Student elbow (Olecranon bursitis)
Why do you get student elbow?
Between the elbow and the skin there is a thin, slightly fluid-filled membrane (bursa) that ensures that there is a glide between the skin and the skeleton at the back of the elbow. Olecranon is the Latin name for the tip of the elbow and bursitis means inflammation of the bursa. If you lean on your elbows a lot, as students, for example, do, hence the name student elbow, the bursa can become irritated and become fluid-filled. If you feel your elbow, it feels and looks a bit like a fluid-filled sac is inside the skin around the tip of the elbow. Swelling of the elbow can also occur if you accidentally hit your elbow.
If you have abrasions, eczema or psoriasis in the elbow region, you can also get a bacterial infection in the bursa. In these cases, you are often warm and the skin may become red in the area.
Symptoms of olecranon bursitis
This often does not hurt much. The elbow may be a little tender when pressed. The area may feel tight when you bend your arm. The exception is if you have a bacterial infection, which can be painful.
Since the swelling on the elbow can be significant and noticeable, it can be the biggest reason for seeking help.
Treatment for student elbow
Provided that the elbow is swollen, the patient does not have any pronounced pain and the function of the elbow is good, you have suffered from student elbow. In this case, it is recommended to relieve the elbow and not support it against the surface. A lightly compressive elbow pad can be good, partly to keep the fluid back and partly to protect the elbow from shocks and mechanical pressure. If the swelling has recently occurred, this is usually the initial treatment. If the swelling has not decreased in a couple of weeks, we can use ultrasound diagnostics to guide a needle into the bursa and empty it of fluid (aspirate). Compression bandages are recommended in the days after the procedure. If the swelling returns, the subsequent emptying of the bursa can be combined with an ultrasound-guided cortisone injection.
If there are signs of bacterial infection with redness, heat and pain, the patient is sent to a doctor for aspiration and possible culture of the fluid. Sometimes this is treated with antibiotics. In a few difficult-to-heal cases, the bursa can be surgically removed.
