Is it normal to have pain in elbow even weeks after hitting it?

Question

Hi doctor,

I hit my elbow a few weeks ago and never really thought much of it. But it has been maybe two weeks now and I still cannot lean on it or touch it in any way. If I do, pain shoots straight through my elbow and down my arm until I even feel a tingle in my fingers. It is not swollen, bruised or shows signs of injury in any way other than the pain. Do you think it is serious and should be checked out, or did I just hit it hard enough that even though there is no marking, it is just sore this long?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Sorry to hear that an accidental hit to your elbow is troubling you a lot. By the looks of it (attachment removed to protect patient identity), you do not seem to have any bony injury, especially if you are able to move your elbow (flex and extend it) without pain. The only thing that I can think of is that you might have injured your ulnar nerve which is just behind the medial edge of the elbow. This would be more likely if the tingling sensation that you are getting is along the little and ring finger of your hand, which would be more if you tap just behind the medial aspect (inner aspect) of your elbow. If this is the case it should usually get better in 6 to 8 weeks. But if you feel that the symptoms are increasing or you are developing numbness or weakness in hand or wasting of muscles of hand (which is very rare), you would need to see a doctor. If you do not have the above signs then it might be just a soft tissue contusion which should get better in 3 to 4 weeks. If you are having pain on flexing and extending the elbow, you need to see a doctor and probably get an X-ray done.