Elbow

Looks like

A hinge between three bones, with the tendons of the forearm attached either side.

What it does

Bends and straightens the arm, and turns the palm up and down.

Keeping it well

Grip breaks, technique with rackets and tools. Tennis elbow is a tendon problem, not the joint.

Its parts

• Skin of elbow
• Humeroulnar joint
• Radial head & annular ligament
• Olecranon & bursa
• Common extensor origin
• Cubital fossa
• Articular capsule of elbow joint
• Bicipitoradial bursa
• Subtendinous bursa of triceps brachii muscle

Related conditions

• Acromegaly
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Fractures
• Fragility fracture
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Gout
• Haemophilia & bleeding disorders
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Lyme disease
• Marfan syndrome & connective tissue disorders
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
• Osteomalacia & rickets
• Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Osteoporosis
• Paget's disease of bone
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Rheumatic fever & rheumatic heart disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sarcoma
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Temporomandibular joint disorder
• Tendinopathy (tennis & golfer's elbow, Achilles, patellar)
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies
• Vitamin D deficiency