One of the commonest causes of elbow pain is tendonitis. A tendon is a collection of fibrous tissue, a band that connects your bones to your muscles. Sometimes these tendons suffer minor or major damage. Inflammation is the generic way the body deals with injured or damaged tendons. Typical symptoms of tendonitis are soreness, pain while flexing your hand, pain while flexing your arm or even rotation of the arm. You could also feel pain or discomfort while trying to lift or shift heavy objects. The most common cause of tendonitis is excessive use of the elbow. Typically when people start going to the gymnasium, the first few days will put a strain on your muscles and tendons. This could also happen if you change your exercise program and suddenly start a very rigorous routine. Your muscles and tendons may feel the pressure of your new regimen . If your muscles are not used to exercise and cannot tolerate the new demands of your exercise routine, your tendons may suffer from inflammation. Age is another common factor for the development of tendonitis. Essentially, your tendons serve as an elastic band which keeps your muscles in place with your bones. With age and constant use of these muscles the tendons may lose some of their elasticity. Age may reduce the flexibility of your tendons and lead to tendonitis.
Sometimes there are internal anatomical factors which cause your tendons to become irritated. For example if your bone or muscle structure does not allow easy movement of tendons, your tendons may swell up. Or if there is a physical restriction to your tendons, the constant friction from trying to use the muscle and tendons may cause the tendons to swell up as well. This type of tendonitis may require medical attention. In some extreme cases, surgery may also be required. Other causes of elbow pain may be external. The elbow is a joint which is frequently used by our body and the skin covering the elbow is usually coarser than skin which does not cover a joint. Dry skin or cracked skin on the elbow can cause immense pain each time you use the joint. While sitting on a chair if you are habituated to sitting with your elbow on the arm rest, you may irritate the skin and cause pain. The best solution to elbow pain is to give it plenty of rest. Hot or cold packs depending on the nature of your pain are recommended.