The term degenerative joint disease describes a wearing out of the joint over a period of many years. Injury to a joint, such as a bad sprain or fracture, can damage the articular cartilage. Excessive pressure on the cartilage surface of a joint can also damage the cartilage. If you look at the surface it may not appear to be any different since injury to the cartilage doesn't appear until months later. Sometimes the cartilage surface is severely damaged, ripping cartilage pieces from the bone that must be removed from the joint surgically so they don't cause the joint to catch and cause additional cartilage damage.

Torn or fractured pieces of cartilage do not normally grow back. The defects are filled with scar tissue that is not nearly as good a material for covering joint surfaces as the cartilage it replaces.

An elbow joint injury can alter how the joint works even if it does not injure the articular cartilage directly. When an injury changes the way the elbow joint moves, forces on the articular cartilage surfaces may be increased. Like any mechanical device, if the mechanism is out of balance it wears out faster.

Over many years an imbalance in the joint mechanics can lead to damage. When the joint becomes unable to compensate for the increasing damage, it begins to hurt.

Symptoms

Pain is the main problem with degenerative arthritis. Initially, it is related to activity. Once activity begins pain is minor, but after resting for several minutes the pain and stiffness increase. When the condition worsens, pain may be present even at rest and may interfere with sleep. The joint may swell, fill with fluid and feel tight, especially following increased activity. When all the articular cartilage wears off the joint surface, a squeaking or grinding sound called crepitus may occur when the joint is moved.

Degenerative arthritis eventually affects the motion of a joint. The elbow joint is one of the most sensitive to injury and quickly becomes stiff and loses motion so that it becomes difficult to completely straighten the elbow. Later, bending may become affected as well.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing degenerative elbow arthritis begins by telling your doctor details about injuries to your elbow joint, especially any previous dislocation. "Throwing athletes", especially baseball pitchers, may be at higher risk of developing osteoarthritis of the elbow in later years.

Following the history, a physical examination of the elbow joint (and possibly other joints in the body) will be done to see how the motion of the elbow joint has been affected. Catching sensations could suggest loose fragments of cartilage and bone.

X-rays will show how much the joint is damaged and how much articular cartilage is left in the elbow joint.

Treating Arthritis of the Elbow

Degenerative elbow arthritis treatment can be divided into the non-surgical means to control the symptoms and the surgical procedures available to treat the condition. Surgery is usually not considered until it has become impossible to control the symptoms with non-surgical treatments.

Treatment usually begins when the elbow first becomes painful. Often pain only occurs with heavy use and may simply require mild anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, Tylenol(r) or Motrin(r). Reducing activity or discontinuing heavy repetitive use of the arm may be necessary to help control the symptoms.

An injection of cortisone into the joint may give temporary relief. Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory medication. Pain relief is temporary and usually lasts several weeks to months. There is a small risk of infection with cortisone injections.