We all do it, we lean on our elbows at the dinner table (though I remember being told hundreds of times not to do that, you’d think perhaps I’d have learned that lesson…apparently not though, perhaps I didn’t think it applied to leaning on my desk?).
We lean on our elbows while at work at our desks.
It’s just something we do without any thought or regard to any effect it may have on us.
While the woman in this picture is smiling, she’s probably not aware of any damage she may be doing to her elbow. If she was, she’d not be smiling so happily.
I’m talking about Olecranon (elbow) bursitis which can cause major pain and swelling.
It can occur because of any of the reasons (below information from http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00028
Prolonged Pressure: Leaning on the tip of the elbow for long periods of time on hard surfaces, such as a tabletop, may cause the bursa to swell. Typically, this type of bursitis would develop over several months.
Infection: If the tip of the elbow has an injury that breaks the skin, such as an insect bite or a scrape, bacteria may get inside the bursa and cause an infection. The infected bursa produces fluid, redness, and swelling. If the infection goes untreated, the fluid may turn to pus.
Trauma: A hard blow to the tip of the elbow could cause the bursa to produce excess fluid and swell.
Medical Conditions: Certain conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout are associated with development of elbow bursitis
And, combine the above like a break in the skin and pressure on it and you’ll really feel the effects (like major pain, swelling, tenderness, redness).
So, word to the wise…don’t lean on your elbows and if you have cracked broken skin on your elbow, clean with peroxide and not just assume it’s dry and merely apply cocoa and shea butter…just saying. And, now off of here to go find natural methods of healing…just saying…
Happy New Year!