Olecranon Bursitis / Spur
What is Olecranon Bursitis / Spur?
Olecranon bursitis is the most common bursitis around the elbow. A bursa is a soft tissue “cushion” that lies between bone and tendons, ligaments or the skin. The olecranon is part of the ulna bone of the forearm that makes the ‘point of the elbow’. The olecranon bursa is located over this bone to allow the skin to move easily over it. The bursa can become swollen due to inflammation or infection. An olecranon spur is an extra bone prominence on the point of the elbow, which is present in some people. These spurs result from a pulling of triceps – entheseopathy.
What causes it?
Most cases are caused by inflammation. The cause of this is not always known but it may be associated with other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Occasionally the swelling may be caused by infection.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of bursitis is often made purely on clinical grounds. The mainstay of the diagnosis is to determine if there is any other significant underlying diagnosis which has resulted in the bursitis. A plain X-ray or ultrasound/MRI scan may therefore also be used to help determine if there is an underlying cause that might need to be addressed.
Treatment
- Conservative treatment is started in most cases and involves rest, ice and pain killers. A soft supportive bandage may be helpful to ease pressure
- Aspiration of bursa if large in size followed by a compression bandage may be indicated in some cases.
- Steroid injection may be used in some cases. However, timing of any injection is important, as you do not wish to cause an infection or indeed cause a persistent discharge form the injection site. This can occur if the inflammatory process is ongoing at the time of the injection.
- Surgery is indicated in patients not responding to non-operative treatment or the bursa is large and recurs.