the stability of the elbow regardless of the damage to the elbow surface

Symptoms reported in patients with elbow osteoarthritis are severe pain, limited motion range, and locking or grating sensation.

Beyond Stem Cells, the best elbow pain treatment excels in regenerative procedures, providing comprehensive treatment for various elbow conditions. As the best choice for elbow pain treatment, we offer individualized care in a state-of-the-art facility, ensuring effective relief tailored specifically to your needs.

Relieve Elbow Pain Without Surgery

Beyond Stem Cells, have extensive experience when it comes to treating conditions of the elbow. We have pioneered the industry’s latest proven alternatives to surgery and steroids. Our in-office, same-day procedures will alleviate your elbow pain regardless of the cause. We treat a range of elbow conditions resulting from distal biceps tendon partial tear, osteoarthritis of the elbow, ulnar collateral ligament injury, etc. Experience the best elbow pain treatment with our revolutionary regenerative medical procedures. Our expert doctors specialize in regenerative cellular therapy, addressing both the damages and underlying conditions that cause pain.

Elbow pain is easy to dismiss at first. A twinge lifting a kettle. Then you switch hands opening doors. Then you notice you’ve stopped carrying shopping bags on that side. Because the elbow is involved in almost everything the arm does, people tend to work around it rather than deal with it — often for a year or more.

There’s no prize for waiting. Getting assessed early gives you more options, not fewer.

Being honest about the evidence

No stem cell product is FDA-approved for elbow osteoarthritis or tendon injury. Legitimate US clinics operate under the 361 HCT/P exemption, which permits use of your own tissue when it is minimally manipulated and used for a homologous purpose. That is the framework we work within.

The evidence base is still developing. Published studies are mostly small with relatively short follow-up. Major orthopaedic guideline bodies do not currently recommend regenerative injections as standard first-line care for elbow conditions. PRP has moderate evidence for lateral epicondylitis — tennis elbow — which is one of the better-studied applications, though results still vary between patients.

What is well established: eccentric strengthening exercises and activity modification have solid evidence for tennis and golfer’s elbow, and many cases resolve with conservative management alone. If you have not tried structured physical therapy, that is often the right first step — and we will tell you so.

We are not offering a cure. We are offering a non-surgical option that may reduce pain and improve function. Results vary between individuals. Some patients respond well; some do not.

Any clinic promising guaranteed results for elbow pain is overselling.

Who this is suitable for – and who it isn’t

Regenerative treatment may be appropriate when you have chronic tennis or golfer’s elbow that hasn’t settled with rest and physical therapy; when you have a partial tendon tear; when you have mild to moderate elbow osteoarthritis; when you want to avoid or delay surgery; and when you are in reasonable general health with realistic expectations.

It is often not the right choice when you have a complete tendon rupture, which usually needs surgical repair; when there is advanced arthritis with bone-on-bone contact; when there is an active joint infection; when the pain is actually nerve compression such as cubital tunnel syndrome, which follows a different treatment path; when you have not yet tried eccentric strengthening and activity modification; or when you are looking for a guaranteed outcome.

Getting the diagnosis right matters. Tennis elbow, cubital tunnel syndrome and a partial biceps tendon tear can all present as elbow pain but need different treatment. If you are not a good candidate for regenerative treatment, we will say so and explain why.

elbow-Pain

Commonly Treated Elbow Conditions

At Beyond Stem Cells, our healthcare providers use regenerative procedures that can treat the following elbow conditions. This list does not contain all the conditions we treat, so please contact us to find out the best elbow specialist near you so we can treat your condition.

  • Medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow)
  • Post-traumatic elbow arthritis
  • Distal biceps tendon partial tear
  • Ulnar collateral ligament injury
  • Lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)
  • Osteoarthritis of the elbow

Consultations are free. We assess the elbow, tell you whether treatment is likely to help, and give you a written quote.

Cost

Regenerative elbow treatment in the Denver area generally runs $3,000 to $8,000 per joint, depending on the treatment type and cell source.

A $500 discount is currently available on joint regeneration procedures.

Financing is available through Cherry – 0% APR options, approvals up to $50,000, and no hard credit check to see if you qualify.

Regenerative treatments are generally not covered by health insurance. We give you a written quote at consultation with no obligation to proceed.

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What are the common causes of elbow pain?
Elbow pain can result from various factors, including overuse or repetitive strain, sports injuries, fractures, arthritis, nerve compression (like cubital tunnel syndrome), or tendonitis. Determining the specific cause is crucial for developing an effective treatment plan.
It is advisable to seek medical attention if you experience persistent or severe elbow pain, swelling, difficulty moving the elbow, or if the pain is accompanied by numbness or tingling in the fingers. Prompt evaluation is particularly important if the pain follows an injury or if it interferes with daily activities.
Home remedies such as rest, ice, and over-the-counter pain relievers may offer relief for mild cases of elbow pain. However, persistent or worsening symptoms should prompt consultation with a healthcare professional to determine the underlying cause and establish an appropriate treatment plan.
Surgery is not always the first line of treatment for elbow pain. Many cases respond well to conservative measures, including rest, physical therapy, and medications. However, for certain conditions or severe cases, surgical intervention may be recommended to address underlying issues and restore optimal joint function.
While it’s not always possible to completely prevent elbow pain, certain measures can reduce the risk. This includes incorporating proper warm-up and stretching routines, using ergonomic equipment, taking breaks during repetitive activities, and maintaining overall joint health through regular exercise and a balanced lifestyle. If engaging in sports or physical activities, it’s essential to use proper technique and protective gear.