Olecranaon bursitis is common among people who rest their elbows on desks for extended periods of time. Some people show obvious and embarrassing signs of olecranaon bursitis and cannot wear long-sleeved sweatshirts because of the size of their swollen elbow.

People with pitcher arm pain and bursitis can suffer with swelling as large as six centimeters over the bony part of the elbow. Later, these olecranaon bursitis patients are left with lumps, nodules or scar tissue.

Pitcher arm pain or olecranaon bursitis is an inflammation of a bursa, the lubricating fluid that permits smooth gliding action between bones, tendons or muscles. People with pitcher arm pain bursitis experience pain and swelling behind the elbow when a bursa becomes inflamed. The sac becomes filled with inflammatory fluid.

Get Rid of Bursitis Pain for Good

The term olecranaon bursitis is a combination of the word olecranaon, which is the bony prominence of the elbow, and bursitis, the inflammation of a bursa.

The bursa in the elbow is located between the skin and the tip of the ulna, the long bone in the lower arm that meets the olecranaon. The injuries associated with pitcher arm pain and bursitis can often happen over time. If your doctor diagnosed you with olecranaon bursitis, you may be wondering how you got it.

Pitcher arm pain and bursitis of the shoulder or arm is typically the result of joints being torn by excessive force. Olecranon bursitis is linked to people who play baseball, tennis, racquetball, run or work in an office. Some people get olecranaon bursitis by resting their elbows on hard surfaces. Olecranaon bursitis may be due to day-to-day chores such as lifting a heavy piece of furniture or shoveling snow. The onset of pitcher arm pain or bursitis of the arm or shoulder may also be the result of injury to the elbow through exercise.

Bursitis can also be caused by the inflammation of crystal deposits in the synovial fluid as well as rheumatoid arthritis. People with pitcher arm pain or bursitis of the arm or shoulder should be careful not to irritate, bump or apply pressure on a bursa or they may experience swelling and pain.

Get Soothing Relief for Bursitis

A chronic condition for many people, olecranaon bursitis can be especially painful when it occurs through injury or gets infected. Signs of infection include redness around the bursa, fevers, chills and unusual fluid within the bursa. Treatment of infected bursitis requires repeated drainage of the fluid, antibiotic treatment and a surgical procedure to remove the infected bursa. Look for heat at the injured site and redness as a possible indication of an infection. Chronic, recurrent bursitis swells but is less painful.

Most people with pitcher arm pain or bursitis of the arm or shoulder have a history of other elbow injuries and suffer with such conditions as tendonitis, other types of bursitis and arthritis. If you are wondering whether your pitcher arm pain or bursitis of the arm or shoulders can be permanently cured, the answer is yes, most of the time. After you have given yourself adequate rest for your elbow, the problem is often resolved.

Treatment for pitcher arm pain or bursitis of the arm or shoulder begins with rest, ice, compression and elevation followed by physical therapy. Also, a doctor may remove a bursa surgically, but that is not always required. In most cases, your doctor will aspirate the swollen cyst and apply a compression bandage.

If it is necessary, your doctor will first remove any tissue that has degenerated or does not appear healthy. Many times the doctor will inject cortisone into the sac after draining the fluid to suppress the inflammatory response.

If you do have surgery, your doctor will give you a splint to temporarily immobilize the elbow. Physical therapy will usually begin after the first week, starting with passive exercises then moving into more active range of motion exercises for the elbow and forearm.

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