Suggest treatment for lump on elbow
Patient: I have a very small, nonpainful, slightly moveable lump on the bottom of my elbow, on the olecranon, I think. It's just odd, and, as with anything involving a lump of sorts, it makes me slightly worried. When I straighten my arm, you can see it a bit more than when I flex. But you can feel it more when I flew. Doctor: Hi ! Good afternoon. I am Dr Shareef answering your query.From your history, it seems that you have got an olecranon bursitis, a benign condition which occurs due to repeated friction on the olecranon bursa normally placed in the elbow just above the olecranon bone. If I were your doctor, I would advise you to avoid pressure on the elbow repeatedly to avoid accumulation of more fluid in the normally present olecranon bursa. In case of need, some patients might have to change their profession if need be to achieve this. Apart from this, I might advise you for a RA factor test and a serum uric acid test to rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis and high uric acid levels in the blood. On the management part, I would treat any abnormality detected on the blood tests, and would give an anti inflammatory and an antibiotic drug if need be to control the inflammation and infection if present. In case of no relief, I would suggest you to visit a general surgeon/orthopaedic surgeon in your area, who after a physical examination, might go for an FNAC, or an excisional biopsy both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.I hope this information would help you in discussing with your family physician/treating doctor in further management of your problem. Please do not hesitate to ask in case of any further doubts.Thanks for choosing health care magic to clear doubts on your health problems. Wishing you an early recovery. Dr Shareef.