“Elbow pain?”
I have a small bump on my left elbow. I can touch it with no pain but a little pressure makes it hurt. It's small like a bb maybe and feels like it is right on top of the bone. I can open and close my hand with my finger on it and feel that spot move. Nerve damage I am not sure.
Male | 51 years old
Complaint duration: 0 11 0
Medications: None
Conditions: None
3 Answers
The tip of the elbow is the Olecranon
The bump could be a remnant of mild trauma
The lump could be a bursitis although the swelling is often “soft and squishy”
Gouty deposits can form here
rheumatoid nodules can form here
If we evaluate such a bump, we might use ultrasound in the office, we might try to aspirate the nodule and look at the aspirate under a polarizing microscope
We may opt to watch and wait to see if it enlarges
Really depends on wishes of patient and other diagnostic options
The bump could be a remnant of mild trauma
The lump could be a bursitis although the swelling is often “soft and squishy”
Gouty deposits can form here
rheumatoid nodules can form here
If we evaluate such a bump, we might use ultrasound in the office, we might try to aspirate the nodule and look at the aspirate under a polarizing microscope
We may opt to watch and wait to see if it enlarges
Really depends on wishes of patient and other diagnostic options
Probably not a nerve issue. Sounds like a small scar nodule. Probably not harmful. If it bothers you, let your doctor take a look.
Hard to tell from your description, but it sounds like an Olecranon bursa. If it is not red, inflamed, or swollen, it is probably not infected. If it persists, you should be evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon to have it possibly drained.
Christopher B. Michelsen, MD, FAOA, FAAOS, FACS
Christopher B. Michelsen, MD, FAOA, FAAOS, FACS
