Elbow Arthritis
Elbow arthritis is wear of the cartilage in the elbow joint, causing pain, stiffness, grinding, and loss of full bending or straightening — sometimes with locking from loose fragments.
What is elbow arthritis?
Elbow arthritis can come from simple wear (osteoarthritis, often in manual laborers and athletes), from an old injury (post-traumatic), or from rheumatoid arthritis. As cartilage wears and bone spurs form, motion is lost — and loose fragments of cartilage or bone can float in the joint and cause catching or locking.
Symptoms to watch for
- Pain at the ends of motion — fully bending or fully straightening
- Stiffness and gradual loss of motion, often losing the last bit of straightening first
- Grinding, catching, or locking from loose bodies
- Sometimes tingling in the ring and little fingers if the nearby nerve is irritated
How it is diagnosed
X-rays show joint narrowing and spurs, and a CT scan helps map spurs and loose bodies when surgery is being planned.
Treatment
Non-surgical care — anti-inflammatories, activity modification, therapy, and injections — is the starting point. When mechanical symptoms like catching and locking dominate, arthroscopic clean-up and removal of loose bodies and spurs can help and preserve the joint. For severe, end-stage arthritis in lower-demand patients, total elbow replacement is an option.
Stiff, painful elbow that's losing motion?
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Common questions
Often yes, especially when catching, locking, or loss of motion from spurs and loose bodies are the main problem. It cleans up the joint while preserving it.
Total elbow replacement is reserved for severe, end-stage arthritis, generally in lower-demand patients, because it comes with lasting lifting restrictions.
Yes — a replaced elbow has a permanent weight limit (commonly a few pounds repeatedly), which is why it suits lower-demand patients.
Usually a loose fragment of cartilage or bone, or a spur, catching in the joint. These can often be removed arthroscopically.
This page is for general education and is not a substitute for an in-person evaluation. Your specific diagnosis and treatment plan should come from Dr. Hachadorian based on your exam and imaging.