Author: Andy Shen, MD
Patient Presentation:
Bilateral elbow pain
History:
27 year old caucasian male complains of bilateral elbow pain that has become more persistent. He reports having this elbow pain for most of his life, but now the pain is becoming more frequent compared to before in the last few weeks. He works as a delivery man and heavy lifting aggavates his pain and is one of the main reasons he is here for evaluation. In general, he has been able to stay active and even participated in school team sports without much disability. Interestingly, his mother had similar elbow problems too. The rest of his medial and family history is unremarkable.
Physical Exam:
The patient is an overweight gentleman and on examination of his elbows, he was found to have palpable radial heads lateral to the olecranon bilaterally. No tenderness or crepitus was elicited with passive range of motion at the elbow or with palpation. There was no swelling or edema evident. His elbows pronate to 30 degrees, supinate to 20 degrees, and extend to 160 degrees bilaterally. He has normal shoulder and wrist exams bilaterally.
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