Elbow Pain Treatment in Fargo, ND

Elbow Pain Treatment Near You in Fargo, ND

Elbow pain is deceptively stubborn. You rest it, brace it, ice it, maybe get an injection but it comes back the moment you go back to doing the thing you actually need to do with your arm. Tennis elbow in particular has a reputation for lasting months.

One reason for that is the elbow is frequently the place the pain shows up, not the place the problem lives. Nerves that supply your arm exit from your neck. Shoulder blade mechanics determine what your elbow has to absorb. The tendons at your elbow don’t fail because you overused them once, they fail because of accumulated loads they weren’t equipped to handle. Treating only the sore spot leaves all that in place.

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What’s Actually Causing Your Elbow Pain

Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)

Pain on the outside of the elbow, at the bony bump, often radiating into the forearm. Grip is weak, and lifting a coffee cup or turning a doorknob hurts. Despite the name, most cases have nothing to do with tennis but comes from repetitive gripping and wrist extension. Modern research shows this is usually a degenerative tendon change rather than true inflammation, which is why anti-inflammatory approaches alone tend to disappoint.

Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow)

The same process on the inside of the elbow. Pain with gripping, wrist flexion, and forearm rotation. Common in throwing athletes, in trades work, and in anyone doing repetitive pulling.

Cervical Radiculopathy

A nerve root irritated in your neck can produce pain, numbness, or weakness that you feel primarily at the elbow and forearm. The C6 and C7 nerve roots are the usual culprits. If your elbow pain comes with tingling in the fingers, or changes when you move your neck, this is high on the list. See pinched nerve.

Ulnar Nerve Entrapment (Cubital Tunnel)

The ulnar nerve passes through a groove on the inside of the elbow which is your “funny bone”. Compression there causes tingling and numbness in the ring and little finger, often worse when the elbow is bent for a while, like overnight or while driving.

Joint Restriction Or Bursitis

Restricted motion at the elbow or wrist joints changes load distribution. Olecranon bursitis presents as visible swelling at the point of the elbow.

Why We Examine Your Neck and Shoulder For Elbow Pain

Your arm is a kinetic chain, and it hangs off your spine. Here’s how that plays out.

When your head shifts forward and your upper back rounds your shoulder blade rotates forward and down. This posture is nearly universal among people who work at desks or drive for a living. This changes the position of the shoulder joint, which changes the angle at which your forearm muscles work, which changes the load on your elbow tendons with every grip. The elbow ends up compensating for something happening two joints upstream.

At the same time, that same posture increases mechanical stress on the lower cervical spine, where the nerves supplying your forearm and hand originate. Nerve irritation there reduces the tissue’s capacity to tolerate load, which is why some people develop tendon problems from activity levels that others handle fine.

How We Treat Elbow Pain At Peak Spine + Wellness

A complete examination. We assess the elbow itself which includes palpation, resisted testing, joint play, and stability/ Then we work up the chain checking the wrist, forearm, shoulder, scapular mechanics, and cervical spine. Neurological and nerve tension testing tells us whether a nerve is involved. Digital X-rays of the cervical spine are taken when the exam suggests a spinal contributor.

Local treatment. Soft tissue therapy to the affected tendon and forearm musculature, joint mobilization or adjustment of restricted elbow and wrist joints, and where appropriate, shockwave therapy, which has a solid evidence base for chronic tendinopathy.

Addressing the source. If the neck is contributing, we treat the neck through adjustments, [spinal remodeling traction], and posture correction/. If scapular mechanics are the issue, we address those.

Loading the tendon correctly. This is the part people skip, and it’s the part that determines whether the result holds. Degenerative tendons need progressive loading to remodel and specifically eccentric and heavy slow resistance work, prescribed and progressed properly. Rest alone leaves you with a weaker tendon and the same problem. See therapeutic exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions About Elbow Pain

Can a chiropractor help tennis elbow?

Yes. Care typically combines soft tissue therapy, joint work at the elbow and wrist, correction of contributing neck and shoulder mechanics, and progressive tendon loading. The last piece is what separates lasting results from temporary relief.

Why does my elbow hurt if I didn’t injure it?

Tendon problems usually develop from accumulated load rather than a single event, and the load often increases because of something upstream like posture, shoulder mechanics, or nerve irritation from the neck reducing the tissue’s tolerance. That’s why in our exam we are looking at all contributing factors.

How long will it take to get better?

Tendon tissue remodels slowly. Most patients notice meaningful improvement within a few weeks, but full tendon recovery commonly takes two to three months of consistent loading. Chronic cases take longer. Cases where a nerve contribution is finally addressed sometimes move faster than expected.

Should I wear an elbow brace?

A counterforce strap can reduce symptoms during activity and is reasonable short-term. It doesn’t fix anything on its own and relying on it while avoiding loading work tends to prolong the problem.

Do I need an MRI?

Rarely for straightforward tendinopathy. Imaging becomes appropriate when there’s a suspected tear, when symptoms don’t respond as expected, or when the neurological exam suggests something we need to see. We’ll tell you if we think you need one.

Let’s Find the Real Source

Call (701) 532-0823 or schedule online.

References – Moustafa IM, Diab AA, Harrison DE. The efficacy of cervical lordosis rehabilitation for nerve root function and pain in cervical spondylotic radiculopathy: a randomized trial with 2-year follow-up. J Clin Med. 2022;11(21):6515. – Moustafa IM, Diab AA, Taha S, Harrison DE. Addition of a sagittal cervical posture corrective orthotic device to a multimodal rehabilitation program improves short- and long-term outcomes in patients with discogenic cervical radiculopathy. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2016. – Oakley PA, Ehsani NN, Moustafa IM, Harrison DE. Restoring cervical lordosis by cervical extension traction methods: a systemic review of controlled trials. J Phys Ther Sci. 2021;33(10):784-794.